Planting stuff in European Union

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Pekka
See Spiffor with 897234 pages of documents proving this is not what it smells and looks like .

I know very little about the CAP.

Agriculture may be indeed a field where the EU isn't on the side of savage competition - I don't know. However, the other fields (industry and services, which concern many more people) are brutally hit by free-marketerr policies.

The EU is built on the principle of "free and undistorted competition". This means that you can produce an industrial good at the price you want, and sell it wherever you want in the EU (as long as it fits the Europe-wide standards). You can produce the service at the price you want, and see if somebody buys it. This is why Dell's hotline for Germany is located in the Czech Republic (or why EADS' internal hotline is located in Stuttgart ). This is why there is a massive industrial displacement from western Europe to Eastern Europe.

Vetlegion, unless you believe that any market regulation immediately means our horrible communist tendencies, or unless you want to work in non-mediterranean agricultural production, you should really not be afraid of the EU. It follows the neoliberal lessons like a zealous pupil

[Lawrence of Arabia]

it doesnt matter - the CAP literally kills developing world citizens. try that for morality or justice.

[:) Smiley]

Here in California, some of the world's best farmland is being used to grow suburbs. So I guess there is some value to keeping those farm subsidies.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

or rice, in an area that has droughts every 5 years.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by VetLegion
So how then can EU forbid citizens to plant vineyards is beyond me. It's hard to believe it would do that literally. There must be a catch of some sort.

It doesnt forbit you from growing/producing whatever you want. and yes there is a catch

which is....

Really strong incentives to comply with quotas, but without outright bans.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Smiley
Here in California, some of the world's best farmland is being used to grow suburbs. So I guess there is some value to keeping those farm subsidies.

So true.

[VetLegion]

Paiktis, yeah, but has anyone ever ... tried? Pushed to the limit? Confronted the beast?

If they have, they must be in the dungeons 300 meters below Bruxless now, for I have never heard of them.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by JohnT
God no. Total (state and federal) US ag subsidies are about $20 billion (PDF), or one percent of the US Federal budget. I've seen figures where the EU figure is 6 times that of the US, or about $120 billion, but that is probably including the individual nations as well as the EU itself.

As far as I know, CAP is all there is. 50 billion annualy. Countries are not allowed to boost that further. I may be wrong though, this ain't my field.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Smiley
Here in California, some of the world's best farmland is being used to grow suburbs. So I guess there is some value to keeping those farm subsidies.

No.

[VetLegion]

Kuciwalker, the huge number of icons under your nickname... that's some kind of joke, right?

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by VetLegion
Kuciwalker, the huge number of icons under your nickname... that's some kind of joke, right?

It's for him to recognize his posts easily when avatars are down.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by VetLegion
Paiktis, yeah, but has anyone ever ... tried? Pushed to the limit? Confronted the beast?

well one can start growing something that the EU is not wanting if he thinks he can pull it off, meaning if he thinks he can get a good price for his product from the market. because he won't be getting any subsidies for it.

now if he wants to keep producing what he is producing and he wants the EU to give subcidies to it (or not cut those that is already giving) he can go out on the streets, protest etc. This happens all the time. the result varies of course
then his gov. (and others if facing the same problem) should put pressure on the EU to listen. now how much this happens.... it is another issue

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Spiffor
It's for him to recognize his posts easily when avatars are down.

That, and it's a joke. And I don't actually feel like going through the list and leaving all of them

[Bereta_Eder]

i should point out that "now how much this happens.... it is another issue" applies to both his gov. and the EU. national govs are known for scapegoating a great deal on the commission/EU. i.e. "i fought for you but the bad EU didnt let me do that" whereas it was the national gov. that wanted what the EU is doing (and probably lobbied the EU to take it on) - this usually happens behind closed doors. (coreper II and then council of ministers). so always check your gov. first

[Dinner]

Originally posted by JohnT
I'm thinking about it and the last time I remember a presidential campaign that actively sought out farming votes as a significant block was Truman in '48.

The whole point of Republicans reintroducing farm subsidies in the US af ew years back was to buy the vote in the farm states. That was 2004's election not 1948.