The Common Agricultural Policy SIMulation (CAPSIM) model : database for agricultural sector modelling

The aim of the present technical report is to describe the underlying techniques and methods developed for data selection and data preparation for the Common Agricultural Policy SIMulation (CAPSIM) model. CAPSIM was developed in the early 1980s by EuroCARE and the University of Bonn on behalf of DG ESTAT. In 2006, the CAPSIM model was transferred from DG ESTAT to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS) in order to extend the model to new Candidate Countries to the European Union accession and to further develop the modelling tools for CAP analysis. In terms of country coverage the database covers: EU-27, Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as other Western Balkan countries, and Turkey. In terms of items and products the database is set up in a more disaggregated form in order to extend the dairy commodities coverage in view of the ongoing Common Agricultural Policy reform. The modelling database is implemented in a routine called "Complete and Consistent Database" (COCO) to establish database' completeness and consistency based on the various type of official data. The routine consists in two steps: inclusion and combination of input data and calculation of complete and consistent data.