Poland submitted a proposal on this issue in March, however, the Commission does not hurry to answer. Therefore, the Minister Krzysztof Jurgiel broached the subject at the April meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Luxembourg. There, Poland received support of 12 countries, including Germany, Britain and France.
Despite this – by PAP sources – European Commission officials prepared a negative opinion, which was on the desk, the EU Commissioner. agriculture Phil Hogan on Tuesday. He suggested, moreover, in Luxembourg, that are reluctant to agree to extend the deadline for the submission of applications, because it complicate the situation in the second half of the year, during the second round of payments.
Ongoing until the last minute political intervention in the office of the Commissioner, the support of other Member States and the European association of agricultural unions Copa Cogeca, however, brought a positive effect. “She understands the Polish specificity” – PAP heard in the Commission.
The Government explained that there was a transfer of the final deadline for submission of proposals to give farmers more time to absorb the new rules and the correct fulfillment of the scriptures.
KE already once last year agreed on such a derogation, but then this was due to the fact that this was the first year of the new reformed Common Agricultural Policy.
Theoretically, farmers should submit applications to mid-May. If they would do it later, they would have to pay a penalty amounting to 1 per cent. subsidies for each day of delay, but a possibility of delayed application is provided only on 10 June. Therefore, the government in Warsaw sought an extension of the deadlines of the month and the consent received.
Every year the requests of payments consists of more than 1.3 million farmers. Data from the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture shows that 27 April made it 429 thousand. people. With unofficial reports that in this connection and uncertainty about the decision of the European Commission in the ARMA decision was made by the county office they worked in two shifts to make it to handle as many people.
the vast majority of farmers provide supporting documents for direct payments in paper form, but for several years it can be sent over the internet. In the case of e-applications are not popular – this year made them a few hundred.
At the beginning of the year the agency changed all regional directors and the majority (300) of managers of county offices who accept the conclusions. The European Commission was aware of these changes, but Commissioner Hogan assured that this has no influence on its decisions.
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