Proposal for a regulation
Article 110 a (new)
Article 110a Assessment of impact on developing countries 1. In accordance with Article 208 TFEU, the impact of the CAP on food production capacity and long term food security in developing countries shall be subject to regular and independent assessments, paying special attention to the impact on local and smallholder producers. The assessment shall also build on evidence submitted by governments, farmers' organisations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in developing countries which are trading partners of the Union. 2. The Commission shall define, by means of implementing acts, the scope of and the procedure for the impact assessment, taking into account relevant international initiatives, in particular by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the FAO and the Committee on Food Security. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 112(3). 3. The Commission shall submit an annual report to the Council and to the European Parliament on the results of the assessment, the evidence received and the Union's policy response. 4. Complaints by smallholders and affected groups in developing countries in serious difficulties or threatened with serious difficulties directly or indirectly caused by the CAP policies should be received by the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Policy Coherence for Development, and should be recorded in the Commission annual report. The complainant shall be assisted by a Hearing Officer of the Directorate- General for Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure a fair hearing of the case. Evidence may be presented by the affected groups or other interested parties. 5. A social safeguard shall be available to affected groups or countries in case of a negative impact of the CAP on long-term food security and serious difficulties caused to smallholders. A social safeguard clause may be based on the precedent of Art. 25(2b) of the European Partnership Agreement Cariforum-EU, which states that a safeguard measure may be taken when a product is being imported into the territory of the other Party in such increased quantities and under such conditions as to cause or threaten to cause disturbances in a sector of the economy, particularly where these disturbances produce major social problems.