§ 21. Mr. WilkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will propose to the Council of Ministers the transfer of the budgetary allocation for subsidies to European Union tobacco growers to international development projects outside the EU. [115450]
§ Clare ShortThe Government strongly disapprove of subsidies to EU tobacco growers under the Common Agricultural Policy and would like to see an end to the tobacco regime on the grounds of health and cost. We believe that the Community should progressively disengage from support for tobacco production and will continue to press for further reform of the regime.
At the Berlin European Council of March 1999, EU heads of government agreed the overall ceiling and division of the Community's spending for the period 2000–06. Transferring funds from the Agriculture budget to the External Action budget would mean breaking this agreement on overall budget discipline.
181WRather than increasing the EC's development budget, my Department is working with the EU to improve the effectiveness of its programmes, and focus them more on the poorest countries.