Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-10-Speech-1-109"
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"en.20030210.9.1-109"2
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"Mr President, it is clear that there are still major differences of opinion in this Parliament. Certainly, when I hear the opinions of the traditional farmers' front, it is clear that this Parliament still has much work to do. From a Socialist point of view, world trade is about fair play for all. It is essential that we achieve breakthrough in the negotiations on the agricultural portfolio. We would like to secure two things in this regard.
Firstly we would like to see an end to the dumping of products from Europe and the USA on the markets of developing countries. We would also like to see our markets opened up more towards developing countries, in which populations are sometimes more than 80% dependent for their incomes on agricultural activity and the abolition of quotas and tariff restrictions on developing countries exporting to us.
Secondly we would like to see production subsidies in the European agricultural policy converted into public grants for nature conservation and new economic activities in the countryside (recreation, ICT, animal welfare). In other words, less, but spread out more extensively; less support for large-scale farmers; more support for quality and a reasonable existence for farmers.
The latter is essential, as liberalisation is one thing, but we do not want the market to do everything. What we need is public supervision and regulation. We are talking about a social model for Europe. We are well aware that in doing so we will have to prevent this support from public grants from being indirectly used as capped subsidies, thus once more resulting in protectionism and products being sold on the world market too cheaply.
In our opinion it is clear that the proposals now being put forward are a good starting point. At the same time we would like to ask Commissioners Lamy and Fischler to make more than 50% of agricultural products from developing countries tax-free. We would like to see change phased in before 2011. What we would like to see is over 30% off the tariffs, and in 30% less time.
We wholeheartedly endorse the concept of the Food Box. We also realise, however, that the ACS countries must do their homework better and come up with proposals more quickly. Then there is the USA, of course. It is clear that the USA, with its Farm Bill, is currently going completely against the spirit and the facts of Doha. This places us in an enormous dilemma. We are of the opinion that Europe and the developing countries must together exert pressure on the USA to abandon this position, because we are convinced that the current policy is bad for us, for our environment, and for the welfare of our animals, as well as for the developing countries. As the Group of the Party of European Socialists has already done in the last legislative term, let us also demonstrate the courage to change course despite all the ifs and buts."@en1
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