Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-07-07-Speech-4-008-000"
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"en.20110707.3.4-008-000"2
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"− Madam President, I would like to start by thanking you all for giving me the opportunity to make a statement on behalf of the Commission on the European scheme for food distribution to the most deprived persons.
First, I would like to emphasise the importance of this programme for the most deprived citizens of Europe. I can mention two figures here. Each year more than 18 million people receive more than 440 000 tonnes of food distributed under this programme. Over the years this programme has become one of the main sources of supply to charities working in the field of food aid. More than half the products distributed by the members of the European Federation of Food Banks in 2010 originated from this programme. So it is really important.
Last April the general Court set aside the provisions of the 2009 plan for products purchased in the market. Specifically, the Court ruled that the Commission cannot define the volume of the programme independently of the volume of existing stocks. The total volume of the plan must also be adapted to the volume of the existing stocks when the plan is drawn up. The proportion of products purchased in the market in relation to the total volume of the plan must reflect their exceptional nature.
Following the Court’s judgment and given the limited volume of intervention stocks available, the 2012 plan had to be greatly reduced. The Commission has recently adopted the 2012 plan in order to give the participating Member States and charities time to find additional resources to replace the volume that will not be provided at European level. As regards the future, the Commission made various initial proposals in 2008, followed by an amended proposal in September 2010.
The express aim of these proposals was to make the scheme sustainable as intervention stocks become increasingly scarce. This subject was thoroughly discussed in the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of this Parliament and in the plenary on the basis of the report prepared by Mr Siekierksi. The Commission has always appreciated the clear stance of Parliament on this matter. However, a sufficient majority has not yet been obtained in the Council. But the Commission is firmly committed to the continuation of the scheme in the future and is ready to make any adjustments.
Against this background, in its recently released communication for a multiannual budget for the period 2014-2020, the Commission has proposed a budget of EUR 2.8 billion at current prices. Considering the important contribution that the programme makes to meeting the poverty reduction target of the Europe 2020 strategy, it will in future be financed from the budget for social policies. The necessary legal proposals will come in due course. In the meantime, the Commission recalls that an agreement on the basis of its 2010 proposal is needed with a view to securing a food distribution plan in 2013.
I am confident that this package will help an agreement between the Council and Parliament to be reached, so as to ensure legal certainty and stable financing for the scheme. For this compromise we need strong support from this body."@en1
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