Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-30-Speech-3-046"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051130.10.3-046"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I wish to inform the President-in-Office and the Commissioner that I was very interested to read a paragraph in the conclusions adopted by the General Affairs Council last week that stated that there was strong commitment to the needs of developing countries, and in particular the LDCs, and that the Council supported an ambitious development programme in Hong Kong. Almost simultaneously, a decision was being taken to make drastic changes to the sugar regime that has been in place in the European Union for many years. Those drastic changes will have huge implications for the 18 sugar protocol countries in particular, as well as for LDCs. Similarly, decisions that will destroy thousands of livelihoods in banana-dependent countries – our traditional suppliers – were also taken last week.
When you say these things in the Council, how can you simultaneously do the opposite? It was decided in the Agricultural Council to grant EUR 80 billion to European sugar farmers. Contrast that with the paltry EUR 40 billion which is to be given – we hope, as currently it is still virtual money – to ACP countries. They will in fact lose more in refining aid than we are preparing to give them to assist in their transition from this.
At that Council meeting, Commissioner Fischer Boel said she felt that this reform was going to strengthen her hand. I really cannot believe that. This morning Commissioner Mandelson and I were at a G90 meeting, where we heard the grievances of the ACP countries in particular. If Commissioner Fischer Boel thinks that she has strengthened her hand to negotiate with developing countries after the decision that was taken on sugar last week, then I do not know exactly what planet she is living on.
What we felt at the G90 meeting this morning – and Commissioner Mandelson will confirm this – was a terrific sense of anger and, indeed, of betrayal. I know the Commissioner is not responsible for distributing the aid that these countries need, but something has to be done in order to rebuild confidence in the very short time available to us between now and Hong Kong."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples