Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-22-Speech-3-278"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20081022.21.3-278"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
I am speaking as a member of the Committee on Development, and would, on behalf of my committee, like to make three comments, firstly, about the food crisis, secondly, about the system for assessing development policy and thirdly, about the lack of resources under Heading 4 – foreign expenditure that has been discussed before.
I should like to start with the food crisis, which is, of course, a huge problem, as millions of people are in danger of losing their lives, and a joint European approach is desperately needed. We do, however, need an approach other than the one which the Commission suggested in the first instance. The budgetary agreements will need to be respected, while the powers of the Council and the European Parliament may not be overlooked. I am therefore pleased that the Commission is willing to review the first proposal – to use unused agricultural funds for this.
We need to achieve food security for the countries involved. Needless to say, food aid is needed for people who are in immediate peril of death, but ultimately, it is about the long term, which is why food production should return to the EU’s development agenda as an area of attention that should be given priority.
We will, in this context, also need to talk about a re-evaluation of the thematic programme on food security, and we will need to look at how we can grant small farmers better access to crucial production factors. This is why we are glad that the proposal has met with approval for a trial project for micro-credit, because this will probably make it easier for small farmers to fund food production.
Secondly, the system for assessing development policy needs to be improved. The assessment is focusing too much on where the money is going and too little on results. If we wish the public to continue to support development cooperation, we will need to gain more insight into the results of our work.
Thirdly, the lack of resources for foreign expenditure, Heading 4, has been discussed previously. This concerns not only resources for development cooperation, but also for Kosovo, the Middle East, and so on. We have great ambitions. Rightly so. This is why this item deserves a structural increase"@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples