Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-12-15-Speech-5-042"
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"en.20001215.3.5-042"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, as a member of the WTO working group and as someone responsible, in particular, for small and medium-sized enterprises, I can only congratulate the Commission on this report and on this initiative, because it is far-sighted in already anticipating developments, which bodes well for the future. In the WTO negotiations we will come under strong pressure to reduce export refunds, and cuts in this sector will be very likely. That is why it is very important to achieve a balance here, and this can be developed very effectively through the promotion and publicity measures. This sector is, of course, included in the "green box", and it would, of course, make it possible for us to present European products on the world market in an entirely new and much more intensive way. I see great opportunities for quality European products here.
Ultimately this is also support for rural areas, on which, after all, we spend 10% more today, a sign that these regional economies should also be receiving more support, so that, on the one hand, the theory "think global, act local" can very well be asserted but, on the other, the world market is not disregarded either. It is precisely in the food sector – but also in the agricultural non-food products sector – that we have good opportunities in the future here, and we should therefore make the most of them.
This means, then, that, in the future, the existing 12 categories of products will not be the only ones to be the subjects of promotional campaigns but that the arrangements will be extended to all agricultural products. So, Mrs Lulling, there will be opportunities here in the future not only for grape juice but also for wine. We should also set ourselves a target. We ought, in fact, to ensure that food production in Europe has an aim, and this actually follows on very well from the preceding debate. You see, we want to use our food to keep people healthy into old age. We want to stay healthy, and food is the overall basis for healthy living. That is why I am also pleased that, this week in the European Parliament, we have set up a working group on biotechnology. We want to address health-related issues in detail. We also believe that particular account ought to be taken here of organic farming and production and that, of course, Europe will be able to make considerable progress on the international scene with its brands and designations of origin.
A trend which has become increasingly pronounced recently is e-commerce. I believe that here too there is scope for us to take action with agricultural products. It is expected that, by the year 2003, 80% of the European population will in all likelihood be connected to the Internet. Obviously, this represents a great opportunity for rural areas because the physical distance separating them from the large centres will become insignificant, and new opportunities are emerging which, at the end of the day, need to be taken.
Another important area is, of course, further education and training. I believe that where marketing, sales and training programmes are concerned, life-long learning ought to take centre stage much more, because it is precisely the new technologies – handling product promotion using modern logistics – which will open up entirely new possibilities. Cooperation between industry, agriculture, trade and consumers is therefore of paramount importance here, and I would be glad if we were able to achieve new standards of cooperation in the future."@en1
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