Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-04-Speech-4-216"
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"en.20030904.7.4-216"2
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".
Mr President, this Commission communication comes in response to the provisions of the Council Regulation on the Special Framework of Assistance for traditional ACP banana producers, whose objectives are to improve the competitiveness and support the diversification of agricultural production in those countries.
I would like to emphasise that significant sums, about EUR 44 million, were allocated to this aid project in both 2001 and 2002, and that the Commission has told us the results of the programme for those two years. It gives me particular pleasure to say, firstly, that efforts to diversify production increased during that period, and, secondly, that those efforts were based on incentives for agricultural and rural development projects. Both of these achievements fulfil or express desires noted as objectives by both the Commission and Parliament when this programme was approved.
I ought to mention, however, that some problems have been encountered. The Commission is undoubtedly aware of them, but they should be solved through the prompt adoption of certain corrective measures. Firstly, there have in some cases been significant and repeated delays, not attributable to any individual’s deliberate wishes, in mobilising and implementing appropriations over the last few years. These delays, however, have as a rule created significant difficulties for farmers in the producing countries, some of which are among the 40 poorest countries on the planet.
Some of these farmers have told us of their doubts and, particularly in the case of West African farmers, of their disagreement with the methods used by the Commission to assess farmers’ competitiveness, on which the Commission’s criteria for allocating appropriations are based. This assessment method takes into account average production costs, insurance and transport fleets as detailed by Eurostat.
These figures, though, do not constitute a single definition. That causes mistakes of more than minimal significance in some cases. They are sometimes very significant mistakes, to the detriment of some of these countries.
Commissioner, I am concerned at the decline in the amount of assistance allocated in the 2003 budget, especially as we approach the changeover from the current system to a tariff only system. That changeover may have very negative effects, not only on production in traditional ACP countries, but also on European banana-producing regions, if, when the moment comes for us to move from the current system to the tariff only system, we are unable to adopt the right measures.
I will conclude by appealing for two concrete changes which are very important to Parliament and also, I hope, to the Commission: greater efforts to avoid any delays in payment from now on; and assessments of growing and production methods, with the aim of withholding funding from those projects having a negative effect not only on the environment but also on the health of banana workers in producing countries. The use of biodegradable substances in the banana-growing process should become a priority here."@en1
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