POLAND: Poland's Agriculture Minister has said he will oppose EU membership unless Polish farmers receive more generous subsidies than the Commission is proposing writes, Denis Staunton.
Mr Jaroslaw Kalinowski, who leads the Polish Peasants Party, junior partners in Warsaw's centre-left government, said that Poland's most efficient farmers would lose money under the Commission's proposals.
"How can I tell the farmer - vote for the EU and you will earn less than you do now?" he said.
The Commission proposed last week that farm subsidies for candidate countries should be phased in over 10 years, with direct payments starting at 25 per cent of the present EU level.
Some member-states, such as Germany, believe that the Commission's proposals are too generous and that the EU needs to overhaul the Common Agricultural Policy. Farm subsidies and regional aid account for 80 per cent of the EU budget.
Mr Kalinowski said that Poland's farmers were not greedy for subsidies but they wanted a system that would ensure that they could compete on equal terms with EU partners. He said that Poland would be happy to see all direct subsidies to farmers abolished in 2004 when the EU admits new members.
"Polish farmers are not set on getting maximum subsidies. We are not beggars. What we want is an opportunity to compete fairly," he said.
Mr Kalinowski's combative tone was in marked contrast to that of the Prime Minister, Mr Leszek Miller, who pointed out that, quite apart from farm subsidies, Poland could expect 20 billion euros in aid from the EU in the first three years after joining.
"We will negotiate on this issue but let's not forget that Poland will receive a huge amount of money," he said.
EU member-states hope to agree a common position on agriculture negotiations before the end of the Spanish Presidency in June. But negotiations on the issue with candidate countries are expected to continue until the end of this year.
Many of Poland's 1.8 million farms are small and inefficient and the Commission fears that access to full subsidies could encourage inefficient farmers to remain on the land. Farmers are a substantial political lobby in Poland and they are among the least sympathetic to EU entry. Before Poland joins the EU, the public must approve the move in a referendum, on a turnout of at least 50 per cent of registered voters.
