Brussels, 17/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European programmes for food aid to some of the deprived people in the Community must be pursued, with full funding from the EU and using exclusively Community products. This is the wish expressed by the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee and its adoption by a large majority (30 votes for, 7 against, with no abstentions) on Tuesday 17 February, of the advisory report of Czeslaw Adam Sierkierski (EPP-ED, Poland) approving the European Commission's proposal to modify and extent the food distribution programme to the poorest people in the Community (EUROPE 9840). The plenary vote will take place during the 23-26 March session in Strasbourg.
The EP's Agriculture committee rejected by a large majority, a series of amendments from German Social Democrat Heinz Kindermann, who requested a change to the legal basis of the text. According to this MEP (followed by several member states at the Council), the programme has lost its agricultural dimension and must now enter into the framework of social policy.
Mr Kindermann's argument is as follows, “The programme was originally introduced to distribute intervention stocks to the most deprived persons. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the proportion of goods that do not come from intervention stocks. At the last count, some 85% were purchased on the open market. Since the programme has thus lost its agricultural policy dimension and become a social policy objective, it cannot be based on Article 37 of the EC Treaty, but only on Article 308”.
Full Community Funding. MEPs also approved an expansion in the range of products to be made available, to promote a more balanced diet, as well as longer-term distribution plans from 2010 so that the funding can be used more efficiently. However, because of the economic difficulties faced by many Member States, MEPs oppose the idea that national governments should help pay for the scheme, calling instead for full Community funding to be preserved. According to the rapporteur, “introducing a requirement for co-financing the programme might prompt some Member States to limit their participation in the programme or withdraw from it. This is particularly true of Member States with low per capita incomes and whose budgets are experiencing financial difficulties”. The Commission is proposing that the Community budget should contribute 75% for 2010/2012 (85% in Member States that receive Cohesion Fund money) and that these rates be subsequently reduced to 50% and 75% respectively from 2013/2015.
Only European products to be used. Among other amendments adopted, the committee wants the programme to distribute only products of Community origin, preferably fresh and local ones.
According to the European Commission, more than 13 million people benefit from the programme. the budget of which has been increased from slightly more than €100 million in 1987 to €305 million in 2008 and €500 million this year. (L.C./trans/rh)