EU to transfer agricultural funds

A FURTHER transfer of funds from EU agricultural direct payments into the rural development budget to take effect before 2013 will be proposed in the health check of the Common Agricultural Policy.

But commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, speaking at a conference in Hungary, said this in itself will not bridge the gap between financial resources and aspirations.

“In the long term, with regard to rural development policy, we need a commitment from national leaders to put their money where their mouth is.”