Germany and France threaten to cut subsidies if tax not changed to their liking

During yesterday's summit in Paris, Gerhard Schroeder and Jacques Chirac officially proposed changes to EU regulations that would make their ideas possible, while at the same time they suggested that, should their plans be rejected, some EU subsidies to the affected countries could be blocked. Although exact details will not be known until after a further meeting is held in Berlin within the next few weeks, this country's diplomats have already declared that they will oppose the initiative. In Germany the tax is currently 36%, while in this country the rate is much lower at 19%. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A1, B1) K.J.