Brussels, 13/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) President Staffan Nilsson, speaking on Wednesday 12 October, welcomed most of the European Commission's proposals on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). He said the proposal had incorporated civil society's input on the reforms needed in the CAP. At the EESC, “we believe that CAP funds should in future be used to maintain and develop everywhere multifunctional agriculture geared towards sustainability objectives”, Nilsson said.
The EESC welcomes the increased focus on the environment and notes that one of the aims of the common agricultural policy is to stabilise markets. “The EESC thinks it is vital to continue in future to use market instruments in order to secure stable prices and avoid major price fluctuations” he states. For key EU projects such as cohesion, the single market and the CAP, “we need a strong EU budget. We would therefore ask member states to pledge to make sufficient funding available in these areas from 2014 onwards”, he adds. He states, too, that European agricultural production is important, but at the same time “European policies must not destabilise markets in other parts of the world”. (LC/transl.rt)