Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-06-14-Speech-4-028"
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"en.20010614.2.4-028"2
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"Mr President, it is nice to see the Commission respond in a positive manner to the desire of Member States to introduce flexibility into the management of the Structural Funds, from which the outermost regions can benefit in order to take account of their specific handicap. Increasing the existing ceilings for the contribution
of some Community funding is, therefore, a positive step. On the other hand, some of the restrictions introduced by the Commission must be removed. It is, therefore, imperative that the increase of the FIFG level be applied to shipbuilding activities, which are essential. In the same way, in the field of co-financing, it is crucial not to impose the same strict rules on the outermost regions as on the continental territory of the European Union. The effect of these provisions is extremely disadvantageous, particularly for the communities of the overseas territories on account of their recurrent budgetary difficulties. Although the rule of co-financing can be retained, it certainly must be modified.
It seems to be all the more necessary to make these rules more flexible because the threats to the economic systems of the outermost regions and to the overseas territories are multiplying. Some types of funding can be threatened overnight, as in the case of the banana crisis with the United States. With the regional integration of the Caribbean islands into the Americas’ free trade area looming in 2005, the overseas territories will have to contend with unfair competition from their neighbours. Mr Lamy’s ‘Everything but Arms’ initiative will destabilise rice, sugar and banana production. Since this provision is non-reciprocal, it will lead to unfairness. The overseas territories will therefore have to import
goods duty-free from the neighbouring LDCs, whereas the reverse will not be possible. The LDC countries in the Caribbean will be able to ban European exports from the overseas territories using the negative list system. It is therefore essential that structural aid granted to the outermost regions, even if not in itself sufficient, should benefit from special rules in order to allow European countries to make up, at least partially, for their structural handicap and the threats that they will face in the coming years."@en1
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