|
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European Union foreign ministers meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday to discuss the EU's line in world trade talks, as France worries that an EU offer to cut farm subsidies could go beyond what national governments have already agreed to.
France, which has an important agricultural lobby and has always come out in defense of farm subsidies, called the emergency meeting to make sure the EU will not make excessive concessions as poorer countries call on the U.S. and the EU to make substantial cuts in what they actually dole out to farmers.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said last week the EU was ready to cut "trade-distorting" agricultural support by 70 percent, provided others made similar efforts.
|