The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled this week that the EU must stop publishing data about individual farmers who receive subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), reports BBC News. In an effort to show taxpayers where and how CAP subsidies--which make up about half the EU's budget--were being used, the EU published the names of farmers and amounts of subsidies. But the ECJ found that the practice did not strike the proper balance between privacy and transparency where individual farmers were concerned. The practice continues for agricultural firms and farmers registered as companies. The European Commission will now look at whether new regulation is needed.
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