GREECE, July 19, 2004 -- The following report is the reply from FAS Athens to the questionnaire circulated by FAS Horticultural and Tropical Products Division in May 2004 about Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) of pesticides in foodstuffs.

POLAND, July 19, 2004 -- Poland's food retail sector continues to undergo radical transformation as consumer incomes grow. The presence of foreign hypermarkets continues to grow; however, prospects for U.S. sales are hampered by stiff Polish and EU competition. Poland's real GDP demonstrated growth of 3.8 percent in 2003, and domestic demand increased by 2.4 percent in 2003.

EU-15, July 19, 2004 -- On July 14, 2004, the EU proposed a reform for its highly criticized sugar industry. The changes will be phased in over four years and are suggested to begin July 2005. Member States will begin discussing the proposal on July 19 at the Agriculture Council. The Member States must agree to the reform before it is finalized. The detailed legislative proposals should be available by the end of this year. The proposal includes decreasing the institutional support price by about ? 210/t, replacing public intervention buying with a private storage scheme, cutting production quotas, and providing a direct payment to farmers.