Brussels, 06/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption, on Monday 6 February, of the report by Czeslaw Adam Siekierski (EPP, Poland) on the programme for the distribution of food to the poorest people in the EU, the committee on agriculture of the European Parliament has approved the position of the Council at first reading on the compromise which will make it possible to continue this programme for just 2012 and 2013. The Council formally adopted its position at first reading on 23 January, and the Parliament's vote will take place at the Strasbourg plenary on 13-16 February.
The regulation on aid to the poorest will be retroactive to 1 January 2012. It extends the range of products which can be distributed to people in need, making purchases on the market a regular source of supply in parallel to intervention stocks, which hitherto represented the bulk of the programme. The preference is also given to products originating from the EU. The programme will be paid for in full out of the Community budget, by means of an envelope in the order of €500 million for each of the years 2012 and 2013. It will cover the costs for the transport and storage of the food, and the administrative costs directly related to the implementation of eligible actions. More than 18 million citizens of the EU are currently benefiting from this programme. Reacting to the vote, José Bové (Greens/EFA, France) said: “It gives enormous satisfaction to see a solution for the next two years enshrined. The charities will be able to continue their support activities, particularly during these times of increased crisis, when there are, unfortunately, more and more people applying. However, the Greens at the EP will make sure that the new mechanism, which will be set in place from 2014, will ensure greater social cohesion. It is vital that measures be put forward to allow the poorest people to get out of poverty, by creating sustainable production systems and local supply systems, whilst making sure that food waste is drastically reduced” (our translation). (LC/transl.fl)