This is the latest in a series of leaks of the Commission’s proposals for the health check, due on 20 May. The explanatory memorandum outlines the latest thinking on the various elements of the package including the issue of progressive modulation: a gradually rising level of compulsory modulation, with higher rates for recipients getting more than €100k, €200k and €300k. You can download it here (http://tinyurl.com/4p5h4p) and read for yourself.
Can you really trust this leak? How come it has not leaked to Agra Europe first? Given the collusion between DG Agri and Agra, anything that was not leaked there must be a hoax ;-)!
By the way, how come neither the MEPs nor the Court of Justice have ever addressed this issue of a (corrupt) EU institution pre-releasing systematically documents to a private company that makes money (and overcharges consumers) out of it? Ms Fischer-Boel and half of DG agri civil servants would be in jail if the standards applied to Edith Cresson were enforced.
If this is not a hoax, thanks to Berlaymole for breaking this tradition.
Well Michael Mann, spokesperson for DG Agri, used to be a reporter for Agra Europe, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s an old boys’ ‘you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours’ approach to news management.