In a meeting at the European Parliament of the stakeholder networks and organisations concerned with the reform of the EU-sugar regime organised by the European Food Sovereignty Platform and the Green Group/EFA on 29 November 2004, the needs of European society and developing countries were discussed.
This meeting was organised on the eve of the hearing on the proposed sugar reform in the EP agriculture, development and international trade committees.
The EU will have to reduce subsidies to European sugar beet farmers in order to meet WTO rules and the hearing looked for ways to reconcile the divergent interests of sugar farmers in Europe and the developing world.
