Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-14-Speech-2-045"
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"en.20000314.3.2-045"2
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"Mr President, I must object in the strongest possible terms to the proposal, within this legislative programme, to reduce the agricultural budget by EUR 300 million for the purpose of rebuilding Kosovo.
While I have every sympathy with the need to rebuild Kosovo, and while I understand fully that the CAP accounts for almost half of the entire expenditure of the EU, I nevertheless object to the agricultural budget being regarded as a well from which water can be drawn each time another department develops a thirst. I know a guarantee has been given that the removal of this sum from the budget will not affect any of the financial obligations entered into by the Commission within the framework of the CAP, but I just do not believe it. I do not accept that this will simply be a one-off event.
When farmers in my own constituency of Scotland are suffering their worst recession in more than 100 years, how can I explain to them that this EUR 300 million would be better off spent on Kosovo? When farmers are going bankrupt every day in the UK, when the level of suicides amongst farmers and farm-workers has reached unprecedented levels, when the economy of rural Britain is in spiral decline, how can I explain to them that EUR 300 million would be better off spent in Kosovo? In such circumstances, it would be mad to slash the budget to this extent. We should be spending more to alleviate this crisis rather than contemplating spending less. I urge honourable Members, when we come to vote on this issue, to vote against this proposal."@en1
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