Brussels, 08/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - After a meeting of the two countries' agriculture ministers in Warsaw on Monday 6 June, France and Poland have more sharply focused their respective viewpoints on amendments to be brought to the common agricultural policy (CAP) after 2013, the date on which the EU's current multiannual financial framework expires.
“Both France and Poland want a common agricultural policy that is strong, modern and properly funded, and we reject any challenge to the common agricultural policy,” AFP quotes French minister Bruno Le Maire as saying in a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Marek Sawicki. “In terms of general principles, the agreement in the points of view of France and Poland is huge,” Sawicki said. “We both take the view that genuine European regulation of agricultural markets is required,” Le Maire went on. Poland is among the new EU member states which feel they have been unfairly treated by the criteria for allocation of aid, based on historic production levels, and which are working hard to have the imbalance redressed.
“France is fully aware that the CAP has to be more legitimate and, for that reason, France acknowledges that historic reference levels have to be reviewed,” the French minister stated. Such a review of allocation criteria for direct aid to farmers could “even out the differences and divisions between old and new member states,” Sawicki argued.
Le Maire once again raised the concern felt by a large number of EU countries for their agriculture, following the official relaunch of trade negotiations between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). “We have managed to bring together 15 member states which oppose the resumption of negotiations between the EU and Mercosur,” he said. He argued that “we cannot ask our farmers to comply with health and environmental rules if imported goods do not strictly meet the terms of the same health and environmental rules”. (L.C./transl.rt)