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The Paradoxes Of EU Agricultural Policy
The European Union is among the world’s top five exporters of agricultural products with USA, Brazil, China and Argentina, and it is among the world’s top five importers of agricultural products with USA, China, Japan and Russia. Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of social and economic development within the EU. Over the years, the aims of EU agricultural policy have been to develop a competitive economy and create harmony among EU Countries. However, the result of this work has been a fragmented, contradictory, and unworkable legislative framework that threatens economic disaster. A review on the paradoxes of European agricultural policies will be published soon on the Journal Trends in Plant Science . In this review, the authors present case studies, in which the differences in the regulation applied to food grown in EU Countries and to the same imported products are noted. The highlighted differences show that the EU is hampering its own competitiveness in agriculture and consequently damaging both the EU and its humanitarian activities in the developing world. The review is especially focused on genetically engineered crops. It is not clear why the common agricultural policy (CAP) establishes restrictive measures for EU agricultural productions but the same measures are not observed for the same products imported from the countries where genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are authorized and thresholds of mycotoxines are lower. This is only one of the several paradoxes of the EU agricultural policy that, giving strict thresholds only to its own productions, is reducing the competitiveness of European agricultural on the world market. Another example of political inefficiency regards the subsidies policy that has a positive effect in short time but is not a significant tool to develop a competitive economy in the long term. The authors underline the need to implement the biotechnological findings, to harmonize and rationalize the common policy on both the EU production and genetically engineered crops importation, to harmonize the current measures of Member States and reduce the differences among them, to decentralize the rural economy measures and allow the farmers to use cost-saving technologies that can enhance the sustainability of the agricultural systems, etc. Finally, the authors conclude recommending the adoption of rational, science-based strategies to harmonize the different agricultural policies to prevent the economic decline and the reduction of living quality across the European Union. Source: Masip G., Sabalza M., Perez-Massot E., Banakar R., Cebrian D., Twyman R.M., Capell T., Albajes R., Christou P., ‘ Paradoxical EU agricultural policies on genetically engineered crops ’, Trends in Plant Science , 2013, in press. Publication date: 5/9/2013 Author: Emanuela Fontana Continue reading
Agriculture Minister: 5 bln Euros In EU Funds Effectively Enter Romanian Beneficiaries’ Accounts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 Romania has so far drawn nearly 5 billion euros worth of the European Union funds earmarked under the National Rural Development Programme, with such money having effectively entered the beneficiaries’ accounts and having been repaid by the European Commission, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Daniel Constantin told AGERPRES in an interview on Monday. ‘Last year, the absorption under the National Rural Development Programme amounted to 3.7 billion euros and today it has reached 5 billion euros. We’ve recorded 1.3 billion euros increase over a year and I think it is a significant increase, for only one programme, the more so since the money has been paid the beneficiaries and repaid by the European Commission to Romania’, Constantin stressed. He underscored that his ministry, last year, managed to get an additional 100 million euros, given that the Romanian agriculture was hit by a droughty span and 6 billion lei was injected via the Agriculture Payments Agency. ‘We managed to get an additional 100 million euros to the ministry budget last year, an unprecedented fact since 1989. The Government has proved it is concerned with the agriculture not only when harvesting the crops, there are collections to the budget and we have economic growth. The fact we gave 100 million euros in a year when we did not have a very good crop was a very good signal for me, I think, but for the farmers first and foremost. This year we finalised all the payments via the Payments Agency in only two months, namely March and April, which means there was an inflow of six billion lei to the Romanian farming, although I would say it was to the Romanian economy, because such an amount was invested and bolstered the consumption and also the payment of taxes and duties to the budget. If things look well now, it is also due to the money inflow via the Payments Agency. It is for the first time that the Agency manages to pay all the funds it had available so fast’, Constantin explained. According to figures supplied by the Agency for Rural Development and Fisheries Payments (ADFP), European funds for investment projects amounting to 17.92 billion euros had been claimed by end-April, with around 141,000 projects having been filed. The funds committed via the National Rural Development Programme for the rural area’s development total 5.21 billion euros, while there are as many as 65,193 contracted projects for being financed by EU funds. As much as 4.94 billion euros has entered the beneficiaries’ accounts, with 2.78 billion euros of it being for investment projects and 2.16 billion euros for the compensatory payments made by the ADFP. Continue reading
New Perfumes in 2012: Jovan Intense Oud, Silky Rose & Secret Amber: An Oriental Collection for the Mass-Market & the Middle East
Last year Jovan better known for their musk scents – their website is even called jovanmusk.com – introduced an Oriental Collection of three fragrances called Intense Oud, Silky Rose and Secret Amber , which they advertize as being unisex, another departure from their usual offerings which are strongly sexed in their messages and main slogan, “It’s what attracts”… This dampening of their sexual politics is due in part to an adaptive strategy to the Middle East market where the colognes are sold and where such an overt display of seduction is discouraged, as well as to the popularity of perfume-wearing both among men and women in the region. See for instance how Chopard shot two different campaigns for the Western and Oriental markets . Perfume is seen less as a feminine ritual in the Orient than in the West. In the United States, a recent movie like Lawless featured a psychopathic character from the 1920s-1930s whose flaws are signalled by his perfume-wearing habits; real men drink. Suspicious, ambiguous characters wear alcohol smelling of anything else than grain, on their skin. As Yves Saint Laurent are launching an Oriental Collection of three perfumes in 2013, and By Kilian and Annick Goutal launched Oriental suites in the past, we can see a format of fragrance collection take shape. Silky Rose “Revel in the opulence of Silky Rose, a captivating floriental fruity fragrance. At the top, spicy rose unites with earthy patchouli leaves and crisp redcurrant to intrigue the senses. This enticing fusion gives way to a bouquet of opulent rose, orange flower and jasmine nectar, which gently lifts and intrigues. Finally, the woody oriental trail reveals a seductive blend of golden amber, vanilla woods and sensual musks.” Secret Amber “Luxuriate in the sensual warmth of Secret Amber, an elegant gourmand fragrance. As the fragrance unfolds, its unique elements are revealed by a timeless amber scent. A tantalising duo of ginger and nutmeg spices the top of the fragrance, adding a touch of intrigue. This melts into a rosy-cinnamon heart for a deliciously sensual sensation. Combined with sweet vanilla and soft musk, the secret amber adds all the depth to the warm and sophisticated fragrance.” Intense Oud “Delight in the darkly enigmatic intense Oud, a powerfully alluring woody floral. The scent opens with a delicately spiced blend of saffron and lemongrass before building to an addictive heart of cistus labdanum and Turkish rose absolute. Combined with patchouli and sandalwood, Oud wood sensually embraces the whole fragrance, creating an overall experience of distinguished opulence.” Please check back for more updates on our New Perfumes pages as we update the database. See for example New Perfumes in 2012 Read more at http://www.mimifrouf…sYKtrvEJcZls.99 Continue reading
