'Who Are Europe's Farmers?' Accession to the EU and Organized Professional Interests - Evidence from the Czech Republic

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Abstract

The article addresses the issue of the intermediation of professional interests in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) acceding to the European Union (EU). Specifically, the author traces and analyzes the agricultural professional interests in the Czech Republic in order to analyze the extent to which ‘Europe’ has been affecting organized interests in newly-joined EU member states. The goal is to enlighten the complex and changing relationship between the post-communist legacy and the incremental European incentives, which influence the structures and identities of organized interest groups. As such, we are interested in the Czech Chamber of Agriculture and its two partner associations, from its creation until the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU.