WRITTEN QUESTION E-2493/02 by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission. Rising unemployment in Poland as a result of EU membership.
Date: 2002-09-09
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Poland, accession to the European Union, aid to agriculture, impact study, migratory movement, policy on agricultural structures, unemployment, working population engaged in agriculture

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8.5.2003

The latter position is difficult to support because firstly it would be reasonable to expect a reduction in
growth rate of predators (cod, haddock etc.) and such a reduction has not been observed. Secondly,
scientific estimates from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) of the state of
sandeel stocks in the North Sea indicates that sandeel are currently not overexploited and are abundant.

The closure of sandeel fishing on the Wee Bankie was motivated not by consideration of the state of stocks
of cod or haddock but by concern about the breeding success of certain sea bird populations which
depend upon sandeels during the breeding season to feed both themselves and their young following
hatching.

It is contentious and probably not justifiable to maintain that either this closure or other reduction in
fishing effort underpins the recent increase in the North Sea haddock. The numbers of young haddock
produced each year are known to be highly variable. This stock has recently increased as a result of the
arrival of a large year-class of haddock in 1999 whereas the immediate prospects for haddock appear to be
poor because the following year classes of 2000 and (probably) 2001 are scientifically estimated to be of
low or very low abundance. Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that haddock appear throughout the
whole of the northern North Sea much of which is not closed to fishing for sandeels.

The Commission is, however, continuing to monitor the impact of industrial fisheries and has recently
asked ICES to study the eco-system effects of these fisheries.

(2003/C 110 E/063)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2493/02

by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission

(9 September 2002)

Subject: Rising unemployment in Poland as a result of EU membership

Under the terms of the Commission’s proposal on agricultural support for the applicant countries, farmers
in those countries will initially obtain only 25 % of the support received by farmers in the present Member
States.

According to the Danish newspaper Politiken of 13 August 2002, there will be massive unemployment in
agriculture in Poland if the country joins the EU.

Almost 8 million Poles are employed in agriculture, i.e. almost 20 % of the population, as compared with
some 4 % of the EU’s population. Gregor Kreuzhaber, spokesman for the EU Commissioner for agriculture,
has stated that the level in Poland must be reduced.

If the percentage in Poland is to be reduced to the EU level, the result will be that 6 million Polish farmers
will lose their jobs (the equivalent of approximately 15 % of the total population of Poland).

Has the Commission carried out studies to ascertain the implications for Poland of such depopulation in
the agricultural sector, including its impact on unemployment as a whole in that country, and whether
there is any prospect that these millions of people will be able to find alternative work within Poland?

Will the Commission also say what impact such an explosion in unemployment in Poland will have on
Polish migration to the present Member States of the Union?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(6 November 2002)

It is important to place the Polish agricultural sector in the broader context of economic developments in
Poland. Current high levels of unemployment are in part due to the overall slowdown of economic
growth, but also various structural factors, which need to be addressed by the national policy. These have a
decisive impact on the labour market situation throughout Poland.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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the Polish Government

took an important step by adopting a plan entitled
In February 2002,
‘Entrepreneurship-Development-Employment’ which includes i.e. actions to increase the flexibility and
efficiency of the labour market. Within the framework of the National Development Plan 2004-2006, to
be submitted by Poland in December 2002, the Polish Government will present its overall strategy for
higher sustainable growth and employment. On the basis of
together with the
Commission also identify how the Community Structural Funds can go hand in hand with the national
policy framework and the reforms of the labour market, in order to address the problems of the labour
market including in agriculture and rural areas.

this, Poland will

According to the Labour Force Survey of Eurostat, the employment in Polish agriculture amounts to
19,2 % of total employment i.e. 2 887 000 persons and is, thus, indeed higher than the average Union
employment in agriculture. There is, however, a high variation in agricultural employment across the
Union and the Commission would expect Poland to remain above the Union average after accession.
Moreover these figures include subsistent and semi-subsistent farmers.

To date no reliable data have been published on the number of people employed in family farms. For this
reason the Commission has given considerable support to the agricultural census undertaken together with
the population census between 21 May 2002 and 8 June 2002. The Commission is awaiting the
preliminary results towards the end of 2002. This information will allow a more effective targeting of
policies and resources.

The Commission does not expect a large increase of unemployment as a result of accession to the Union.
Membership of the Union will alleviate the economic problems farmers in Poland are facing. Remaining
outside the Union will not help resolve these issues. Such assertion is confirmed by studies undertaken and
commissioned by the Commission, such as on ‘Competitiveness and farm incomes in the Central and
Eastern-Europe Countries (CEEC) agri-food sector’.

Investment, restructuring, and making semi-subsistence farming commercially viable are the real keys to
competitiveness in the agricultural sector of the new Member States. Removing disincentives to shift into
non-agricultural employment and supporting alternative employment prospects by means of increasing/
adapting qualifications within a significantly strengthened active labour market policy are examples of
is the Polish Government’s strategy to deal with the
other actions envisaged. The key however,
restructuring of the agriculture sector and promoting rural area development within a coherent overall
strategy to tackle the economic and employment situation throughout the country.

Moreover, being inside the Union will provide Polish farmers and the rural population with the
instruments targeted to meet their needs, including an appropriate level of safety net in the form of farm
income support. This will ensure that the necessary restructuring process will take place in a socially
acceptable way.

The restructuring process is likely to take place gradually and to a large extent to be cushioned by
Structural Funds and Rural Development Programmes as co-financed by the Union. Therefore,
the
Commission does not expect significant migration flows due to higher unemployment after accession.

(2003/C 110 E/064)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2501/02

by Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(9 September 2002)

Subject: Crisis affecting durum wheat producers in the commune of Raddusa

Raddusa in the province of Catania has for centuries depended on agriculture for its livelihood, mainly
cereal production (the area specialises in growing durum wheat).

Because of the EU policy of reealigning prices farmers have seen a significant reduction in their incomes.
In view of this the EU has introduced compensatory payments for durum wheat producers (income
support).