Case: Policy coherence in general

10-10-2011 DEVE report: Assisting developing countries in addressing food security

On behalf of the DEVE committee, Gabriele Zimmer (GUE/NL), wrote the report: EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security. The achievements towards the MDG hunger target have shown to be insufficient. The number of hungry people, estimated by the FAO, has decreased after 2009, but is still greater than in 2008; food prices have been indicated as a factor leading to food insecurity.
In this report some important calls are made, some of which are listed here:

  • the phasing-out export subsidies as well as to remove all other incentives in the CAP which result in trade-distorting measures;
  • call for reforms that will expand market access opportunities for developing countries and allow them to perform competitively in their own national and regional markets;
  • repeat its concerns over the EUs trade strategy which fails to provide a pro-development approach; calls therefore for fair and balanced trade agreements, as they are an essential element of a global food security response;
  • urge the Commission to focus on development concerns in the ongoing EPA negotiations and to grant more flexibility to developing countries as to trade rules; demands that the Commission takes a strong pro-development position in WTO negotiations and works towards the completion of the Doha Round; calls on the Commission to apply a human rights-based approach to international trade negotiations and to apply human rights impact assessments to agreements with third countries.

Food security is affected by many factors and covers many fields of work, including the growing threat of food speculation, climate change, global land acquisitions, bio-fuels, loss of biodiversity, land degradation and pressures on water. In this context, the current problems around hunger and malnutrition have led to a rethink of the food security approach not only at the EU but also at the global level. The future CAP should incorporate and adhere to the principle of do-no-harm to food markets in development countries, thus the decrease of export subsidies in order to eliminate any remaining trade distorting measures and to allow developing countries to perform competitively in their own national and regional markets.

Developing countries urgently need the development of their own production and processing capacities in order to increase income and create decent work among the local population. This is a basic requirement to effectively fight hunger and poverty in the world. The EU should support the development of local and regional food producers and their capacities to produce, to trade and to compete on local, regional and national markets.

Fair Politics welcomes this report by Gabriele Zimmer (GUE/NGL) as it clearly indicates the positive role the EU can play in developing countries to combat hunger and food insecurity. Eliminating export subsides, and other market- and trade distorting measures is one of the ways in which developing countries can have a fair chance in terms of trade with the EU. For writing this report, Gabriele Zimmer is awarded with two points in our monitoring system.

On the report itself 171 amendments were written. Most of them were additions and small changes to make the report stronger and clearer. Fair Politics made a selection of six amendments, in which different MEPs stress the importance of Policy Coherence for Development with regards to addressing food security and development.
Gabriele Zimmer (GUE/ NGL) wrote amendment 9, drawing the attention to the EU PCD resolution. Furthermore she wrote together with Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL) amendment 40, calling for the two Communications from the Commission on humanitarian food assistance and food security to be implemented in a coherent and coordinated way. Also Michèle Striffler (EPP) emphasized in amendment 163 that coherence between the various sectoral policies is needed to establish food security.
Amendment 46, written by Charles Goerens (ALDE), and amendment 156, by Judith Sargentini, Isabella Lövin and Catherine Grèze (Greens/EFA), seek to improve coherence with the EU development policy in the reform proposals of both the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Furthermore, according to Sargentini, Lövin and Grèze, who also wrote amendment 167, developing countries governments and parliaments should regulate foreign investment in public interest, in a way that it benefits the local economy, creates domestic added value and foster development; and that transnational corporations profit and tax payment should be automatically disclosed in order to fight against tax abuses of tax havens, tax evasion and illicit financial flow.

Fair Politics welcomes the selected amendments on the report, since they show that PCD is crucial in addressing food security and they encourage the promotion of PCD.
For writing the amendments, MEPs Gabriele Zimmer and Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL) both get one point. As Zimmer also wrote another amendment, for which she earns another point, she gets a total of two points. MEPs Charles Goerens (ALDE) and Michèle Striffler (EPP) also get one point each for their amendments. Finally, for their two amendments MEPs Judith Sargentini, Isabella Lövin and Catherine Grèze (Greens/EFA) all get two points in our monitoring system for the Fair Politician of the Year.

On this report, on behalf of the AGRI committee, Marc Tarabella (S&D) wrote an opinion. This opinion welcomes the communication by the Commission on the EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security challenges. The EU must recognise and defend the developing countries right to food sovereignty. Next to this, is it considered not desirable to over-emphasise non-food use of agricultural products (e.g. biofuels), to avoid a situation of competition between food supplies and the current fashion for renewable energy sources. Another point that was put forward in this opinion was the support for developing countries to include education and training, oriented towards job creation, study agricultural science and more sustainable production, as a part of the poverty reduction strategy.

On this opinion 95 amendments were written, of which most were small changes and additions to make the opinion more clear and stronger. Fair Politics selected four amendments in which the different MEPs focus on the development aspect connected to food security; i.e. Policy Coherence for Development.
MEPs Brian Simpson and Christel Schaldemose (S&D) wrote in amendment 4 and Maria do Céu Patrão Neves (EPP) in amendment 8, that next to the Commissions commitment to seeking out solutions that could lift a billion people out of extreme poverty through new investments and remove trade barriers, this should be emphasised with the PCD principle in the Lisbon Treaty.
In amendment 53 Giovanni La Via (EPP) indicated that EUs impact on agricultural prices in the individuals states and on the international market is one of the factors that is hampering the development of structural measures to address the food crisis. Next to this, MEP La Vie wrote in amendment 86 that investors should be urged to ensure that their efforts to raise agricultural productivity and improve the livelihoods of local people in developing countries are guided by an acknowledgement of local rights, and that a code of conduct should be laid down with this in mind.

