15 Amendments of Eric ANDRIEU related to 2015/2353(INI)
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that, were all policies in the EU, nationally or at Union level, to be entirely financed from the EU budget, the CAP share would only amount to 1 %, which seems very reasonable for a policy that supplies food for over 500 million citizens; considers that the CAP is the best and cheapest security policy of the Union as it ensures sufficient food supply, although efforts should still be made to provide good quality food that is accessible to everyone and has a positive influence on people’s health;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. acknowledges that the apparently large proportion of the EU budget allocated to agriculture can lead to misconceptions among the public about the policy, when in reality farm subsidies account for a negligible amount in relation to the total GDP of the Member States; points out, however, that 70% of Europeans believe that the CAP is fulfilling its responsibility to supply food in the EU, and that 62% of people asked believe that the PAC benefits not only farmers but all European citizens;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. states clearly that, through numerous policy reforms, CAP spending has been reduced and has become more targeted, market-orientated and geared towards improving the competitiveness of EU agriculture, while at the same time addressing an ever-increasing range of challenges, including environmental issues and climate change, the introduction of ‘greening measures’ and ensuring the economic viability of rural areas; stresses, however, that an in-depth analysis should be performed in an effort to assess the economic sustainability of the agricultural sector by safeguarding incomes, and that price volatility should be combatted by proposing new instruments;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Insists that the current amount in Heading 2, as provided for in the current MFF, must remain at least at the same level; refers, in this connection, to Article 2 of the MFF Regulation, which clearly states that allocated national envelopes may not be reduced by the midterm revision; considers, furthermore, that other Union policies must have the necessary financial means to allow the Union to honour its legal obligations in accordance with the corresponding sectoral legislation; calls on the Commission, in a context of migration crisis, to explore the possibility to strengthen synergies between the withdrawal of agricultural products from the market and the distribution of food aid to the most deprived citizens and to refugees through the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) ;
Amendment 44 #
8. notes that price volatility linked to worsening market conditions in many agricultural sectors has significantly increased in recent years, leading to severe income volatility; stresses, therefore, the need to ensure that sufficient budgetary resources are available to deal with market crises, such as those currently affecting the milk, pig meat and fruit and vegetable sectorsnotes that the CAP 2014-2020 has not really provided genuine means to contend with the instability of agricultural markets and farming incomes; stresses, therefore, the need to rapidly establish the market and exceptional crisis measures provided for under the single CMO, and to ensure that sufficient budgetary resources are available to deal with market crises, such as those currently affecting the milk, pig meat and fruit and vegetable sectors; stresses that the CAP urgently needs to be discussed, and those discussions should focus on the sustainability of European agriculture, which will only be sustained if the sector’s volatility is managed in an organised and efficient manner; adds in this regard that, owing to the CAP budget cuts made during the last MFF negotiations, direct payments from the first pillar of the CAP are currently insufficient to mitigate the income volatility experienced by farmers;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. notes that price volatility linked to worsening market conditions in many agricultural sectors has significantly increased in recent years, leading to severe income volatility; stresses, therefore,this situation has led the needEU to ensure thatstablish budgetary resources are availablein an effort to deal with market crises, such as those currently affecting the milk, pig meat and fruit and vegetable sectors; adds in this regard that, owing to the CAP budget cuts made during the last MFF negotiations, direct payments from the first pillar of the CAP are currently insufficient to mitigate the income volatility experienced by farmers;losses experienced by farmers; that public authorities and agriculture professionals should consider quickly and efficiently introducing the few market measures adopted by the Agriculture Council on 14 March 2016, with a view, above all, to curbing the overproduction phenomena which have caused prices to plummet and have been severely affecting livestock and, in particular, the dairy industry in the past few months.
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. deplores the fact that, despite receiving some notes of caution, in its Autumn 2015 crisis plan, the Commission did not take suitable measures to eliminate the overproduction crisis in the livestock sector, and that it simply issued a EUR 420 million package to the Member States, and that package had absolutely no effect on the markets and farming income, but was also a bad use of public funds, which are so valuable in times of budgetary restraint, and so crucial to financing the crises affecting Europe.
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the fixed ceilings for the CAP until 2020 entail much lower margins than in the previous MFF, while the sector faces more challenges; stresses, in this regard, that any use of the margin must be exclusively to address the needs of the agricultural sector, given that long-term planning and investment security are essential for EU farmers; points out that agriculture should not be the only sector to bear the brunt of political decisions, as is currently the case with the Russian embargo; believes that it is essential that room for manoeuvre is created under the 2016 budget, and that it is used as a matter of priority to finance the market measures taken by the Agriculture Council on 14 March 2016 with a view to tackling the current crises.
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. stresses that price volatility is increasing and that it is therefore erroneous to believe that farm subsidies are no longer neededbudget support is no longer needed to achieve public regulation of the markets insofar as that support is controlled and enables market failures to be tackled effectively; points out that logic would dictate that farmers could, in the main, generate their income from selling their goods and services instead of receiving public assistance, which should be used to remunerate public goods and inherent handicaps not taken into account by the market; strongly disagrees, in this context, with the notion that a rise in food prices and sales of produce in recent years have provided farmers with a stable income allowing business planning or security;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. stresses that price volatility is increasing and that it is therefore erroneous to believe that farm subsidies are no longer needed; notes, however, that direct payments that do not match the reality of agricultural production and the progressive elimination of supply management methods have been proven to be limited; strongly disagrees, in this context, with the notion that a rise in food prices and sales of produce in recent years have provided farmers with a stable income allowing business planning or security;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. stresses that the European Union’s agricultural policy runs counter to the major agricultural policies in the rest of the world, under which agricultural support is directly linked to prices, production volume or the use of inputs; stresses, therefore, the importance of introducing countercyclical and insurance instruments as part of the CAP, within the budget limits of the multiannual financial framework.
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is convinced that a strong CAP for the EU, both in terms of content and financing, is paramount in achieving these objectives, while guaranteeing a level playing field and transparent food chains within the internal market, as well as viable rural areas; considers, furthermore, that increasing resilience and improving employment and quality of life in rural areas should be prioritised in order to combat rural depopulation; therefore calls on the Member States and their regions to shift the focus of their rural policy to job creation, and calls on the Commission to help them to achieve that objective;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is convinced that a strong and sustainable CAP for the EU, both in terms of content and financing, is paramount in achieving these objectives, while guaranteeing a level playing field and transparent food chains within the internal market, as well as viable rural areas; considers, furthermore, that increasing resilience and improving employment and quality of life in rural areas should be prioritised in order to combat rural depopulation;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that agricultural production has an extremely high added value, which fosters employment, in the area of good quality food and also the supply of non- food goods and services, since it also supplies the processing sector, thereby contributing to economic and social cohesion in regions and to the EU’s balanced regional development; points out that it is therefore necessary to maintain and, where appropriate, step up the support received by farmers, since this provides an incentive to increase agricultural production;the agricultural sector and rural areas, and, above all, to increase their legitimacy as part of a CAP that meets society’s requirements and is in the general interest stresses that the CAP contributes significantly to growth and employment in rural areas, more so than other Union policies; recalls that, in statistical terms, one farmers provides seven additional jobs in related sectors and in rural territories; points to the importance of maintaining the CAP’s focus on supporting small-scale and family farming businesses as the cornerstone of agricultural production in the EU and of life in the EU’s rural areas;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. notes that additional efforts can be made to facilitate the use of innovative financial instruments; to this end, calls on the Commission to work with the European Investment Bank with a view to offering new financing options to Member States, but also offering funding opportunities to young farmers so that they can develop their businesses.