Politicians fear German Chancellor's remarks over future agriculture subsidies
Polish politicians have become very anxious after the German newspaper
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung published an article in which German
chancellor Gerhard Schröder discussed future European Union policy of
subsidies for Polish agriculture. Schröder rejected suggestions that new EU
members would get full agricultural subsidies, he declared that such a
policy would cost the EU an additional euro 8 billion a year, quarter of
which would have to be financed by Germany, a sum which he said his country
cannot afford to pay. "I'm sure that Polish farmers will get subsidies, but
we don't know how much," said Jan Truszczynski, Poland's main negotiator
with EU. Agriculture Minister Jaroslaw Kalinowski commented, "This is a
proposition to create a second-category of EU members. For me this is
totally unacceptable." There are also many who argue that this is only part
of Schröder's political maneuvers before the approaching general election in
Germany. Prime Minister Leszek Miller promised that he would ask Schröder
for an explanation during their meeting in Wroclaw today. (Rzeczpospolita,
pp. A1, A2, A3) A.D.
