Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-05-17-Speech-3-372"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060517.23.3-372"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I too should like to congratulate you on the fact that your country won the European Cup this evening, although, since Barcelona has a Dutch trainer, perhaps some of this credit could also go to my own.
I should also like to congratulate the rapporteur on this report, because it is a hard-hitting document that gets its priorities right. What is more important, though – and I am, this evening, primarily speaking as shadow rapporteur for the agricultural budget on behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats – is that this report is like a warm bath for European farmers and horticulturalists compared to what the British Labour Government gave them during its presidency. I should like to congratulate Mr Elles on this.
As for agriculture and horticulture, it is all hands on deck, for the Council’s easy way-out, allowing countries to transfer, on a voluntary basis, 20% of the premiums to rural development, could well prove to be a stab in the back for hard-working farmers and horticulturalists. Not that I am opposed to rural policy, but given the voluntary nature of this proposal, there is the real risk that farmers from the different Member States will be faced with a playing field that is anything but level, which will have an effect on the single market.
Similarly, the possible voluntary transfer of 20% of the premiums will probably, due to the financial emergency brake applied during the interim review, represent yet another attack. After all, pledges to candidate countries Romania and Bulgaria may eventually result in yet another 15% in reductions for agriculture and horticulture in the old Member States. In that way, Europe is at risk of losing control over the common agricultural policy, for a 35% reduction in the level of premiums will consign the common market firmly to the history books. As guardians of the common market, Parliament and the Commission will need to pull out all the stops in order to avoid this.
Moreover, I am also shocked at former Commissioner Bolkestein’s remarks, because as Commissioner for the Internal Market, he recently rejected once again the Prodi Commission’s agricultural reforms and their funding, which he had originally approved, adding that agricultural policy should be abolished. I urge the present Commissioner for the Budget to be wary of the common market and to prevent European agricultural funds and European agricultural policy from being eroded still further, for let us be honest: Europe’s export refunds have been pared down by 80%, 60% of agricultural export to developing countries is already being channelled to the EU, and we have an agreement with the world’s 48 poorest countries. I do not know another continent that has done more for liberalisation of agricultural policy than Europe, and we have done quite enough."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples