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Lyon to ask tough questions of EU Agriculture Commissioner
January 13, 2010 10:08 AM
George Lyon, Liberal Democrat MEP for Scotland, will seek reassurance from the European Agriculture Commissioner designate Dacian Ciolos on Friday as MEPs scrutinise his nomination to the post.
Mr Lyon, who will set out the European Parliament's position on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), will ask for a guarantee that Mr Ciolos will fight against any substantial cuts to the CAP budget.
Commenting ahead of the session in Brussels, Mr Lyon said:
"The European Agriculture Commissioner is a post that is vital to Scottish farming interests so it is crucial that we get the right person for the job.
"We must defend against any substantial cuts to the CAP budget. I don't just want to hear Mr Ciolos make a meaningless commitment, I want him to lay out the strategy he will employ to safeguard these vital resources for farmers.
"I will also seek assurances from him that Scottish farmers will not be expected to pay the price of any major redistribution of funding to the East as we already suffer serious disadvantage from the one of the lowest levels of funding for Rural Development in the EU.
"Above all, I want the new Commissioner to demonstrate that he is not another French appointee as claimed by Sarkozy.
"Mr Ciolos must reassure us that he will work on behalf of all farmers. He can show that by appointing an adviser who has a clear understanding of the issues that face farmers in Scotland and across the rest of the UK."
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