EU Newcomers Begin to Rue the Day They Joined
by Christopher Booker

Anger is still growing across the 10 countries that joined the EU in May as they discover how they were hoodwinked with fine promises of the benefits that would be showered upon them if they voted to join.

In southern Poland last week there were threats of rioting by thousands of small farmers whose woes have been compounded by a harvest even worse than Britain's. Like their British counterparts, they had lobbied their government for an advance payment of EU farm subsidies, due in December, to tide them over. The Polish government appeared sympathetic, but then sent out subsidy application forms so fiendishly complex that the farmers found them almost impossible to fill in.

However, the Self-Defence Party, which represents Poland's peasant farmers, engaged the services of British consultants, wise in the ways of EU form-filling. As a result, and to the astonishment of the Polish officials, most of the farmers' forms were successfully completed. The authorities, their bluff having been called, then had to confess that there was no hope of getting the money from Brussels before December after all.

Meanwhile in Malta, a row has erupted over the discovery that, instead of being able to buy sugar at the world price of  200 a tonne, the islanders must now pay the protectionist EC price of  840. The government tried to allay public outrage by announcing that it has negotiated with Brussels a special subsidy that reduces the sugar price to  380. But the opposition spokesman Noel Farrugia then pointed out that, since half this subsidy comes from Maltese taxpayers, they will still have to foot most of the additional bill - as well as seeing Malta's soaring government deficit going ever further beyond the EU's spending rules.

The official response came last week from Malta's EU commissioner, Joe Borg. In a bizarre outburst, he claimed that the Maltese eat far too much sugar anyway. Mr Farrugia, he said, should read Professor Yudkin's book Pure, White and Deadly, on the damaging effects of sugar on the human body. He should then advise his fellow citizens (10 per cent of whom, according to Mr Borg, are diabetic) to "applaud the government" for reducing consumption of this dreadful stuff.
The Sunday Telegraph, 3rd October 2004

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: The 'sugar-guzzling' Maltese apparently voted overwhelmingly to join the EU. Welcome then to the world's greatest, protectionist market. And thank your new EU Commissariat from protecting you from yourselves. Have a jam doughnut.

Stop Meddling, Turkey tells the EU
by Amberin Zaman

Turkey told the European Union yesterday to stop meddling in its domestic affairs as a row over a move to criminalise adultery threatened to provoke a crisis between Ankara and Brussels.

Weeks before the EU is due to report on whether Turkey meets the criteria for membership talks, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, lashed out at criticism from Brussels after a criminal law reform package was frozen in parliament because of a bitter inter-party squabble over the legal status of adultery. Mr Erdogan said: "We are Turkey and the Turkish people will make their own decisions."

Drawing applause from leaders of his Justice and Development Party, he added: "Joining the European Union is not the be-all and end-all." The dispute erupted when Ankara announced plans to reinstate laws to punish unfaithful spouses with jail sentences of up to three years.

Under pressure from critics at home and abroad, governing party leaders shelved the proposal this week.

On Thursday, however, parliament leaders temporarily retracted the entire penal code package - designed to draw Turkish laws closer to those in EU member states - following demands from conservatives in Mr Erdogan's party that the adultery proposal must be included.

Brussels restated its opposition yesterday. Jean-Christophe Filori, the European Commission spokesman, said criminalisation of adultery "would strengthen the hands of those in Europe who oppose Turkey's membership".

Gunter Verheugen, the enlargement commissioner, said the situation was "very worrying."
The Daily Telegraph, 18th September 2004

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: Dear Turkey. Stay well clear, mate.

Further Resources
Spread the word to friends with The Real Face of the European Union by Phillip Day, a video documentary (PAL format only) which lays out the serious problems with the European Union and what you can do about it. Also, don't miss the two following incisive commentaries on the dangers of Britain's involvement with the EU:

Ten Minutes to Midnight by Phillip Day
Vigilance by Ashley Mote
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