§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will resist in the enlargement negotiations all efforts by potential new members of the European Union to benefit from the existing Common Agricultural Policy tobacco regime.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue)As I made clear on 9 June, we are committed to seeking 41WA the widest possible degree of reform of the tobacco regime and expect detailed Commission proposals to come forward in the autumn. It is not yet clear how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be extended to EU applicant countries, but in all previous enlargements the assumption has been that acceding member states adopt the EU rules in existence when they join. Nevertheless, we may be sure that the forthcoming enlargement of the Community will add to the pressure for significant reform of the CAP.