Witold Tomczak (IND/DEM), in writing. – (PL) I welcome the postponement of implementation of the expensive requirements relating to cross-compliance for the new Member States (the so-called new Ten). This is certainly justified. The countries concerned are not yet receiving the full direct payments that already represent the lion's share of all expenditure on agriculture in the European Union.

I also welcome the extension of the possibility for the new Member States to benefit from Single Area Payments (SAPS) from 2010 to 2013. This will avoid placing a heavy and unnecessary burden on the new Member States in connection with implementation of the Single Payments System (SPS).

This is a move in the right direction, but we should not allow it to obscure the serious situation concerning the distribution of resources between the old and the new Member States. According to the most recent information available, dating from 2005, the new Member States have received EUR 1.5 billion in direct payments. This is 21 times less than the old Fifteen. The beneficiaries, however, only received 2.4 times less (EUR 2 million and EUR 4.9 million respectively). These enormous differences are also reflected in the average payments received by each beneficiary. For the new Member States it amounted to EUR 723, whereas for the old Fifteen it was EUR 6 327, which is almost nine times more!

Ongoing discrimination against the new Member States is detrimental to farmers in those countries. It also calls into question the very spirit of the common agricultural policy and the development of agriculture across the whole of the European Union.