Government and negotiators feel farmers wrath as EU talks draw to a close

Yesterday Poland completed negotiations with the European Union on the division and allocation of structural funds. At the same time Poland is on the verge of closing the remaining chapters concerning competition policy, contribution to the EU budget, as well as conforming to European sanitary standards. The most difficult issue, that of agriculture still lies ahead. "If the EU accepted the proposals of the European Commission regarding direct subsidies and other forms of aid for agriculture in 2004, Poland will become the fifth largest contributor to the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP)," said Jan Truszczynski, the head of the Polish negotiating team. Polish negotiators have to balance the demands of the Polish agriculture lobby with the tough conditions set by the EU. The government is under pressure from farmers as their vote will hold the balance of power in the EU membership referendum, while at the same time not giving into farmers unrealistic demands which could throw negotiations into a deadlock. Added to this is the pressure of time. In three weeks EU representatives will meet in Brussels to decide the fate of candidate countries. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.Z.