EC set one-month deadline for Romania to solve issues in agriculture

Several voices signaled problems existing in the payment system in agriculture before EC submitted its answer. Romania's Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu yesterday said the unsolved problems in agriculture could determine the European Commission to reduce funds granted to Romania, prodding the Cabinet to implement endorsed measures.

The premier said delays in approving the functioning of the Payments Agency, the institution in charge with granting money to farmers, have objective causes and are not based on the weak management capacity of the agriculture authorities.

Tariceanu also explained the process of drafting Romania’s farming land map cannot continue as no GPS equipments were bought. The prime minister noted he told European commissioner for agriculture, Marianne Fisher Boel, there is a will to solve the mentioned issues, yet the process is lengthy as the acquisition of GPS equipments was halted.

The situation of the direct payments in agriculture must be solved by December 1, according to the spokesman of the commissioner for agriculture and rural development, Michael Mann.

Dan Gherghelas, the general manager of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture, said earlier Romania informed EC about the progress made in granting EU funds to farmers.

EU might activate the safeguard clause in agriculture against Romania owing to the gaps existing in spending the funds allotted by the bloc for this sector, the head of the European People's Party–European Democrats (PPE-DE), John Daul said last week.

The EU official noted the government does not take the required measures to solve this situation and it does not answer questions addressed by the European Commission on agriculture. Daul said in the EC report issued in June this year Romania was criticized because of the gaps existing in the payments system in agriculture.