Strasbourg, 18/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - By adopting, last Thursday in Strasbourg, the two reports by the Spanish Socialist Miguel Angel Martinez Martinez on the revision of the agricultural and structural programmes in favour of the ultra-peripheral regions (Poseidon, for the French overseas departments, Poseican for the Canary Islands and Poseima Azores and Madera), the Parliament feels that the Commission proposals goes in the right direction, even if certain percentages of Community cofinancing should be slightly increased. These programmes have as aim to promote sustainable development and strengthen the productive sector, job creators, in the regions facing specific difficulties linked to their distances and their insularity. This concerns favouring their development through the intervention of structural funds and through the modulation of common agricultural policy aids.
In the first report, centred on specific agricultural production, the MEPs feel that the following demands should be taken into account: (1) process products: the right for regions enjoy refunds, when they export products manufactured from raw materials under the heading of the "specific supply scheme" for as much as these products have been the object of a sufficient processing on these islands; (2) aids to the breeding sector: additional aid to the milking cow premium set at EUR 100 per head (against EUR 50 according to the Commission), addition to the special slaughter premium for the fattening of male bovines, payment 2001 to 2010 (against 2001 to 2005) of an aid to interprofessions of breeding in the Reunion and Martinique Islands; (3) sensitive products: increase of aids to tomatoes for the Canary Islands, to farming, milk products and the sugar industry for the Azores, to wicker industry and rice in several DOM.
The second report, which tackles the proposals aiming to increase the modulation of intervention rates by the structural funds, insists for improvements that would be suitably made in terms of rural development. The EP calls for the percentage of Community cofinancing to be raised, especially with regards to the agri-environmental measures (85%), but also for investment aids to SMEs (75% instead of 65%) and the aids in favour of forests and wooded areas (Canary Islands).