Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was the first building block in establishing the “Common Market” which over time has been transformed into the EU we have today. Over the years, the CAP has been fundamentally reformed, from a system based primarily on price and market supports to a decoupled direct payment system. Negotiations on the future of the CAP post-2013 will commence in 2009-2010. This section provides documentation on decisions at EU level and IFA policy.