Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-01-Speech-1-054"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030901.5.1-054"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, unfortunately, it is the tragedies of this summer that bring us together again to talk about matters that have already been the subjects of quite a few past debates in this House.
With regard to the forests and forest fires, we would first of all express our heartfelt condolences to the victims of these fires, above all in Portugal but also in the other countries that have suffered the same disasters, for we are concerned here with genuine environmental disasters in Southern Europe. The forests destroyed by fire will have to be built up again, with due respect for climatic and ecological features. Certainly, these forests have burned down, but other forests too will suffer the consequences of the drought. One has only to travel through our mountainous regions in order to see such trees already burned to a cinder before the arrival of autumn. It is going to be necessary to rebuild these forests, and we can ask ourselves if, with our agricultural policy, we have been able to adopt a genuine rural planning and development policy.
Agricultural policy has caused us to lose some farmers. Unfortunately, we can now say that, if our countries had had a few more farmers, the areas would have been better maintained and the forests better laid out, not as the only alternative to desertification but in such a way as to have been productive. Just now, one of our colleagues spoke about wood as a source of energy. I am entirely in favour of this, and I develop wood myself in an area for which I am responsible. We must no doubt review our agricultural policy and, primarily, support our farmers who will suffer the terrible consequences of this drought, since they all say that it will cost them a year’s income in order to take account of the consequences of this drought. Livestock farmers now no longer know how to feed their cattle, and they are waiting for help to be provided quickly. This has been promised, but, most of the time, it is too late arriving. We must show, at European level, that we are perfectly capable of putting a community-based policy in place.
The meadows will also have to be restored, including in the semi-mountainous regions with which you are very familiar, Commissioner, and to which you are very attached. They will have to be restored when there is no irrigation and when there are no mechanical means available to farmers on land that is very difficult to farm.
Finally, I should also like to talk about water problems, because we have not perhaps been able to put in place a water policy likely to ease the difficulties encountered.
We have also talked about the ageing of our populations. During the work on the Convention in preparation for the future European Constitution, I had asked for public health to be an important feature of this Constitution. Unfortunately, public health has not so far been taken into account, which is something I regret.
If, then, I have one more point to make, I should simply like this connection between the disasters and climate change to encourage us finally to respect and implement the Kyoto Protocol. I do not think that taxation is a good response. Europe must be innovative. It must convince governments and populations that a different agricultural policy needs to be supported, and that it is necessary to rebuild forests that are productive. It is also necessary to have decentralised, community-based policies, and, above all, to redefine energy policy and transport policy. Finally, quite simply what must be done is to pursue a genuine European policy of sustainable development."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples