Brussels, 17/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 17 September, the European Commission adopted an amended proposal to improve the current food distribution scheme for the most deprived people in the European Union. It builds on a proposal from 2008 currently treading water in the EU Council of Ministers. The new proposal will be put to agriculture ministers on 27 September, but given the complexity of the issue, it is difficult to predict how it will be received.
In addition to the formal adjustments needed to bring it into line with the Lisbon Treaty, the new proposal makes provision for: - an annual €500 million ceiling on the EU's contribution; - stable and more favourable rates of national co-financing (75% of eligible costs will be met from the EU budget, and, indeed, 90% of eligible costs will be so met in member states which receive cohesion funding); - allowing member states to give preference to foodstuff of EU origin. As in the 2008 proposal, food will be sourced either from intervention stocks or from the market.
Blocking minority. In 2008, the Commission adopted a proposal seeking to establish a new basic regulation for the scheme to adapt it to new conditions (it included the option of buying food on the market in addition to using intervention stocks). Despite its finding support in the European Parliament, six countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom) formed a blocking minority against the proposal. The programme nevertheless continues to operate under existing rules, and numbers taking part continue to increase: 18 countries in 2009 (all member states except the blocking minority plus Austria, Cyprus and Slovakia), 19 in 2010 (the Czech Republic, which was one of the blocking minority, switched camps and joined those taking part) and 20 in the 2011 plan, which is in its finalisation stage.
Germany, supported by Sweden, has filed an action at the EU General Court against the 2009 aid for the less well-off scheme. Germany is of the opinion that food aid for the most deprived should no longer fall under the common agricultural policy, since there are now no more intervention stocks. It believes that such action should come under the responsibility of national social services.
The Commission points out that, every year, more than 13 million European citizens benefit from the food distribution programme. (L.C./.transl.rt)