EU ‘cannot duck competitiveness’

THE EU cannot duck the challenge of competitiveness, Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel told the European Farmers Congress in Strasbourg yesterday.

She said most European citizens are still prepared to pay public money to farmers — but they want to see it spent well.

“At a time when other economic sectors have to make huge restructuring efforts, our taxpayers are not willing to hand over large sums to agriculture simply to hide a lack of competitiveness,” she said.

Pointing out that the EU also faces colossal external pressures, she said dismissing globalisation as a bad dream simply because the WTO Doha Round has been put on hold would be wrong.

“One reason is that the Doha Round is paused, not cancelled. The EU is still firmly committed to it.

“If it hits the buffers, we will lose opportunities for exports and growth.”

Ms Fischer Boel predicted that nothing will be possible in the trade talks before the US mid-term elections in November. However, efforts will be made to inject fresh dynamism by the early months of next year.

“But whether or not we manage to revive the Doha Round in the near future, the stresses of global competition are here to stay.

“Many overseas suppliers are eager to sell more agricultural produce to our markets. So there will be competition. Either we drop out of the game, or we also compete — in one way or another,” she said.

Ms Fischer Boel said the European Union stands shoulder to shoulder with farmers as they work to become more competitive. There are helpful policies in place.

“But there’s also room for improvement in some of those policies, and we will be looking at this over the next few years,” she said.

The commissioner said there will be a “health check” of the CAP in 2008.

The aim will be to make sure the policy is working as it should. And at roughly the same time there will be a reflection on what the CAP could look like in the longer term — after 2013.

She said she understands that, in order to be competitive, farmers need as much stability as possible.

“But this means that if further change will probably be necessary, we need to think about it now.”