Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-11-18-Speech-2-086"
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"en.20081118.5.2-086"2
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"Mr President, we in the Presidency are very happy to discuss this scheme with the European Parliament, as proposed by the European Commission and brought personally – and I should like to pay tribute to her – by Mrs Fischer Boel. It is an important scheme for the nutrition of the youngest citizens, and it is a practical and effective step to combat the rise in obesity among young people.
Mr Busk has just stated the figures, and I can corroborate them: one child in five in Europe is overweight or at risk of obesity. Childhood obesity in Europe is growing by 2% per year. We must therefore encourage young people to vary their diet and to consume more fruit and vegetables.
I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that implementing this scheme, which everyone is in favour of, shows the important role that the common agricultural policy can play and does play in encouraging the consumption and, more simply, the production of healthy, quality produce. Agriculture is naturally suited to meet this dual challenge, which consists of the challenge of quantity – which was also its first challenge, with the first contract drawn up with farmers in the 1960s – but also, the challenge of quality, relating to the quality and safety of products.
That, ladies and gentlemen, proves that Europe can respond and does respond to the specific concerns of our fellow citizens and that agriculture is clearly at the centre of the major challenges faced by our society. When we talk about this ‘fruit and vegetables’ scheme, we are talking about a tangible, people-based Europe, centred on citizens, which Europeans expect.
This programme, ladies and gentlemen, has been very well-received within the Council of Ministers, and the debates we have had, which we will continue today and tomorrow, show that, overall, we are all making progress on this issue. It is my intention to achieve a political agreement in the Council this week. That is why I am naturally paying close attention to Parliament’s position on this issue so that I can include your position and your support in the debates of the Council.
Finally, Mr President, I should like to offer my sincerest thanks to your rapporteur, Mr Busk, for the very detailed and impassioned work he has done on this issue, and now I am happy to listen to you, and the Commissioner."@en1
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