---

European Council

Any budget decisions must be taken at a later time, but I understand the concerns of British farmers, as well as of European farmers. I am not standing here in order to have a go at French farmers and the support. What I am saying is that, unless we put in place a reform process that allows us over time to adjust the budget of the European Union, in the end we will find that we have an unsustainable position. That is the problem. If we do not have such a reform process in place, it will be 2014 before we can agree changes to the CAP. I am not advocating—this is important—changes tomorrow in the payments made to UK or other farmers. I am saying that, by the time we get to midway through the next financial perspective, we should have a clear plan as to how we are to make changes to the CAP. At the same time, we can work on other ways of supporting farmers in a more rational way.