Activities of Nicola CAPUTO related to 2015/2226(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
How the CAP can improve job creation in rural areas (short presentation) IT
How the CAP can improve job creation in rural areas (A8-0285/2016 - Eric Andrieu) IT
Amendments (47)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, in many European countries over the past few decades, the number of farmers in rural areas has drastically decreased and agricultural employment in those areas has continued to decline;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, although agriculture remains the main form of land use in Europe it nowadays employs only a fraction of the working population of rural areas; whereas the diversification of land use in rural areas, combining a productive economic function with the functions of accommodating residential and recreational use and those of nature protection and conservation, is a considerable challenge in terms of development and employment in the various rural regions of the Union; whereas, although population decline has been reversed in some regions in recent years with an inflow of people who want to live in the countryside, generating, in most cases, a peri-urbanisation effect, there are also much less prosperous regions tending to decline, where remoteness is a problem and supporting development and employment is more difficult;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas more than nine out of ten people in Europe consider agriculture and rural areas to be important to their future;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the focus of agriculture needs to be shifted so that it becomes territory-based once again, in order to ensure that rural areas are dynamic and job-rich, for too long, insufficient attention has been paid to shifting the focus of agriculture to make it territory- based once again – necessarily rooting production and employment in specific areas – and whereas we have a duty to sustain farming as a core activity performed by men and women in the areas where they live, in order to ensure that rural areas are dynamic and job-rich; whereas this refocusing will also make for a healthy balance between urban and rural development;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the foundations of the last CAP reform continue to serve as the basis for a dominant mode of agricultural development that relies on increasingly large, concentrated and specialised farms that practise intensive farming, with an increasing focusin many cases supplying commodities for processing outside the rural areas, with an approach to farming primarily in terms of output volumes and financial return, and also focusing increasingly on capital rather than employment;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas job creation in rural areas must be part and parcel of a sustainable policy that is tailored to ecosystems and involves the maintenance and development of agricultural and agriculture-related activities that forge links between the various stakeholders both socially and in terms of solidarity and enhance the environment;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the future of rural areas does not depend exclusively on the development of the agricultural sector but is also linked to the rest of the economy, and whereas there is a need to put in place decentralised local policies and a genuine territorial system, seeking synergies between all activities and allowing forin the broader context of jointly building on rural resources through collective and cross- sector approaches, while ensuring that public services are in place everywhere;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas support should be provided first and foremost to family farms run by one or more, i.e. to individual farmers who, alone or with others, run their farms responsible,y and independent farmers who work on theirly in an effective manner and who, unlike the operators of farms irun an effective manner and whos financial investments, are much better able to deal with any problems by adapting their production and/or their production methods and by diversifying their activities, when necessary, by engaging in on-the-farm processing and the sale of produce, rural tourism, recreational, educational and sports provision (e.g. horse-riding) and the exploitation of farm and forest resources (including waste) to produce renewable energy or organic materials and products based on ecological processes;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas these family farms, which create added value and jobs, help make it possible for new generations of farmers to emerge, as it is easier to pass on farms that are viable and reasonably sized, whether to family members or to others;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas, in many Member States, women in rural regions have limited access to employment in farming or elsewhere, yet they play an extremely important role in rural development and in the social fabric of rural areas, particularly on farms that engage in diversification (offering farm tourism, high quality produce, recreational, educational and sports activities, etcetera);
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on all the Member States to implement a comprehensive generational renewal strategy and, in order to do this, to make full use of all the possibilities provided under the new CAP to support young and newly established farmers, including outside the family, particularly the Pillar I and Pillar II measures for aid to young farmers, and also to facilitate newly established farmers aged over 40 in setting up; notes too that such measures must be complemented by and consistent with provisions under national policies (on land-use, taxation and social security, etcetera);
