Brussels, 28/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - Members of the European Parliament's agricultural committee showed their disappointment on Tuesday 27 February in Brussels, with the European Commission's proposal presented on 24 January on reform of the fruit and vegetables sector (EUROPE 9351). They were particularly critical of the Commission for not having proposed a rise in the EU budget contribution threshold for operational funds for producer organisations.
María Isabel Salinas Garcia (PES, Spain), rapporteur on the fruit and vegetables sector, said that the Commission could have proposed a rise in the Community contribution to operational funds from 4.1% to 6% (of the value of production marketed by the producer organisation). This demand was supported by other MEPs, including Katerina Batzeli (PES, Greece). Mariann Fischer Boel, the commissioner for agriculture, said that she did not have the money to increase the threshold to this level. The commissioner explained that an increase from 4.1% to 6% of this ceiling would cost a further 500 million a year. She also stressed that the rates for Community fund appeals were around an average of 3%, therefore well below the 4.1% ceiling. The commissioner concluded: “I understand the reasoning but the remedy you propose is not acceptable”. Salinas Garcia also opposed getting rid of aid to processed fruit and vegetables and called on the Commission to bolster available crisis management tools.
Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos (PES, Portugal) focused on the difficult situation in the processed tomato sector and said that Commission projects were in danger of “ruining” this sector in Portugal. Portuguese tomatoes, the MEP warned, would lose significant export market share, particularly to Japan. Several committee members highlighted the massive import problems caused to tomato producers by Chinese tomato imports. Fischer Boel said that she was aware of the problems encountered by tomato producers and appealed for modernisation of the sector. She encouraged member states to use the possibilities on offer by the restructuring programmes financed by rural development funds. Vincenzo Aita (GUE/GVN, Italy) indicated that the EU was importing increasing numbers of products without imposing inspections, which led to lower prices on the European market.
María Esther Herranz Garcia (EPP-ED, Spain) said that she was disappointed that the Commission had not taken up the EP's idea of implementing a security net mechanism in crisis situations affecting fruit and vegetables (EUROPE 9135 on EP's position on crisis management tools). She also said that the citrus fruit sector was at risk of being penalised as quality was not going to be encouraged. Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/GVN, Portugal) affirmed that the consequences of decoupling in the tomato sector could prove to be “really serious”. Giuseppe Castiglione (Forza Italia) called for differentiated treatment for each product, with partial not total decoupling of aid, as proposed by the Commission. Csaba Sándor Tabajdi (PES, Hungary) again denounced the discrimination against new member states with regard to aid payments, especially when these countries had not, he said, national supplements for supporting the fruit and vegetables sector. Like his Polish colleague, Witold Tomczack (IND/DEM), Tabjdi said that the Commission's project had not taken into account the difficulties encountered by red fruit producers. (lc)