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(Note: the following link doesn’t work anymore - one day after I posted it, El País regrettably decided to become a subscription-based site… I personally doubt they’ll be able to keep up their prestigious position in these global times. Odd, they should have learned from The New York Times’ experience…)

elpais.es - Última Hora - La política agraria de la UE enfrenta a América Latina con España y Portugal

The on-line version of El País posted this article, on the Ibero-American summit that is being held now in the Dominican Republic, gathering government chiefs and heads of state from both sides of the Atlantic. One of the key issues of this venue - the 12th of its kind - involves the ever controversial agriculture subsidies and similar protectionist measures by the EU, which unfairly hit developing nations (and Latin-American countries are fortunate compared to the desperation of some African countries!)

The government leaders of Portugal and Spain that are present in the village of Punta Cana will hopefully deliver the message to Brussels, echoing the criticism of Uruguay, Argentina and Brasil, demanding an end to this selfish and in the longer term self-defeating policy… As always, it remains to be seen in how far it changes the typical pandering to the electorate and especially the powerful European agro-lobby. Countries such as Germany, France and Spain aren’t exactly known for their independence on agricultural issues.

While the EU claims to contribute substantially to the developement of less favored nations, such anachronistic and contradictory policies won’t exactly bolster the EU’s credibility.