Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-16-Speech-4-048"
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"en.20020516.2.4-048"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, given that 826 million people worldwide suffer from chronic malnutrition, I welcome the fact that this House is aware of the situation and is adopting a resolution on the forthcoming World Food Summit in Rome. At the World Food Summit in 1996, four priorities were set: food security, international agricultural trade, sustainable management of natural resources, and rural development. These commitments by Member States should now be reaffirmed and action taken to achieve the goal of halving the number of undernourished people by 2015.
A further key point will be the approach to, and management of, water resources. The EU must continue to focus in particular on poverty reduction and sustainable development. Democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights, a sound economic policy, gender equality and environmental aspects must be at the forefront of development. There is a clear link between hunger and poverty, and hunger can be both the cause and the outcome of poverty, conflicts and war. The development of entire regions, and rural regions in particular, depends on this. Then, of course, there are natural disasters such as draught and floods, which simply deepen poverty. The international community has a responsibility to provide relief in these situations.
Commissioner, the EU's policies should be shaped in a way which enables us to move away from short-term food aid towards long-term support which provides farmers with the necessary technology and know-how at local level. Our goal should be to promote agriculture in the developing countries vigorously so that it is capable of sustaining its own population and is no longer dependent on international food aid. In this context, I should like to mention the EU's trade restrictions and export refunds which are often sharply criticised. The European Union has developed an agricultural model which is designed to establish framework conditions for all farmers in Europe, regardless of location – even in less-favoured and peripheral regions – to operate effectively with a secure income. The job of the farmers is not only to produce food; they also play a key role in protecting and preserving natural resources and landscape.
With its multifunctionality, all its specific features and social significance, our European agriculture model could set an example to others. Agriculture is not directly comparable with other economic sectors. Given that the EU is also the world's largest importer of agricultural products, I do not think we can continue to voice criticism of the CAP in this way. I would therefore urge the critics to adopt a more creative approach."@en1
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