| To: George Papadopoulos who wrote (17452) | 3/22/2001 5:33:45 AM | | From: GUSTAVE JAEGER | | | | Behind the livestock's smoke screen.... the Polish heavyweight:
June 18, 2000 No. 25 (608) - News
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AGRICULTURE
EU: No Subsidies for Polish Farmers
Franz Fischler, the European Union Commissioner on Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, had some tough words for Poland during his official visit June 7-9.
Fischler warned that protectionism in agricultural trade was not a remedy for persistent structural problems. He also voiced doubts about whether full direct payments for the Polish farmers were the most appropriate instrument in a period of rapid structural change. This was tough talk on one of the most divisive issues to separate Poland and its future EU partners.
Poland declared that it will introduce EU agricultural law to the Polish legal code and implement it quickly, so that all should be in place by the end of 2002. Poland hopes for the full incorporation of the farming sector into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which of course would mean Polish farmers would participate fully in its benefits [Aaargh!!]. Poland believes its future production quotas should correspond to this country's potential for agricultural production. The Polish government hopes that farmers will benefit from all direct payments in the framework of CAP just after accession. According to Polish Agriculture Minister Artur Balazs, that would mean about 2.5 billion euros of direct support annually for about 60 percent of Polish farmers. [and Bob's your uncle!]
But Fischler said the request that Polish farmers receive full direct payments from the date of accession was a matter for the enlargement negotiations. "I am not convinced that direct payments as we know them under the CAP are appropriate to a period of rapid structural change," he said. "We must ask ourselves whether CAP payments will help to unlock the potential of Polish agriculture or hinder its adaptation to the conditions of the single market and create social dislocation. It might be better to help the Polish rural economy overcome existing structural handicaps through well-targeted rural development policies and transitional support for the worst-off." However, he said he would not accept different versions of the CAP for old and new members in the long term, thus accepting Poland's argument that there should be no such inequities.
Accepting the EU legislation would not be enough, however. Poland will need to incorporate the acquis communautaire into its legal system and ensure its effective implementation on becoming an EU member. "This includes the need to develop the capacity to handle policies such as CAP and the detailed legislation of food quality, food safety, and veterinary and plant health standards," Fischler said, underlining also that only products compatible with EU standards will benefit from the single market.
Probably the EU will insist on the need for full implementation by Poland, from the day of accession, of EU quality standards for products such as fruit and vegetables or the butterfat content of milk and registration of slaughter animals. How to organize agricultural trade will be a topic for future discussion. The EU definitely opposes a transitional period for the Polish milk and meat sectors to achieve EU standards. Instead, EU negotiators want Poland to guarantee the standards for all Polish exports to EU countries.
The EU commissioner underlined that the enlargement negotiations should not be a fight to win points, but rather a process of seeking mutually acceptable solutions. "We don't have a final position on direct payments for the time being," he said.
One important issue is pre-accession aid for Polish farmers. The EU has allocated 168 million euros to Poland annually, as of this year, under the SAPARD program for agriculture and rural development. The Polish SAPARD plan is the subject of negotiations between the Ministry of Agriculture and the European Commission.
Liberalization of agricultural trade is still one of the most contentious issues between Poland and the EU. Brussels wants Poland to reduce higher 1999 tariffs for grain, meat, sugar and yogurt. For products considered "non-sensitive," an immediate and full liberalization of trade was proposed. The so-called "double zero approach" provides for abandoning export subsidies and liberalizing trade within tariff quotas at zero duty. According to Fischler, tariff increases might provide only short-term relief for Polish farmers, but they do not improve their competitiveness. In the long term, he said, they would be harmful for Polish agriculture. In 1999 Poland decided to increase the import tariff on pork from 60 percent to 83.3 percent because the export refunds granted by the EU were high. Then Brussels reduced the refunds to a lower level, but the higher Polish tariffs remain in place.
Wanda Jelonkiewicz
warsawvoice.pl |
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| To: George Papadopoulos who wrote (17452) | 3/23/2001 1:54:48 PM | | From: robnhood | | | | <<<-- DJ Yugoslav President Criticizes NATO's Air Strikes --
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP)--Yugoslavia's pro-democratic president criticized
Friday NATO allies for the 78-day airstrikes against Yugoslavia but pledged
cooperation with the alliance.
"We must remember all victims and horrors of NATO's bombing," said Yugoslav
President Vojislav Kostunica in a statement marking March 24 - Remembrance Day -
on which NATO launched its air attacks in 1999 to force former president
Slobodan Milosevic to end violence against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
Kostunica and his 18-party reformist coalition replaced Milosevic last October
and relations between NATO and the Balkan country have improved since then.
Kostunica said that 1,500 civilians, including 81 children and hundreds of
policemen and soldiers, were killed during the airstrikes, and much of
Yugoslavia's infrastructure was destroyed.
