EU urges Czech Republic to speed up agricultural reform

EU experts say the Czech agricultural sphere is lagging behind in preparations for EU membership. Unnamed sources at the European Commission have said that an EU progress report, to be published in the autumn, will emphasize the need to speed up structural changes in the last months leading up to EU membership. The commission's experts warn that if the Czech Republic fails to make up for the lost time in this field it could have a serious effect both on the country's farmers and on consumers. The field of veterinary legislation in particular has been found seriously lacking.