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Encourages the Member States to step up their support for small and medium-sized farms, in particularby making aid more widely available to viable small farms that currently receive none or very little, by making more use of the redistributive payment, and toby introduceing a ceiling on aid of EUR 150 000 across the board; and by accelerating the reduction of direct aids; considers that the scope for modulating the current basic payment according to the number of people employed on each farm might also usefully be considered;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Takes the view that the CAP should take greater account of territories with geographical handicaps (such as mountain areas, the most outlying areas and sensitive natural areas) since maintaining farming is an essential vector for economic, social and environmental development that focuses on employment; adds, however, that the CAP must also consider the new dynamics of urban sprawl and lend support to areas on the fringes of such sprawl in facing up to the constraints linked to their particular features;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the Member States have made extensive use of the option of granting coupled aid – which, by developing production and enabling it to remain in a given place anchors jobs in disadvantaged areas – and calls on the Member States to increase the proportion of such aid, make it more flexible and to earmark more of it towards producing more plant proteins in the EU, which currently depends on imports from third countries for its supply of this commodity; the level of voluntary coupled payments could also be adjusted in line with the level of employment dependent on a given crop, which would provide further support for produce requiring the largest workforce;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers that, given the high mortality rate among honey bees in several EU countries and the essential role they, as pollinators, play in food security and the economy of many plant sectors, the Union should provide greater support for this sector by adopting a genuine European strategy for bee repopulation; adds that this would not require heavy investment but would create many jobs, either by diversifying activities in existing farms or by setting up new specialised farms, which, according to expert opinion, would require 200 hives to be viable and whose primary purpose would be to breed selected queens and swarms and, subsequently, to produce honey, something the EU has a serious shortage of, such an approach, which builds on various European strategies – on innovation, social inclusion and job creation – is fully in line with the will to reorient the common agricultural policy and the development of farming towards greater sustainably;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that the market measures and exceptional crisis and risk- management measures provided for under the Single CMO must be implemented much more swiftly and proactively so as to limit the negative effects that falling prices have on farming income;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Asks the Commission to make full use of the potential of the exceptional measures provided for in Articles 219 to 222 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Takes the view that, in order to play their role of safety net, intervention prices must be adjusted regularly in line with trends in cost prices so as to have a direct impact on producers' income and the perpetuation of their activities as well as on employment; calls for the EU to establish prevention tools along similar lines to the Milk Market Observatory in all major production sectors in order to monitor markets, which would help steer production and ensure a response to crises by means of flexible and responsive market management tools which would be activated when necessary;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recommends that the Member States should make more extensive use of the priority area concerning job creation within priority 6 of the second pillar, and of the measures concerning knowledge transfer and vocational and continuing training (including apprenticeships), as well as advisory and management assistance measures in order to improve the economic and environmental performance of farms; takes the view that the CAP should do more to facilitate access to this aid and to help farmers and agricultural and rural workers to become more versatile so as to diversify their activities, which would also give them a heightened sense of initiative and innovation;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the current rural development programmes are much less focused on social projects that defend jobs than those of the previous programming period (2007-2013), owing to the measures selected by the Member States in their rural development programmes and the smaller amount of funding earmarked for employment-related measures; therefore asks the Member States to reconsider their choices and calls for greater flexibility in implementation of rural development policy;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Considers that since the level of complexity of rural development programmes significantly reduces the use of EAFRD funds and acts as a brake on projects conducive to job creation, it is necessary to simplify the implementation of rural development policy, adopt more coherent approaches, along the same lines as multi-funds, and stop the Member States and the Commission imposing overly painstaking administrative and financial checks;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Points out that the risk factor inherent in innovation is insufficiently taken into account in both national and EU policy, a fact that acts as an obstacle to innovation and job creation, particularly for the many stakeholders who do not have sufficient financial strength to complete innovative projects;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States and their regions to shift the focus of their rural policy to job creationdevelopment programmes and their operational programmes on to job creation and improving rural services, and calls on the Commission to assist them in achieving that objective;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to pay particular attention to the economic and social consequences of certain EU tax provisions that may prove detrimental to employment growth, as is currently the case with the current VAT arrangements applicable to the equine sector, educational and sporting activities on farms and in rural or peri-urban areas as part of agricultural diversification and arrangements for VAT and excise duties on wine products, which, owing to insufficient harmonisation of tax rules, are a barrier to direct and distance between a producers and consumers based in different Member States;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to pursue policies which will promote rural areas by developing tourism, which, if appropriately structured and supported with incentives, could be a driver of the cultural, social and economic growth of areas which possess substantial natural, landscape, cultural and agrofood resources; stresses that the touristic development of rural areas and the diversification of farming (to include educational, cultural and recreational activities) also constitute an incentive