Activities of Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS related to 2016/2034(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
CAP tools to reduce price volatility in agricultural markets (debate) PT
Amendments (32)
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas, in recent decades, market opening and economic globalisationstarting in the 1990s, the deregulation of the common organisations of the market which occurred in the context of the various CAP reforms and the greater opening up of European agriculture on international markets which resulted from EU trade policy have accentuated price volatility;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas, in recent decades, market opening, preferential agreements signed by the EU with third countries and economic globalisation have accentuated price volatility;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the financialisation of the global economy and the accompanying speculation might have an impact on agricultural markets and may contribute to increasing their imbalance and the volatility of prices, with agricultural raw materials being used simply as financial assets; as was highlighted by the dreadful hunger riots in 2008, this excessive financialisation can be devastating and ethically reprehensible if it threatens the food security of the poorest, least well- nourished people on the planet;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas price volatility creates a climate of uncertainty, and puts a brake on investment, in farming in farming and the agri-food sectors which is detrimental to investment, growth and employment and which can also seriously affect consumer supply, food security and the smooth operation of the CAP;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas greater market transparency mayof European and international markets is a necessary yet insufficient condition for limiting price volatility;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas one of the main objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP) is economically, socially and environmentally balanced territorial development; whereas this means preserving productive and sustainable agriculture in the outermost and mountain regions, and whereas price volatility, linked to structurally low price levels, has a heightened impact in these regions, where costs linked to producing, harvesting and marketing products outside the areas where they were produced are much higher than in other areas;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas, according to Commission data, countries with the most cooperatives are proving most resistant to the crisis;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas models such as the Milk Market Observatory, at Union level, and the Agricultural Market Information System, at world level, aim to enhance market transparency in European markets;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that volatility must be accepted as a given and that those operators who are most exposed must be supported in order to lessen its negative effectdealing with price volatility must take into account the extremely unstable and imperfect nature, and the possible failure, of agricultural markets; this necessitates ensuring a measure of control over such volatility in the CAP, national (fiscal) policy and the management systems of companies;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that volatility must be accepted as a given and that those operators who are most exposed must be supported in order to lessen its negative effectsmore incisive action and targeted instruments are required at EU level to tackle the problem of agricultural price volatility;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises the role played by cooperatives in helping farmers improve their position in the value chain and the contribution cooperatives can make towards mitigating the effects of excessive market volatility and improving income stability;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes with concern the reduction in CAP resources devoted to common market organisation (CMO) measures;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Takes the view that combating excessive price volatility calls for new solutions making markets function better and based on deployment of a set of combinable and/or complementary public- and private-sector tools; states that, as the ongoing grave crises have demonstrated, it is essential to build new crisis prevention and market adjustment mechanisms into the CAP that are tailored to specific production circumstances, flexible, effective, rapidly deployable and capable of being brought into play where it is necessary to do so in order to rectify major market disruptions;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Considers that the development over the whole of the Union's territory of competitive and sustainable farming that meets the needs of citizens and takes into account the income and wellbeing of farmers must be addressed as a matter of urgency and must be a long-term aim for the future CAP;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recommends strengthening the organisational capability of the weakest links in the various agricultural sectorseconomic power of producers within the sectors through a better organisation of production and through more balanced and strengtheningansparent contractual systems based more and more on cooperation and trust between farmers and their buyers;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recommends that action should be taken to make contractual systems more effective by extending their use throughout the agri-food chain, so as to include large-scale retailers in particular, and to strike a proper balance between all stakeholders;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that inter-branch organisations may encourage dialogue among the various stakeholders and facilitate joint initiativesmay enable the creation of added value through joint initiatives which is then shared out more fairly between the various links in the food chain;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission to pave the way for EU-level interbranch organisations to jointly defend the interests of producers in the sectors most oriented towards cross-border markets, such as the fruit and vegetable sector;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Considers that farmers must be permitted to come together in bodies that carry as much clout as those of the other stakeholders with whom they negotiate; envisages this being achieved by adjusting EU competition policy to agriculture's specific features and by EU competition rules being enforced uniformly in Member States;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls for the rules on unfair trading practices to be adapted to the dynamics of the agri-food sector, which is a vital precondition for the success of contractual systems and is particularly important in the regions that rely most heavily on distribution in order to market their products, such as the outermost and mountain regions;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Takes the view that any state aid or incentive of any kind must be reserved for industries or staff who undertake contractually to support the proper functioning of the food supply chain and the equilibrium of the market by means of prices reflecting production costs in different sectors;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recommends that the tools for risk management, particularly the various types of insurance and mutual funds, be developed, including at European level, adapted to the agri-food sector and provided with sufficient resources;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that mutual funds, ean income stabilished at the initiative of working farmers, and through which farmers’ incomes can be stabilised to some extent as the profit margins on their produce fluctuate, may offer an effective way to limit the effects of price volatilityation tool, in the form of a mutual fund administered by the Member States, should be set up in order to compensate farmers for serious loss of income and should take account of all factors that can have an impact on farm incomes, including market-related risks; believes that that tool should be introduced alongside, and not take the place of, the current system of direct payments and market management measures;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Commission to present European regulatory tools to prevent and effectively manage crises in the agricultural sector, notably by facilitating the organisation of production in terms of supply management and by developing insurance or other solutions adapted to the reality of farming today, ensuring balanced agriculture at territorial level and intervening at a certain price threshold, to be determined in such a way as to enable farms to remain viable;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Takes the view that the current safety net for the agricultural markets is insufficient for the economically and socially sustainable management of the agricultural sector, particularly in the regions facing the greatest competitive constraints; calls for specific indicators to be used to activate the safety net measures in the outermost and mountain regions, bearing in mind the particularly acute impact of market crises in these regions, mainly due to the differences in production conditions between these regions and other areas;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Considers that agricultural markets must be transparent and that information about prices and production costs must be accessible and useful to all those involved;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Stresses that studies conducted by certain food price observatories have revealed substantial discrepancies between prices received by the farmer and those paid by consumers;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Sees it as part of the Union’'s role to facilitate transparency in the European marketon European and international markets which are known to be very unstable; points out that international market transparency calls for determined action on the part of the European Union and its Member States and of the rest of the international community, in the form of more active, closer cooperation to develop genuine governance arrangements in the area of world food security;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Takes the view that greater transparency can contribute to market monitoring and steering, but that its effectiveness in curbing price fluctuations is contingent in particular on the ability to intervene effectively when markets stop functioning normally, through the use of safety nets and crisis management instruments for which provision must be made in the single CMO; considers that these instruments should be overhauled when the next CAP reform takes place;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Believes that the operation of the European agricultural price observatory should be improved and the necessary resources should be provided in order for it become a fully-fledged management tool rather than being used simply to compile statistics;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
29c. Points out that, if the European observatory is to include an efficient early warning system, it must supply more detailed data on the Member States on a monthly basis, so that proper account may be taken of the specific situations in the various parts of the EU;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
Paragraph 25 d (new)
22d. Believes that the Commission should send early warnings to the Member States and to stakeholders and should take all necessary measures without delay;