Sarkozy's signal on CAP reform welcomed by Conservative MEP
Posted, March 10, 2010 @ 00:00
Strasbourg, 10 March 2010 -- Conservative MEP Richard Ashworth today welcomed comments from French President Nicholas Sarkozy that suggested that France, traditionally one of the biggest roadblocks to reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), is prepared to back further reform of the policy.
President Sarkozy was giving a speech to the influential Salon D'Agriculture in Paris where he accepted that subsidies for some farmers in France are too high and where he appeared to offer concessions on CAP reform in exchange for increased controls on imports of agricultural products into the EU. Specifically he called for imports to meet the high animal welfare and environmental standards that EU farmers are expected to meet.
Speaking from Strasbourg, Mr Ashworth who is the Conservative spokesman on Agriculture in the Europan parliament said :-
" President Sarkozy appears to be moving in the right direction, many CAP subsidies are still too high, especially in countries like France and it is welcoming to see him back further reform of the policy.
" Whilst it is good news that the French are open to CAP reform, We have been here before, in 2005 Tony Blair gave away part of the British rebate in return for Agricultural reform promised by the then President Jacques Chirac. In the end the French blinked when it actually came to reforming the policy.
"It is welcoming to see President Sarkozy making positive noises but when the actual negotiations start, France needs to be strong and help in properly reforming the CAP into a policy which will allow farmers to truly compete in the global marketplace."