The European Commission launched a call for tender for a study on modelling work in the field of agriculture. The Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) has been using the European Simulation Model (ESIM) as a tool for economic analyses. It is a partial equilibrium model which represents the agricultural sectors of the 12 new Member States, the two accession states, individual EU15 countries, Turkey, the USA, the rest of the world and the world market. The model has been designed to assess the impact of ex-ante and ex-post policy changes, the effects of enlargement of the EU as well as the analysis of market prospects over the medium term.
However, it necessitates an extension of the scope in order to cover various new aspects of the latest policy developments. The study will enhance the analytical capacities of DG AGRI in respect to evaluations of CAP instruments, policy analyses and market prospects as well as performing services in establishing a market balance database for modelling purposes and the update of the model. The maximum budget attributed to this study is €100,000. The deadline for submitting offers expires on 9 October 2007. The Commission intends to award the contract before the end of 2007, following the evaluation of the offers received. The contractor will have to carry out the study within 8 months from the signature of the contract.