Europe Snubs World’s Poor

The European Union’s (EU) continued reluctance to reform its agricultural subsidies is criticized in this New York Times editorial. After a host of high-profile summit meetings and private conferences, it says, reform plans for Europe's agricultural policies will be "watered down as to virtually meaningless." One of the proposed plans is to reform the subsidy on Europe's cows, each of which currently receives a $2 subsidy per day-- more than what sustains some 1.2 billion people in the world who live under the absolute poverty line of $1 per day. The EU's agricultural subsidies are inflicting enormous damage on producers in developing countries who cannot compete with the rich nations' subsidized harvest. Nevertheless, because of strong opposition by various EU countries, mainly France and Germany, this proposal and other similar ones are unlikely to be touched. The editorial ponders the reasons for a strengthened “Paris-Berlin axis” since the Iraq war while also accusing the US of not doing all it can to uphold its beliefs in the free market. – YaleGlobal