Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-13-Speech-2-165"
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"en.20040113.6.2-165"2
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"Mr President, Commissioners, thank you very much for being here today, and I will take this opportunity to speak about cotton, which is a problem for Spain and Greece, but which I would like the whole of Europe to take on board.
Cotton cultivation in Europe, in fact, only accounts for 1% of the world's surface area and 15% of European needs. The remaining 85% is imported mainly from the poorer countries, without tariffs.
Furthermore, we have other third countries, such as the United States, which is the world's largest exporter of cotton, or China, which dominates the market by being the world's main producer, the main consumer of industrial cotton and the main exporter of textiles.
Despite the insignificance of cotton in Europe, however, there have been certain statements against Community policy on the sector, which I believe to be entirely demagogic, since in the European Union export refunds are not given and goods are imported freely, without tariffs. Specifically, France led the proposal on the part of four African countries at the WTO ministerial conference in Cancún to remove aid for cotton and has subsequently presented a European initiative on cotton which attempts to promote a Commission-led action programme in favour of the African cotton-growing economies and, at the same time, includes a reference urging reform of the system of aid for cotton, partially decoupling it from production.
I would like Commissioner Lamy to hear me: Commissioner, I believe that this attitude can only be interpreted as a wink or a gesture of rapprochement by France to these countries and the powerful interests of French capital in the African cotton sector by means of the French Company for the development of textile fibres and its subsidiaries in Africa, with the French State as the main participant in its capital.
In no way can this justify the belligerence allowed by the Commission in Cancún, with a proposal which it was inappropriate to present in that forum and which unjustly condemns Community policy in this sector. Neither does it justify the reform of the Community system of aid for cotton as suggested by the Commission, the approval of which would mean the social and economic death of many communities, without – and this is more serious – as a result resolving the problems of competitiveness of the sector in Africa.
Finally, with regard to European agriculture in general, I would like to point out that the objective agreed at the G20 is to achieve an agreement on the dismantling of aid for exports, as well as a significant reduction in tariffs and direct aid which distort the market. Nevertheless, it appears, Mr Lamy, that in your meeting with the G20 countries, held in Brasilia, the European Union would have accepted the demand to define the criteria relating to the green box in a more restrictive manner. I would like you to either confirm or deny this information because, Commissioner, agreeing to discuss it goes further than the mandate that you had received, but, above all, it directly affects the very principles of the reform of the CAP which we approved six months ago and not just that of cotton which we are discussing here.
It is all very well to adopt measures in favour of the least-developed countries, but what benefits them more, and they say this themselves, is greater viability for their exports rather than a growth in the volumes exported, which in reality benefits the marketing companies based in the most developed countries. For example, sugar producers believe that export quotas for sugar at guaranteed prices are more profitable for their economies than the possibility of exporting without restrictions.
I would urge you to consider all of this very carefully and to listen to the supposed beneficiaries of all these policies."@en1
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