Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-15-Speech-4-045"
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"en.20090115.3.4-045"2
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"− Mr President, I am delighted that you follow the Mediterranean diet and see it is very successful for you!
What this morning has shown me here, as the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, is that we have a very varied range of subjects to talk about. One minute we are talking about animal transport – a very important subject – and now we are talking about another very important subject: the Mediterranean diet.
One of the jobs that has come to me, as Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, and which we are particularly trying to get to grips with, is that, on the occasion of the Council of Ministers held in Brussels on 16 July 2007, the Commission reiterated its full support for the nomination of the Mediterranean diet as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This nomination will be examined in 2009 – in fact, it now has been – by the responsible UNESCO committee. Is the Commission planning to set up a specific and coordinated strategy to support this nomination, because we are moving on very fast now?
I represent, as I said, the Committee on Agriculture here, but I probably represent all Members when we talk about diet, because one of the great things about Europe is its diversity and culture and part of that diversity and culture is, of course, our food.
The Mediterranean diet is a very good one. What is the Mediterranean diet? I am sure we could talk a great deal about that this morning, but it is generally a diet rich in oily fish, olive oils, fruit and vegetables. It is without doubt a very tasty diet, and you can see by the size of me that I am a very big fan of it. It is also a healthy diet: it is a rich source of essential fatty acids and antioxidants, a combination that can help improve cholesterol levels and protect heart health. Recent medical research has also suggested it may help cut the risk of conditions such as dementia.
When you go to Mediterranean countries, you can see that people enjoy it, and not only those who live there but also many of us who travel to Mediterranean countries, especially when we want some sunshine and also some very good food.
It is something that we need to take seriously in a world where everything seems to be uniform. We see the new generations being bombarded by the fast-food chains – I will not name them all here today – which are spreading throughout the European Union. We should remember that, yes, there is a role for a fast-food chain, but it would be a terrible thing if, in years to come, all we found when we travelled through Europe was fast food. Travelling through parts of America – especially on the west coast – there seems to be nothing but fast-food chains, and that is the last thing we want here in the European Union.
As I said, we need to support Mediterranean food, and it is a very good idea for culture and diversity. I think that in the future, we will have to look at other forms of diet across the European Union, because what I want to say to you quite clearly this morning is that while I am a great supporter of the Mediterranean diet, I do not come here as the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture just to support the Mediterranean diet, because there are other diets across Europe that are equally as good but have different qualities and different food.
So this is the start of many things to come and, as I said, I really want to know from the Commission how it intends to actively support this bid throughout this year, because we are looking forward to an award for the Mediterranean diet and we are also looking forward to having some very good Mediterranean food in the future."@en1
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