Twenty-two of the 27 EU agriculture ministers meeting in Paris on Thursday called for a strong common farms policy that will protect farmers" incomes and the environment, according to dpa. However, the ministers were unable to draw up concrete conclusions and demands. "We did not talk about numbers," said German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner. She also said that farmers must continue to receive EU subsidies after 2013, when the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) defining EU subsidies and programs expires. The meeting was called in the face of demands by some EU members, notably Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands, to drastically reduce farms subsidies and make EU farmers more competitive. The CAP is the largest element of the EU budget by far, accounting for nearly half of the Union"s expenses. That percentage is to be reduced to about one third by 2013, when a new CAP is scheduled to be negotiated. "Our reflections are not directed at anyone," said French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire. "We want to work with Britain as well as with the Netherlands. The common policy requires the cooperation of all 27 EU countries." He said that European regulation was necessary to stabilize market prices and the earnings of farmers.
