Polish farmers could have a long wait to receive full EU subsidies

"Under no circumstances will the European Union agree to grant Polish farmers more than 25% of direct farming subsidies in the first year of Poland's EU membership, nor to reduce the phase-in period before 100% subsidies are granted in less than nine years," said Mariann Fischer Boel, Agriculture Minister of Denmark, which heads the EU until the end of this year. She firmly rejected the proposal of Polish Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski for funds to be shifted from structural aid designated for rural areas to direct farming subsidies. Boel said that it would have been possible to reduce the phase-in period after which Polish farmers will be granted full subsidies if the EU was to agree this year to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform plan proposed by Farming Commissioner Franz Fischler. However, this now appears unlikely, and according to Boel, the first possible opportunity for a CAP reform allowing Poland to receive full subsidies will be no sooner than in 2006. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) T.J.