HOUSE Agriculture Committee chairman Christos Mavrokordatos yesterday slammed as catastrophic a European Commission proposal providing for low subsidies to Cypriot farmers.
The Committee yesterday convened to discuss the proposal with EU chief negotiator George Vassiliou, who also opposed it.
The draft proposal from the Commission allocates to Cypriot farmers upon expected accession in 2004 just 25 per cent of what it gives as financial aid to their counterparts in existing EU member states.
“According to the proposal, in 2005 farmers will receive 30 per cent of what their counterparts get and in 2006 the amount will go up to 35 per cent,” Mavrokordatos said.
The Committee chairman and AKEL deputy charged such a development would make it impossible for Cypriot farmers to face competition in the European Union, adding that the government would not be able to save the day by subsidising farmers itself as this would probably drive its budget out of kilter with the EU’s Maastricht criteria.
Mavrokordatos accused Vassiliou of concentrating on accession at whatever cost, omitting to voice the problems and needs of Cypriot citizens to the EU.
“The accession negotiations have achieved nothing for farmers,” he charged.
An announcement issued yesterday by the National Organisation of Cow-breeders and handed to reporters at the House went further, accusing the government of keeping its members in the dark about negotiations concerning their future.
“Vassiliou wanted us to attend vital meetings between government officials and negotiators but unfortunately the ministry managed to shut us out so that it could impose its views more easily,” the announcement charged.
But Vassiliou defended himself from Mavrokordatos’ charge, arguing the Cypriot negotiating team had opposed the subsidy proposal.
“This proposal is fairly new and informal. Currently, it is just an internal document of the Commission, which we don’t like either,” he explained.
Vassiliou said that until a month ago the Commission had insisted that Cypriot farmers should not be allowed any financial support from the Union.
“They consider Cyprus part of Central and Eastern Europe, which they don’t want to support when it comes to agriculture because of its communist past. But we have never been part of the Soviet Union, so they should treat us differently.
“If they insist to treat us like a Central European country they have to consider us eligible for participation in other EU programmes that help these countries financially,” Vassiliou argued.
“They didn’t make any promises, but we will not give up efforts, Vassiliou said.
Mavrokordatos toned down his comments after Vassiliou’s replies, but still complained about low subsidises currently offered to farmers by the government.
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