European Union rejects gradual phase in contribution plan for new members

Fifteen ambassadors to the European Union (EU) yesterday accepted the details of their common stance regarding the EU's budget negotiations with Poland. They have accepted the European Commission backed idea of paying the new member states special budget compensations for several years after their EU accession in order to avoid a situation whereby the new members would become net payers. Poland wanted the EU to approve a gradual contribution scheme, whereby the contributions would increase from 10% to 90% over five years. On Monday the EU will probably support a proposal that will favor full contribution. In return, the new member states will be offered compensation. According to Gazeta Wyborcza, Polish negotiators have expressed their concern that the compensation funds may be procured from those funds already allotted to Poland for agricultural restructuring. "They will give us benefits from our own money," one of Poland's EU accession experts told the press. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 22) M.T.K