Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-06-Speech-3-012"
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"en.20090506.2.3-012"2
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"Mr President, I am only going to touch upon the part of this package which relates to rural development. First of all, like Mr Piebalgs, I would like to thank Parliament for its cooperation, especially the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. There has been a very good and constructive dialogue over the past month and it is obvious that your support in this issue is crucial for a successful outcome.
Legislation must be adopted as soon as possible so that this money can be invested in rural development in 2009 and the money can be spent as well, i.e. both programming and expenditure of the money.
The final compromise left us with a bit less money for rural development than we had wanted. We had initially wanted EUR 1.5 billion and we ended up with EUR 1.02 billion. The scope for investment in broadband in rural areas has been extended, and Member States will now have full flexibility in the choice between broadband and new challenges. I think this is quite a good idea, so you do not limit people that see special difficulties in the new challenges in some parts of the European Union.
The Commission also takes good note of the amendments. You request an extension of the scope of eligible broadband operations to soft measures such as training in ICT and investments in ICT-related services and facilities. I would like to point out that these investments and activities are already widely supported within both the structural funds and the rural development funding. Focus is put on broadband, because of the fact that it is considered to boost technological development and growth in the best possible way.
As regards promotion of the recovery package, the Commission agrees that this is needed, but it can be done within the existing tools already in our toolbox in rural development. The current policy framework also allows money to already be spent on projects in 2009.
We have also studied the proposal to already include in the financing the EUR 250 million which were added to the 2009 budget for rural development by Parliament in its final vote on the budget last year. However, this proposal was not part of the agreement on the financing of the recovery package reached in the trialogue discussions. In order to avoid any delay in the final adoption of this package, I believe we should take the opportunity to come back later this year when the rest of the financing of the recovery package has to be agreed.
As this is the last meeting here in the plenary before the elections to this Parliament, I would like to express my sincere thanks for your very good cooperation and exchanges of views – sometimes with lots of patriotism and with lots of dynamism, but it has been a pleasure. To those of you who are not running for re-election, I would like to say that it has been a pleasure working with you."@en1
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