Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-09-Speech-3-419"
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"en.20080709.37.3-419"2
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"First of all, I think we can see that renewable energies and biofuels have recently been the scapegoat for increased prices within the agricultural commodities sector. Clearly there are different reasons for these increases. The adverse weather conditions that we have seen in parts of the world have had a high influence – almost four times as high as the influence of biofuels.
Secondly, we have seen a huge demand from Asia. In China and India they are now starting to eat meat, which means that they need to import much more cereal than they used to do.
Thirdly, speculation: investors are moving their money out of stocks and shares and bricks into agricultural commodities, into gold and silver. This is obvious.
Some countries have closed their borders for exports of agricultural commodities and this has also contributed. Looking at the United States, the fact that the Americans have now introduced a very comprehensive use of corn for bioethanol has had an effect on the corn sector. Of course this has an influence on the world market price for corn. But in Europe we use less than 1% of our production area for renewable energies and that cannot have an influence on the price level that we see.
What is important is that we produce these renewable energies in a sustainable way and that we apply certain criteria to the different types of renewable energies. We have said clearly that a 35% reduction of CO
emission is the minimum and we would be prepared to go further. For example, 50% has been mentioned as a figure to be introduced by 2015.
Regarding the honourable Member’s question on the World Bank study, I must say first of all that it has not yet been published. A pirate copy has been leaked. It is therefore difficult for the World Bank to comment on something that has not yet been published. But I have to say that personally I would like to see a commitment and a confirmation from the World Bank that they are going to sign up to the 75%. I do not believe that 75% is a figure that can be defended. It is not even on cereal prices but on food prices. When you know that sometimes on food – bread, for example – only up to a maximum 10% of the value of the bread can be related to the wheat, I simply cannot imagine how this figure of 75% can be right.
I would be very happy to come back to the European Parliament to discuss it when this report has been made public and we have a solid basis for discussion and not just rumours that appeared in one single newspaper when it was leaked."@en1
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