Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-03-Speech-2-174"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20001003.5.2-174"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Commissioner Verheugen, as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the countries that want to accede to the European Union. It is rumoured that you are no stranger to these countries yourself. I believe you will join me in my assessment that a great deal has happened in these countries, but that this can largely be attributed to their own efforts, also on the financial front.
The EU largely makes its presence felt as a result of reduced agricultural products, which drive the prices down in these countries. This is particularly true of the time we had the pig crisis, when pigs that were almost paid for finally ended up in Poland, having gone via the Soviet Union. The debate intensified as a result. When we now talk in terms of liberalising trade, the so-called zero option, then this is because the Commission did not satisfy Parliament’s demands early on, for it to refuse point-blank to grant export subsidies to the applicant states.
People in these countries – and especially in Poland – are now discussing what has become of the compensation payments. The Polish people are asking themselves whether they will receive these payments once they are members of the EU, or whether they are regarded as second-class citizens. I have tried to impress on them that it will take a good deal longer yet, and that in fact it will not be discussed until after their accession, which will be several years hence. I have told them that it is more important for the time being, to concentrate on the structural funds. It would be a good idea if Poland were to request an increase from SAPARD, and perhaps a modification too, in order to tailor these funds more effectively to the conditions, in Poland in this case, but the same applies to the other candidate countries.
Just to compare: Poland has EUR 168 million available to it in SAPARD funds. The compensation payments amount to EUR 1.5 or 1.8 thousand million, are widely dispersed, and will do nothing to aid the development of these countries. It would make sense if we were to fulfil Poland’s demands for us to increase these structural funds now, and if we were to adapt our instruments and also begin to incorporate the compensation payments into the structural funds, at the next agricultural reform, which will take place earlier, by my reckoning – or at least the planning stage will – than the accession of these countries. We would then share a common goal with these countries in the common agricultural policy, and it would also enable this agricultural matter to be settled once and for all by speaking to Joschka Fischer."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples