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farmsubsidy.org
Stefan Magdalinksi reports himself to be a "very happy bunny indeed". As reported in the Guardian of 22 January, a freedom of information campaign by journalists across Europe has paid off in spectacular fashion.Over the next two years, a ground-breaking decision by the council of ministers and the European Parliament will result in the biggest release of information held by governments to the public and the media since the creation of the European Union. (Stefan was instrumental in the creation of farmsubsidy.org which amplified the campaign to tremendous effect).
All 27 EU countries will disclose data revealing details of some €100bn given in subsidies by the Eurotaxpayer every year to farmers, food companies, industrial regeneration schemes and the fishing industry, from the Black Sea resorts in Bulgaria and Romania to the Canary Islands and Madeira.
Every cow in the European Union is subsidised by $2.50 a day. That’s more than what 75 per cent of African citizens have to live on. One in five people in the world lives on less than $1 a day. One in five of the world’s population – 800 million people – go hungry every day.
The decision is the result of a rare example of journalists cooperating with each other across Europe to bring pressure on the governments of member states, using national freedom of information laws.
Read the whole story here
Stefan Magdalinski
+447769 666528 (phone)
smagdali (IM/flickr/skype/etc)
Posted by John Thackara at January 25, 2007 07:05 AM
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