Should new audit findings reveal that Romania still faces problems in its ability to establish a well functioning farming payment system, a safeguard clause on Romanian agriculture can be reactivated by the European Commission, European Commissioner for Agriculture Mariann Fischer-Boel said in interview for HotNews.ro. She said that officials in Brussels found deficiencies in 2007 as well as in 2008.

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New EU member states one would rather recommend rural development funds than direct payments, the Commissioner says.The European Commission should not interfere in commercial arrangements between farmers and retailers, but farmers could be encouraged to group together to improve their negotiating standWith 14 million hectares of utilised agricultural land and 30% of the population working in rural areas Romania has a chance to play an important role in the field of bio-energy.

HotNews.ro: In its path to European integration Romania had four red flags and it joined the EU with only one - the functioning of the system of the Payments and Interventions Agency for Agriculture (APIA). According to your assessment, have these problems been resolved as they should? Did this situation worried the EC and you especially regarding Romanian agriculture's capacity to reach the European level in a short period of time?

Mariann Fischer-Boel: Throughout Romania's accession process, the Commission closely monitored the progress achieved in setting up the mechanisms to ensure sound financial management and control of agricultural expenditure. We paid particular attention to the establishment of operational paying agencies and a functioning Integrated Administrative Control System (IACS).

Despite significant efforts from the Romanian authorities, audits carried out by the Commission services in 2007and 2008 revealed deficiencies. Financi