Karl Cordemans, Emmet Byrnes & Cees van Rooijen

This paper seeks to summarise the origin and evolution of the Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP) in terms of the impact its policies and measures have had – and continue to have
– on archaeological features and sites situated on arable land. The effects have been very
obvious in some cases, less visible in others, but invariably significant. At the same time, the
European policy on agriculture and rural development, and the Treaty provisions for the
CAP can also present solutions and mitigation measures for the problems. Some examples
will be presented within this paper, along with a forecast for the next programming period
(2021-2027).
The authors are members of the EAA and EAC working group on Farming, Forestry
and Rural Land Management. One of the aims of this working group is to improve the
management of archaeological heritage in those areas.

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