Activities of Nicola CAPUTO related to 2015/2353(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Preparation of the post-electoral revision of the MFF 2014-2020: Parliament's input ahead of the Commission's proposal (A8-0224/2016 - Jan Olbrycht, Isabelle Thomas) IT
Amendments (17)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for the Multiannual Financial Framework (, bearing in mind that the MFF 2014-2020 must make it possible to attain the 20-20-20 climate and energy objectives and to increase the emissions reduction target to 30%, for the MFF) to be adapted to achieve the goals set in Paris, in the context of the Horizon 2020 strategy, given that adaptation of the European economies to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change will be one of the main challenges the European Union will have to face in the coming years;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the importance of the CAP for growth, employment, the environment and innovation in rural European areas, and for ensuring the EU’s contribution to global food balances;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Given that the added value of the ecosystems and biodiversity of the European environment must be ensured, considers that the MFF should recognise this value by allocating sufficient resources in the upcoming budgets to preserve this biodiversity, mainly in rural areas; considers, furthermore, that the current economic crisis should favour the allocation of greater resources to long- term investment to tackle the major challenges of the future, such as efficient resource use, climate change and conservation of ecosystems, fields in which the potential economic and social benefits would be significant;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that the CAP, which represents less than 1% of the EU’s total public expenditure, should be maintained, as a minimum, at current levels until 2020 to ensure that the agricultural sector is economically sustainable, meets the growing demand for food and promotes growth and employment in rural EU areas;
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 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that the revision of the MFF should make provision for the fact that food safety will be a challenge in the coming years given the increased pressure on resources and the increasing prevalence of plant disease epidemics in the EU – this provision could be used to tackle malnutrition trends in Member States.
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for environmentally damaging subsidies to be eliminated more quickly with reference to the forecasts of the MFF, which subsidies comprise support for carbon-intensive activities, activities which require increased use of resources and energy and activities which damage ecosystems and bioversity, as well as fuel subsidies;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Considers that the revision of the MFF should take into account the increase in the number and seriousness of natural and man-made disasters, by allocating greater sources to the civil protection instrument and permitting them to be used more flexibly;
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 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that more and more farmers and farming cooperatives are being forced to cease their activities because of high production costs and extreme market volatility; notes that, in many agricultural sectors that are fundamental to the EU’s economy, the current crisis should lead the Commission to review certain market management and crisis management instruments, guaranteeing that enough budget resources are available;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Deplores the Commission’s proposal that provides for the reduction by 2017 of direct CAP payments of more than EUR two thousand by 1.36 %; stresses that this proposal threatens the availability of crisis reserves and seems inappropriate considering the challenges and crises that the European agricultural sector is facing;
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 124 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Stresses the need to tackle the challenge of employment in rural areas using aid from the EARDF and other EU funds; notes that the second pillar of the CAP is particularly important and that it should be well-funded in order to guarantee the long-term sustainability of 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.