French Agriculture Minister defends CAP in address to Sejm commission

Poland will officially ask the European Union to move some of the funds desi gnated for structural aid for new members to direct farming subsidies, annou nced Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski after a meeting with his Frenc h counterpart Herve Gaymard on Friday. Gaymard declared that France will sup port this proposal, pointing out that direct subsidies constitute 85% of tot al farming aid received by EU member states. Meanwhile, accession candidates were offered 50% in direct subsidies and 50% in structural aid. The latter i s much more difficult to obtain, however, Gaymard pledged that he will seek to change this. "The rules for using [the structural funds] are so complicat ed that it is simply not being spent," he said. Gaymard further spoke out ag ainst any attempts to reform the Common Agricultural Policy before 2006. His words met with an emphatic welcome from the members of the Sejm's Farming an d European Commissions, unlike that received by any Western politician in th e past. (Gazeta Wyborcza, July 27-28, p. 24) T.J.