EU Budget Commissioner sets aside funds for candidate countries' farmers

European Union (EU) Budget Commissioner Michaele Schreyer announced yesterday that the EU has reserved funds for farmers in countries which will probably join the Union in 2004. According to Schreyer, all 15 countries of the EU will be informed of the financial requirements for EU expansion by the end of January. Assuming EU members' acceptance of the plan, the Commission will transfer euro 11.6 billion in total to the new member states in 2004. Poland would receive around euro 2 billion annually and not, as the government hopes to negotiate, euro 2.8 billion to euro 4 billion annually. Should the plan be rejected, the budget for direct funds for farmers in the candidate countries will likely be much smaller. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1; Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 6) A.K.