GREECE
Tobacco growers protest against EU subsidy cuts

Around 1,500 Greek tobacco growers marched in Athens on Thursday in protest against European Union subsidy cuts.

The tobacco growers are opposed to a gradual reduction of EU subsidies that were decided in a 2004 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The protest came a day before a visit by European Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.
On Thursday, George Papandreou, president of the Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK), met with tobacco producers, PASEGES (Panhellenic Confederation of Union of Agricultural Co-ops) and GESASE (General Confederation of Greek Agrariarn Associations) representatives at his office. He stated that due to the government’s policy farmers would sustain losses on subsidies after 2009 amounting to 50 per cent, a development that would cause a serious social problem in tobacco producing areas. Furthermore, he argued that it has been estimated that tobacco growers would lose EUR 600 million until 2009, pointing out that this money would be transferred to programmes that the Rural Development Minister will be managing most probably in "non-transparent" ways. Finally, he urged the government to re-negotiate subsidies to farmers with the EU, adding that he will present PASOK’s positions to the EU Commissioner on Friday.
The tobacco subsidy cuts began in 2006 and are to peak in 2013. According to the International Union of Tobacco Planters (Unitab) tobacco production in the country has fallen by 80 per cent since 2006 and the number of growers has shrunk from around 50,000 to 15,000. (pi)

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