Brussels, 26/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Polish government recently decided to postpone by three months the enforcement, scheduled for 1 July, of tax-free imports of European wheat for the 2002-2003 harvest year. Opening of the rest of the quota of 480,000 tonnes of wheat, amounting to over 200,000 tonnes, will not take place until October. The spokesperson for Commissioner Franz Fischler said the Commission had only "noted" this decision, while stressing that "any further delay in opening the quota beyond October will oblige the EU to consider re-balancing the situation", referring to the trade concessions made by the Community in the context of the liberalisation agreement. He added that the Commission did not have any information indicating that other candidate countries would imitate Poland. If such were the case, candidate countries could jeopardise the enlargement timetable, he warned. "All candidate countries must be aware of the stakes. We are discussing with them on preparations for complete opening of agricultural trade. It would therefore show a lack of caution to go off this track".
Poland took this decision as it is faced with an over-production of wheat. Above all, as the harvest season approaches, the Polish government hopes to avoid competition with European wheat. To counter the most hasty, the government had decided early June to lower the intervention price paid to producers, which was fixed at 440 zlotys (EUR 116) per tonne of wheat and at 325 zlotys (85.75 euros) per tonne of rye.