Brussels, 08/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 November the European Commission announced the publication on its EUROPA website containing information about end-beneficiaries of payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This step is part of the Commission's efforts to improve transparency at the EU institutions. The Commission hopes that adaptations to rules on the financial regulation, which still have to be negotiated between the two branches of the budgetary authority on 21 November (see other article) will allow for publication of the list of all CAP payment beneficiaries. In its common orientation for adopting this text the Council agreed to start this process from 2009.
The new web page for the Commission's DG Agriculture contains links to websites in the following eleven Member States: Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. As the number of countries giving access is increasing, more links will be added. The Commission has already published information on beneficiaries of centrally managed Community funds. On 10 October 2006 two web sites containing information on EU grants and public contracts were made available to the public (EUROPE 9283). Member State websites providing information on beneficiaries of CAP payments under shared management: (http: //ec.europa.eu/agriculture/funding/index_en.htm).