Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-05-Speech-3-331"
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"en.20060405.23.3-331"2
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".
Mr President, in recent weeks and months we have been accustomed to frequent press coverage of new outbreaks of avian influenza. The latest outbreak was confirmed today in a turkey farm in Saxony. We have been able to follow the disease’s development on maps as we have seen it spreading from one country to another. We are all affected either directly or indirectly.
We – and in particular the poultry sector – are faced with a real crisis situation, which requires a swift response. That is why we are here tonight. I would therefore, first of all, like to thank the European Parliament for having accepted the Commission’s request for urgent procedure. I am especially grateful to the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Joseph Daul, as well as to the rest of the committee for their rapid contribution and opinion on the Commission proposal. That is a clear testimony that when there is a need for us to act fast, we can do so.
The many cases of avian influenza in the European Union have not left us unaffected. Even though mainly wild birds have been the victims of avian flu, it has already had a strong negative impact on European consumption of poultry in many Member States. The impact on prices has varied from country to country, but in general prices have been under pressure and have in some cases fallen significantly. As a result, the poultry meat market faces an exceptionally serious situation and many in the poultry sector are in severe difficulties.
We have already acted. Since the beginning of the crisis last autumn, the Commission has made use of export refunds in order to support the market. But the effects of those measures have been limited, not least as we have been faced with import restrictions on our exports into many third countries. It is clear that we cannot handle the poultry meat crisis effectively on the basis of export refunds alone.
Member States have also announced or taken initiatives with regard to the possibility of using state aid. There is a broad range of support possibilities via state aid, such as rescue and restructuring aid for farmers running into difficulties. Those rules are designed to give quick, effective support to those in the sector who are really in need. We will, in the light of the crisis, examine any proposal as quickly as possible, taking into account both the need for rapid help and the need to avoid distortion of competition. However, we also need to consider alternative measures at EU level. And therefore we have found ourselves hampered by the existing legislation. Our current CMO provides for measures that would allow special market support in cases where veterinary restrictions have been imposed.
The current scope of our CMO, however, does not allow the Commission to act in response to a crisis that is sparked by a lack of consumer confidence. And that is exactly the situation we are in today. Therefore the existing legal framework has to be changed in order to provide the legal basis for new market support measures for the sector. We are therefore proposing to extend the existing exceptional market support as laid down in Article 14 of the CMO in order to include support measures in cases where serious market disturbances are caused by consumer reaction to public health or animal health risks. Our proposal also entails a sharing of the financial burden between Member States and the Community budget and would only be introduced upon a request from the Member States.
We are now taking a first step. We are filling the legal gap. Once our proposal is finally adopted, Member States will have to submit their proposals for practical steps that will fit their specific situation. We believe that will allow the best possible flexibility, and therefore the most efficient response to the current crisis and to future similar situations, if they were to arise.
There is no time to waste. Thanks to the European Parliament’s constructive stance and the rapid procedure it has chosen via which to consider this proposal, we should now be able to ensure a final adoption in the Council in the coming weeks. This will be an important step towards delivering those measures that our poultry sector is so desperately asking for."@en1
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