Friday, July 19, 2013

EU TOBACCO SUBSIDIES

Poland joined forces with Italy, Greece and Spain for EU tobacco subsidies in CAP 2014-2020


Polish Minister of Agriculture, Stanislaw Kalemba, has recently increased efforts to secure subsidies for Polish tobacco farmers. EU subsidies for tobacco were phased out in 2010, but in March this year, MEPs voted through draft legislation that could restart the process with amendments to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2014-2020).

“We’re striving for these subsidies, and it’s an ongoing subject of negotiation,” Minister Kalemba told the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Poland has joined forces with Italy, Greece and Spain on the matter, and Kalemba says that the Czech Republic may also back the bid for bringing back tobacco subsidies. Bulgaria is also on the same position after one week protest of tobacco farmers who bloked the borders with Turkey and Romania last week.

“We’ve taken up an initiative within a group,” he affirmed, stressing that the aim is to secure equal conditions for tobacco growers across the EU.

Kalemba noted that some 10,000 families in Poland could benefit from the subsidies. Poland is the second biggest tobacco producer in the EU, and cigarettes are the country’s largest export. © 2013 Agri.EU


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