Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-02-05-Speech-4-038"
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"I am pleased that we have this opportunity to debate in a plenary session an issue which is important not only for the Community’s agricultural sector, but also for the European economy’s competitiveness as a whole.
I hope that the recommendations we are going to adopt will be implemented as soon as possible by the European Commission and Member States because we cannot afford to waste time in such circumstances when European citizens are being hit by the effects of an extremely deep economic recession. The measures being proposed will obviously not resolve all the problems linked to marketing and promoting the Community’s agricultural and food products.
Simplifying the red tape involved with registering traditional products, introducing a ‘Made in the European Union’ label and solving the problem of products imported from third countries of lower quality and safety standards are just some of the areas which we need to consider in order to boost the market share for Community products. Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your comments and questions.
At a time when the economies of our countries are suffering as a result of the global crisis and when increasing the demand for agricultural products is an imperative, amending Regulation No 3/2008 on information provision and promotion measures for agricultural products on the internal market and in third countries offers us additional leverage to support agricultural producers and, by extension, the EU economy.
European Council Regulation No 3/2008, which combines in a single text regulations 2702/1999 and 2826/2000, has accommodated the European Commission’s new political approaches on simplifying legislation, while also achieving the objective of facilitating administrative procedures within the European institutions. Based on this regulation, the Community can take information provision measures for a certain number of agricultural products on the internal market and on the markets of third countries, while also preserving the specific nature of the measures, according to the market in which they are implemented.
This policy provides a response to a real need on the part of Member States to promote the image of their agricultural products, especially the benefits in terms of quality, nutritional value and food safety standards, both among European consumers and consumers in other countries. It also helps open up new market outlets and has a multiplier effect for national and private sector initiatives.
The amendments initiated by the European Commission are aimed at allowing interested Member States to devise a relevant programme where the organisations involved in drawing up proposals do not wish to present programmes to be implemented in third countries. As a result of this, Member States will have the opportunity to expand the area of application of the measures targeted by these programmes and also seek the assistance of international organisations in implementing these measures. The draft report we are discussing proposes certain additions and adaptations to the Commission proposal, which are necessary in order to clarify and supplement the logic of the regulation.
First of all, we are proposing to introduce consultations with professional associations and organisations operating in the target sectors of the Member States, which are involved in the process of devising information programmes for agricultural products, both on the internal market and in third countries. In view of their expertise and the important role these associations and organisations also play in guaranteeing and controlling quality, it is absolutely paramount that they are consulted. At the same time, we support these programmes being drawn up based on an assessment of the need for them and their timeliness, providing us with the assurance that the funds are being spent effectively in programmes which meet the objective of helping promote Community products.
We are also proposing to extend the areas where international organisations can be assigned the implementation of information programmes for third countries. Promotion and publicity measures are also relevant to the wine sector, both on the EU internal market and in third countries. As is the case with the olive oil and table olive sector, international bodies exist in the wine sector, such as the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, which can ensure the implementation in third countries of programmes proposed by Member States, thereby disseminating information about the characteristics and advantages of wines with a protected designation of origin and those with a protected geographical indication.
Another amendment which we are proposing to you is aimed at increasing the European Union’s cofinancing percentage from 60% to 70% at a time when it is increasingly more difficult for small producers to gain access to financing due to the financial crisis. Without any financial support, they risk going bankrupt as they do not have the leverage to promote their products and are facing a drop in market demand.
The ultimate aim of these proposals is to generate greater market demand in order to boost production and support the European economy as a whole. Attaining this goal will help us overcome these difficult times we are going through. The quality of the European Union’s agricultural and food products is an advantage which we need to utilise in order to guarantee the European economy’s competitiveness and higher incomes for producers."@en1
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