Talks over agricultural trade liberalization might be a tough nut to crack

After several months of stagnation, Poland restarted talks with the European Union (EU) on the liberalization of trade in agricultural products. Deputy Minister Jerzy Plewa said that he would not expect to come to a quick agreement on the most important products such as corn, beef, milk and sugar. The main obstacle are the direct subsidies in the EU countries which distorts international competition. As a result, liberalization may only be expected for imports of products such as rice and wine, and exports of Polish fruit and vegetables, and an agreement to this effect could be signed during the next session of negotiations scheduled for 8 May. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) M.K.