But the president, a moderate nationalist, called also for closer ties with
the alliance: "Our future lies in the cooperation with the international
community and NATO."
He also said that the "cooperation will be much easier if all accept the truth
that NATO bombs mainly killed Serbs, but also Albanian women and children."
Kostunica referred to the accidental air attacks on two convoys of Albanian
civilians in Kosovo in 1999 when dozens of people were killed and wounded.
He added that "Yugoslavia's young democracy" will try to preserve the
multi-ethnic state and prevent "new suffering and wars."
"But wrong moves and evading the truth can only contribute to new
catastrophes. We need help, not stumbling blocks." >>> |
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| To: robnhood who wrote (17457) | 3/24/2001 5:06:02 PM | | From: goldsnow | | | | A FEW months after NATO's air war against Yugoslavia in 1999, a senior American policymaker made a prediction about the Balkans. For the previous decade, he said, the main challenge to western policy in the region had been posed by Serbian nationalism; for the next decade, the biggest challenge would come from Albanian nationalism
economist.com
PS Kosovo adventure was the stupidiest thing (among many) that Clinton done, however as Incompetent Clinton administration was, still blame goes to the ever inept Western Europeans |
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| To: goldsnow who wrote (17458) | 3/24/2001 7:25:16 PM | | From: robnhood | | | | << stupidiest thing (among many) that Clinton done, >>
Clinton was only the salesman IMHO
All presidents sell at least one war , if not many...
President's are hired hands....
It wasn't Clinton who started the war on Iraq,, but they kept on a bombing Iraq for his whole term, and are still doing it now that sonny boy is back |
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| To: goldsnow who wrote (17450) | 3/26/2001 12:54:09 PM | | From: Yaacov | | | | Today Greek troops opened fire on "peacefull" armed Albanians near the town of Kastoria and managed to capture two mules, six camels and three goats! Albanians managed to get away!
In separated border incident a Greek soldier seeked asylum in Albania after having been accused by his superiors of having stolen baklava from the village "zaharopelastion!!" |
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| To: Yaacov who wrote (17460) | 3/26/2001 1:03:10 PM | | From: George Papadopoulos | | | | >managed to capture two mules, six camels and three goats!
I see Albanians are expanding their smuggling trade to mules, camels and goats now! I guess no more cows to eat in Europe, they have all gone mad and/or foot&mouthed!
>In separated border incident a Greek soldier seeked asylum in Albania after having been accused by his superiors of having stolen baklava from the village "zaharopelastion!!"
The Greek news service reported that the baklava stolen from the "zaharoplastion" was stolen by Albanians and the soldier having had enough decided to take matter in his own hands. By the time he captured the Albanians, the baklava was already eaten!
Hahaha, no beef for you.
Europe, it's a mad, mad world.
i like your creativity lately, keep it up
VBG |
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| To: robnhood who wrote (17459) | 3/26/2001 8:14:46 PM | | From: Andy Thomas | | | | dude this is about 'the corridor.' 'they' want to get macedonia under kla control so they can build an oil pipeline east from the 'bosphorous and the dardnelles,' westward into the albanian coast.
it's all about oil, heroin, and a bit of prostitution.
we should have seen this coming.
hopefully the russians will step into macedonia.
one of the sad parts is, most americans don't give a flying phuck about any of this.
i don't see how the u.s. can escape judgement, given 'its' activities of the past decade or so.
'the wheels of justice grind slowly and finely.'
andy |
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| To: Andy Thomas who wrote (17464) | 3/26/2001 8:41:32 PM | | From: robnhood | | | | Andy, OIl, and money------ seems to be the root of almost all of these escapasdes... The shocking thing , I suppose, is the fact that in this day and age with tv, and internet and camearas, that the real news can be so twisted as to not even resemble the truth. The above mentioned communication advances have been so exploited in brainwashing that the truth is non existant.
The past decade or so?---- this has been going on for much longer than we've been alive..... Viet Nam,, Korea, Japan------
The slaughter in Africa, and SA---- all for plunder------
Every day it is in the paper---- somehow it is seen as not having anything to do with us--- they are portrayed as a bunch of phsycos who wake up with bloodlust in their eyes---- rebels, paramilitarys--------
I see it every day on my newswire
Should I post them all on here?
After I read Chomsky, and Blum---- I see it everywhere---- It is the only scenario that fits the pictures...
Notice how they try to hold off the punishment of Pinochet,, notice who helps him, and where he lives....
Kosovo was just a side shoot to whats going on---
The World's wealthy (mostly US) have their fingers in many many pots, and the US and British military is their mercenary army.
Look at how that rediculous little puppet in England dances to the US tune... Bombing Iraq for 11 years now, and out he comes to justify it.
We here in NA are so shielded from the truth .... |
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