§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with her French counterparts regarding the impact of agricultural subsidies on development in poor countries; and what these discussions have achieved. [78669]
§ Clare ShortIn June of this year, I wrote to all my EU counterparts on the subject of reform of the common agricultural policy, emphasising the need for this reform as well as for coherence between the objectives of our development co-operation and our other policies which affect developing countries.
170WThe French Government responded positively, saying that they were in full agreement concerning poverty elimination and sustainable development. However, they indicated that agricultural questions were very complex in France, and that a coherent policy was vital.
In my Department, we are following these matters closely. In July, we took an initiative to invite representatives from all EU Governments to discuss "The Impact of CAP Reform on Developing Countries". These discussions will continue. There was a similar meeting in Bonn last month, which will be followed up with a further meeting in The Hague in January.