If this scenario, which results from the
Commissioner’s estimates regarding the budget, is
confirmed, then the “pie” distributed to European
farmers, which currently stands at €57.8 billion, will
decrease by €12 billion to €45 billion.
The funds
In order to support its agriculture, Greece
receives EU funds of approximately €2.9 billion
from this €57.8 billion “pie” that is shared among
European farmers. The danger from the revision
of the CAP, which will have been completed by
summer 2011 and will be implemented from 2014
to 2020 (replacing the current CAP that will be
abolished by 2013), is a decrease in the Greek
farmers’ share in this, anyway, smaller pie.
This second danger emanates from a change in
the criteria and conditions for receiving subsidies
and the smoothing out in differences in assis-
tance given to “old” and “new” (post-enlargement)
member-states of the European Union.
The government has not made any comment on
the budget scenarios, and prepares Greece’s
arguments at the councils of the EU’s Ministers of
Agriculture, in an effort to minimize, to the extent
possible, the repercussions from the new CAP’s
measures. The Minister of Rural Development
has been asked about the impeding cuts, albeit
has avoided to refer to precise figures, since talks
are still underway.
However, his predecessor at the Ministry,
Katerina Batzeli, Greek MP and an ex-member of
the European Parliament, actively involved in
agricultural issues, in a recent speech before the
Greek Parliament acknowledged that the CAP’s
revision is not “isolated from current events in the
EU”, the contribution of national budgets in the
European budget, and the support mechanism.
As stated by Ms Batzeli: “When Germany and
France are called to contribute, through their own
Trade with Greece
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