Germany resists CAP transparency

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/8026492.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Germany is resisting a European Union move to publish details of who receives the EU's generous farm subsidies.

The governments of all 27 member states have agreed to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the recipients by Friday.

But officials in Berlin say they need several more weeks to clarify the legal situation, after German courts ruled the move violated farmers' privacy.

The EU spends about 55bn euros (£49bn; $73bn), or 40% of its annual budget, on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Data released so far shows that some of the biggest beneficiaries are not small farmers but big multinationals, the British Royal Family and German ski clubs.

'Disgrace'

All EU governments have pledged to disclose who gets what by midnight on Thursday, but Germany says it needs two to three more weeks to get legal clarity on whether this represents a violation of farmers' privacy.

Transparency should also improve the management of these funds, by reinforcing public control of how the money is used Mariann Fischer BoelEU Agriculture Commissioner

"Transparency yes, but not of it is going to violate the rights of our citizens," a spokesman for the German agriculture ministry told the AFP news agency.

A spokesman for the European Commission told the BBC that if Germany failed to comply soon, it would be taken to the European Court of Justice and could face hefty fines.

"This is taxpayers' money, so it is very important that people know where it is being spent," EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said.

"Transparency should also improve the management of these funds, by reinforcing public control of how the money is used."

The UK-based farmsubsidy.org, which has long campaigned to lift the veil of secrecy over the EU's controversial Common Agricultural Policy, described Germany's stance as "a disgrace".