Thanks to the excellent work by the likes of the folks at Farmsubsidy.org, a lot of light has been shone into the murky world of the 'Common Agricultural Policy' or 'CAP' in recent years. Recently, however, following some legal shenanigans on behalf of the farm-subsidy junkies, more than half (55%) of this years CAP payments - that total a staggering 54 billion Euros - have been kept secret or 'redacted'. The CAP secrecy for the UK is a disgrace: 94% of farm-subsidy recipients and 75% of funds have been redacted. Considering that the CAP costs the average UK household £245 a year you are entitled to be pissed off. I am.
'Farmsubsidy.org, the pro-transparency group of journalists and activists, meeting in Brussels this week, has expressed its dismay at the reversal of transparency in EU funds.
'The group estimates that fewer than one in ten beneficiaries of EU farm subsidies has been published this year. The total value of payments published is €22 billion, or 45 per cent of the annual CAP budget of €54 billion.
'The backsliding on transparency has come in the wake of a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union which states that EU rules on transparency were ‘invalid’ because of concerns that publication of data on payments to private individuals (‘natural persons’) would violate their right to privacy. It seems some member states are using a very broad definition of ‘natural person’ to keep as much data as possible from entering the public domain.
'Following the ruling, the Commission has been consulting widely on a new law, considering all the arguments in favour and against transparency in public funds. However, the new law has not yet emerged, even as EU institutions are now deciding on the long term future of the CAP.' (Farmsubsidy article).
media-underground.net