Fair Politics welcomes both the opinion and selected amendments as good additions to the report as they clearly point out the necessity of sustainable development of agricultural practices as a tool to alleviate poverty and food insecurity.
For writing the opinion MEP Marc Tarabella (S&D) is granted two points, and for writing the amendments MEPs Brian Simpson and Christel Schaldemose (S&D) and Maria do Céu Patrão Neves (EPP) are awarded each one point, and MEP Giovanni La Via (EPP) is awarded for both amendments a total of two points in our monitoring system towards the Fair Politician of the Year award.

Monitor fair: GUE/NGL(4), ALDE, EPP(4), Greens/EFA(2), S&D(3)


Draft report DEVE by Gabriele Zimmer amendments

Amendment 9
Gabriele Zimmer
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Motion for a resolution Amendment
having regard to its resolution of 18 May 2010 on The EU Policy Coherence for Development and the Official Development Assistance plus concept;

Amendment 40
Gabriele Zimmer, Helmut Scholz
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Motion for a resolution Amendment
2. Welcomes the coherence of the two Communications from the Commission on humanitarian food assistance and food security; calls for stronger coordination in order to better address the root causes of hunger and food insecurity;
2. Welcomes the two Communications from the Commission on humanitarian food assistance and food security; calls for the two Communications to be implemented in a coherent and coordinated way in order to better address the root causes of hunger, malnutrition , and food insecurity; calls on the Member States to support the process of the development of the implementation plan in support of the Food Security Policy Framework and to adopt it once completed;

Amendment 46
Charles Goerens
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Motion for a resolution Amendment
2a. Calls on the EU to assess the development impact of its CAP reform proposals in order to improve coherence between CAP and EU development policys objectives;

Amendment 156
Judith Sargentini, Isabella Lövin, Catherine Grèze
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Motion for a resolution Amendment
23a. Insists that the Commission make sure that the external dimension of the current reform of the Common Fisheries Policy will be mainstreamed with EU development policies.

Amendment 163
Michèle Striffler
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Motion for a resolution Amendment
25a. Recalls that food security requires coherence and coordination of the various sectoral policies at EU level, namely development policy, the CAP, the common trade policy, energy policy and research programmes;

Amendment 167
Judith Sargentini, Isabella Lövin, Catherine Grèze
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Motion for a resolution Amendment
26a. Calls for developing countries governments and parliaments to enact policies and regulate foreign investment in public interest, in consultation with civil society, in a way that foreign investment benefit the local economy, creates domestic added value and foster development; calls also for an automatic disclosure of transnational corporations
profit and tax payment in each individual countries where they operate in order to
fight against tax abuses of tax havens, tax evasion and illicit financial flow.

Opinion AGRI by Marc Tarabella amendments

Amendment 53
Giovanni La Via
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Draft opinion Amendment
5a. Considers that it is essential for those authorised to take part in agricultural trade to be clearly identified and that a closer look needs to be taken at the mechanisms by which the impact of speculation is passed on to agricultural prices in individual states and on the international market; points out that the scant attention paid to this phenomenon, despite its destructive effect on agricultural markets, is one of the factors that is hampering the development of structural measures to address the food crisis

Amendment 86
Giovanni La Via
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Draft opinion Amendment
8b. Considers that investors should be urged to ensure that their efforts to raise agricultural productivity and improve the livelihoods of local people in developing countries are guided by an acknowledgement of local rights, and that a code of conduct should be laid down with this in mind;

Amendment 8
Maria do Céu Patrão Neves
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Draft opinion Amendment
1a. Recalls that the European Union should ensure maximum consistency between its cooperation and development policies and its trade policies, taking account of the needs and concerns both of the Member States and of the developing countries;

Amendment 4
Brian Simpson, Christel Schaldemose
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Draft opinion Amendment
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on an EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security challenges; considers, however, that he world food crisis represents not only a humanitarian disaster on an unprecedented scale but also a major threat to peace and security worldwide, and that, even though credit should be given to the Commission's commitment to seeking out solutions that could lift a billion people out of extreme poverty, the Member States must, as a matter of urgency, raise their awareness at once with a view to making new investments in agriculture and rural development, guaranteeing sufficient levels of world stocks, removing their own barriers to trade, and reducing the debt of the countries most affected;
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on an EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security challenges; considers, however, that the world food crisis represents not only a humanitarian disaster on an unprecedented scale but also a major threat to peace and security worldwide, and that, even though credit should be given to the Commission's commitment to seeking out solutions that could lift a billion people out of extreme poverty, the Member States must, as a matter of urgency, raise their awareness at once with a view to making new investments in agriculture and rural development, guaranteeing sufficient levels of world stocks, removing their own barriers to trade, reduce the debt of the countries most affected, and emphasise that the principle of policy coherence for development in the Lisbon Treaty is applied in the Common Agricultural Policy;