Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-28-Speech-3-329-000"
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"en.20110928.22.3-329-000"2
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"Mr President, as a result of the crisis, which has now lasted for an exceptionally long time, conditions affecting the lives of Europe’s citizens have clearly deteriorated: unemployment is rising, many employees are receiving lower pay, retail prices of food are constantly going up and the scale of poverty is growing. Pensioners with less money are saving on food to be able to buy medicines. Many of them, just like many unemployed people, benefit from the free distribution of food.
In Europe we now have around 80 million people living below or on the poverty line. What are we to say to the people who ask us why the Union is making cuts in spending on the free distribution of food in this situation? As part of the reform of the common agricultural policy, intervention buying is being progressively reduced. Does the falling number and amount of products being held in intervention stocks mean we have to cut back on the provision of free food to those who do not have enough to eat?
Not long ago, we discussed this issue here in plenary. Virtually everyone unequivocally declared themselves in favour of maintaining the free distribution of food at the current level. I ask, therefore, why the voice of parliamentarians, who have a mandate from the electorate, is not being taken into consideration? I think we should be very aggrieved at this, because while the EU institutions so often appeal to the need to maintain solidarity, create equal opportunities and tackle exclusion, what credibility can they have in this situation?
It should also be reiterated that the fight against poverty is one of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy. I am pleased that the importance of the programme for the free distribution of food in mitigating the effects of the crisis has been recognised by the President of the Commission, Mr Barroso, who mentioned it in his speech today in the debate on the state of the Union. I appeal to the governments and the fellow Members from the Member States which are blocking the allocation of suitable resources to this commendable purpose, and would also like to ask them to change their position. In the draft Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, a sum of EUR 2.5 billion has been reserved for this purpose, or EUR 350 million per year, whereas until now the programme has been receiving EUR 500 million per year, so this means a reduction of 30%. Therefore, the level of funds for the operation of this programme should be increased in the new financial framework to EUR 3.5 billion per year, so that we can maintain ..."@en1
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