Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-23-Speech-2-195"
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"en.20011023.7.2-195"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, every year, in the context of public health provision, we consider tobacco subsidies, which are, basically, nothing other than direct income support for the interested parties. It can be done another way. So, as every year, we urge progressive reduction of tobacco subsidies and their replacement by increased aid for rural development with a view to alternative forms of income, which could benefit workers upstream and downstream in the regions. The same thing happens every year, yet so far nothing has changed. But we must always hope.
As regards the NGOs, we are always advocating support for them. We want to know, though, what is done with the money that is granted to them, which is only right and proper. We therefore demand that information on them be made accessible to the public on a regular basis. Only then will we have a chance to check whether our financial support for them is justified. Believe me, we already find it extraordinarily difficult to get any kind of overview on what organisations we are supporting.
Equally opaque, though, is the Commission's decision to stop funding the environmental organisation ‘Globe’. This is quite unjustifiable and so seems positively wilful. It must be added that the funds accorded ‘Globe’ in the current budget year were not paid out. Yet even NGOs need to be able to plan ahead with certainty in order, for example, to be able to carry on paying their office staff. The Commission's action in this regard is anti-social. Where there is political will, Commissioner, one can find a way, or another budget line for the future.
As regards the agencies, it does indeed appear as if some agencies had already developed active lives of their own a long time ago. They simply exist. So we finance them; more money every year, irrespective of output. That seems to be all that matters. This cannot go on, for this money is needed elsewhere. Our task is to ensure that the organisations we support work efficiently. Efficiency and effectiveness are not achieved merely by blindly piling-up resources, but by regular observation and monitoring, on the basis of which any necessary adjustments can be made."@en1
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