11 Amendments of Jean-Paul DENANOT 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 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. Considers that a review of the MFF in 2016 should take stock of a number of serious crises and new political initiatives, together with their respective budgetary consequences, which were not anticipated at the time of the MFF’s adoption; notes, inter alia, the migration and refugee crisis, external emergencies, internal security issues, the crisis in agriculture, particularly in the milk and meat sectors, the funding of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the persistent high level of unemployment, especially among young people, and the payment crisis in the EU budget; observes that, in order to finance the additional pressing needs, an unprecedented recourse to the MFF’s flexibility mechanisms and special instruments was deemed necessary, as the MFF ceilings proved to be too tight in some headings; considers that, over the past two years, the MFF has essentially been pushed to its limits;
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 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Concludes that the activities planned by the Commission to cope with the migrant and refugee crisis could not have been foreseen at the time of the conclusion of the MFF 2014-2020; highlights the fact that owing to the lack of sufficient resources the EU has had to set up ad hoc, ‘satellite’ instruments with no democratic control by the European Parliament such as EU trust funds and the Refugee Facility for Turkey; stresses, however, that Member States have not yet delivered on their contribution pledges to the trust funds, thus undermining the success of those funds;
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 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 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 – introductory part
Paragraph 22 – introductory part
22. Regrets that the consequences of this payment crisis have been severe, affecting beneficiaries of the EU budget such as students, universities, SMEs and, researchers and project leaders , as well as local and regional authorities; recalls, in particular, the dramatic shortage of payments in the field of humanitarian operations in 2014, which negatively affected the EU’s life-saving operations; recalls that the Commission had to resort to ‘mitigating measures’ such as reducing pre-financing percentages and postponing calls for proposals/tenders and related contracting; recalls that an artificial slowdown in the implementation of the new 2014-2020 programmes occurred owing to the general lack of payments, an example being an artificial delay relating to EUR 1 billion worth of calls for proposals under Horizon 2020 in 2014, which aimed at ensuring that payments would fall due in 2015 rather than in 2014; stresses, furthermore, that penalties for late payments have been charged to the EU budget, reaching some EUR 3 million in both 2014 and 2015;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Considers that the magnitude of the migration and refugee crisis, caused by wars and climate change, goes to show that additional needs with significant budgetary consequences may be expected to arise in the coming years; underlines, moreover, that the need for internal security in the EU and the fight against terrorism are expected also to necessitate additional funding to back up reinforced action at EU level; is of the firm opinion that, even with the mobilisation of the small margins available under Heading 3 (Security and Citizenship) and existing flexibility provisions, the resources available will not be sufficient to tackle the increased needs under this heading; calls, therefore, for significant reinforcements for the AMIF and the Internal Security Fund, as well as for the Union agencies operating in the field, as well as other initiatives that can be undertaken; considers that an upward revision of the ceilings under Heading 3 is required;