Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-17-Speech-3-210"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000517.11.3-210"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, with regard to the previous questions, I think that when it comes to agriculture, the actions of the Portuguese Presidency are sufficiently eloquent to have answered the honourable Member’s question – even in his absence.
Turning to the question about financing our policy in Kosovo through the agricultural budget, I must make it absolutely clear that the United Nations mission in Kosovo cannot possibly be financed from agricultural budget headings, since there is no appropriate legal basis for this. The current financial regulations do not allow for appropriations to be transferred between two headings in the financial perspectives. This does not necessarily mean that there is no intention, as specifically announced by the Commission, to propose an amendment to the 2000-2006 financial perspectives which, in the Commission’s view, would not fundamentally affect CAP appropriations. The Council is currently studying this issue, which is highly controversial. We know that in this House, too, a majority is against a review of the financial perspectives which would lead to a reduction in the amount available for the common agricultural policy. Nevertheless, I repeat that the Commission has stated that there is absolutely no danger of direct aid to farmers being reduced and that this is simply a question of taking advantage of savings essentially flowing from changes in the euro/dollar exchange rate. These savings will be extrapolated over the next two years.
Furthermore, the Commission considers that the post-2002 review of the CAP, which was, as you know, agreed in the Berlin European Council conclusions, will provide a basis for further savings. But as I have said, the Council’s position on this issue is, in political terms, to oppose a review of the financial perspectives. The Council considers that a very thorough assessment must be carried out of the requirements of the Balkans and of the real ability of the people there to absorb these funds, particularly bearing in mind and focusing very closely on the role of the European Union as one of the international funding agencies in this area. This request has already been made to the Commission and to the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. We have therefore asked the Commission to provide a schedule showing the indicative distribution of all the contributions that have been pledged, divided into those components which are donations and those which are loans. The Council feels that it is only on the basis of this kind of information that an accurate assessment of the Commission’s proposals can be made. It is precisely for this reason that the idea of a review of the financial perspectives is not being considered at present."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples