EU candidate countries' agriculture ministers meet in Prague to discuss common future

Czech negotiators in Brussels only have six weeks left to complete delicate talks on the agriculture chapter, crucial for the Czech Republic to join the EU. In order to reinforce flagging support for the union among Czech farmers, the EU Agriculture Commissioner, Franz Fischler visited Prague this week. He met the Ministers of Agriculture of all the ten future member states to patch up the row over the future of the agriculture sector. Dita Asiedu reports:

EU candidate countries' agriculture ministers meet in Prague to discuss common future

Photo: CTK

During his two-day visit Mr Fischler stressed that realism and pragmatism were imperative in order for negotiations to be concluded successfully. Currently, there are two delicate areas - the issue of production quotas for farmers of the future member states and the length of the phasing-in period for direct subsidies. On the issue of subsidies EU members recently did reach agreement, although the long-term reform of the Common Agricultural Policy remains in the air and the candidate countries are still angry at not being given the same conditions enjoyed by farmers already in the union.

But in Prague Mr Fischler argued that EU enlargement would benefit the new and the old members equally. "The package as a whole has to be appreciated", he said and offered reassurances to Czech farmers:

"First, farmers will find better opportunities in an EU market of 500 million consumers. Second, on average, farmers will get higher prices and better price guarantees with the CAP market mechanisms compared with the present situation. There will also be a substantial world development support and there will be the phasing in of direct payments, which leads to a real common future including a single common agricultural policy for all farmers of the EU twenty-five."

According to Mr Fischler, the main reason why both sides need to make compromises is because policy can only work with the support of farmers themselves. The Czech Agriculture Minister, Jaroslav Palas:

"I assured our farmers that their competitiveness would be guaranteed after EU membership. It is better to be in the EU than outside it, mainly because the Czech Republic would be isolated like an island in the middle of the sea, surrounded by numerous barriers without the chance to participate in the joint market. I am therefore convinced that in next year's referendum Czechs will vote for EU membership."