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 European Public Health Alliance |
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European Public Health Alliance |
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Thursday
19 June 2003
The continuing failure of Agriculture Ministers to reach any agreement on reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a big let down for Europe’s citizens. The meeting of the EU Agriculture Council is now due to reconvene at 3PM today following a request from the French delegation to contact President Chirac to establish whether France can have any flexibility in its ‘NON’ position. CAP reform has enormous potential benefits for health and welfare, consumers, the environment and sustainable farming in both the EU and the developing world. The failure to reach any agreement on CAP reform of value to taxpayers is bad timing and bad judgement for EU leaders. The deal on the table will bring small public benefits: making farmers comply with EU rules on the environment, health and welfare and shifting money from direct aid to rural development are both small steps in the right direction. The reform on the table should go much further in bringing benefits to the European public, but for Ministers to be incapable of agreeing any reform is simply a disgrace. END Joanna Dober,
Friends of the Earth Europe, Tel:02 542 01 88 |