Ukraine's EU membership to lead to common agrarian policy reform - Polish minister

MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - Ukraine's entry into the European Union will lead to a reform of the common agrarian policy and a system of agricultural subsidies in the European Union, and only a small percentage of Ukrainian family farms will qualify for the subsidies, Ukrainian media cited Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski as saying.

He made the statement at the "Polish-Ukrainian Agricultural Cooperation in the EU" seminar on Monday.

Siekierski added that the inclusion of Ukrainian agricultural products in the EU market would, on one hand, strengthen the EU's position on the global market in terms of processing and raw material capacities while, on the other hand, will increase competition on the common agricultural market and a transformation among EU manufacturers and processing enterprises.

"I am sure that the rules of Ukraine's admission to the EU would be formulated in a way, which will not disrupt stability of European agriculture," he said.

The European Union, including Poland, has a different model of agriculture: big agricultural enterprises and holdings are the main actors in Ukraine, while family farms prevail in EU member states, Siekierski said.

The EU should review the common agrarian policy in 20 years, as the current European system is adapted to the needs of small family farms and is at odds with Ukraine's large-scale agriculture, he said.

In his opinion, if future direct payments are justified by the need for income support, they should cover only a small percentage of Ukrainian family farms.

The world needs Ukrainian agriculture, Siekierski said, adding that Poland continues to hold talks with Ukraine at various levels.

"The problem facing by our country remains relevant. We want to solve it through bilateral agreements, in order not to disturb the situation on the Polish market," he said.