The Commission's public consultation exercise on the simplification and modernisation of the Common Agricultural Policy closed on 2 May 2017. It received in excess of 320,000 online responses. The initial results of this exercise will be presented at a stakeholder event in July. As a prelude to these results, some key features of EU agriculture are outlined along with an overview on prospects for the main agricultural markets. A number of stakeholder organisations and think tanks have already issued their reflections on the future shape of EU agricultural policy. It is expected that the Commission will publish a communication towards the end of the year on the current performance of the CAP including potential policy options for the future.Source: © European Union - EP