to rising generations to take control of campaigns, in a spirit of initiative and enterprise geared to innovation, and to the promotion of traditional products;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Considers it important that rural development programmes do more to improve relations between rural and urban areas so as to encourage cooperation and offer opportunities for businesses operating in rural areas that are crucial for the development these areas and job creation; takes the view that villages play an important role in urban- rural relations by providing access to basic services for residents of the surrounding rural areas, and that the Member States should therefore promote services in villages as part of their territorial policies;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Stresses that the forestry sector, currently an underutilised asset in Europe, is a major source of jobs that should be better promoted in its various forms throughout the timber industry, adds that the EU is currently suffering from a serious timber supply shortage that requires investment in the infrastructure necessary for the growth of this sector;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to undertake to encourage and facilitate women’s access to the labour market in rural areas;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Emphasises that the CAP must have sufficient funding to play an effective long- term role in fostering employment, promoting the sustainable development of agriculture and ensuring that rural areas retain their appeal (with a focus on quality of life) in comparison with urban areas as part of a diversified European farming sector, in order to promote sustainable development within this vision of agriculture and the appeal of rural areas; stresses that rural development policy – which enables more direct and more effective action to boost employment and the dynamism of rural areas – should progressively be strengthened, without undermining first pillar support, which must be reorganised to ensure, inter alia, that markets work better and demonstrate greater stability, which is crucial to safeguard agricultural incomes, our model of farming and our food security;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to clearly redefine and propose a public policy supporting a European agricultural model that makes retaining territory-based jobs a prioritybased on family-run, diversified and multi-functional farming that makes retaining territory-based jobs a priority, while taking into account the environment and the need to protect health;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Member States to develop land monitoring and regulation tools to help them gain a better knowledge of land markets and put an end to the widespread phenomenon of the concentration or grabbing of land and production apparatus;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Takes the view that regaining control of the European market and local markets must be a principle for action under the future CAP, before turning to markets outside the EU;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Takes the views that the CAP must take account of European farming in all of its forms and all rural areas, including the most disadvantaged and most fragile amongst them (such as mountain areas and outermost regions) to ensure the best possible use is made of all resources, this also entails bringing farmland that has been abandoned or left fallow back into use;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Considers that group farming should be promoted and financially supported because it reduces farm production costs, in particular mechanisation costs, and promotes solidarity between farmers and the transfer of innovation, know-how and best practice, creating a dynamism conducive to development and employment;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Emphasises that it is important that the CAP should provide funding for the positive effects that agriculture brings in terms of jobs and the environment, and that it should provide more support for organic farming and all other sustainable production methods, including agroforestry, in the context of agroecology, which will entail moving beyond current cross-compliance standards and agri-environmental and climate measures; believes that the values of these positive effects in terms of employment and the environment are of interest to society as a whole and are a component which should be included in farm incomes;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises that, against a backdrop of deep uncertainty as regards the future of low, volatile agricultural prices, the EU must do more to influence the markets, where they are failing, by establishing safety nets and prevention and crisis management systems that could, for example, draw on countercyclical aid, allowing farmers to benefit from more advantageous prices; believes, also, that in the face of the risks associated with global warming, the EU must do all it can to enhance the positive role that agriculture can play, through measures including agronomy and improved soil management for better capture carbon, and that it is important to provide technical and financial support to farmers to gradually change their practices and to innovate;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Takes the view that the new CAP must also include insurance mechanisms so that farmers are better equipped to deal with uncertainties of all kinds;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for the PAC to prioritise, under the EIP in particular, support for innovative, more sustainable agricultural and forestry models for the production of food and non- food goods and services (renewables, bioeconomics, rural tourism, etc.), developing the full range of resources in each rural territory;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Takes the view that bottom-up approaches to local development such as LEADER/CLLD have proven to be effective not only in terms of jobs created but also in terms of low levels of public expenditure per job created, and that they should therefore be further strengthened and implemented in all Member States by means of multi-fund approaches; stresses in particular the role of Local Action Group (LAG) leaders in providing technical and service support for initiatives aimed at getting projects which promote employment off the ground; calls for the LAGs to have the broadest possible autonomy in order to maximise their effectiveness;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes the view that, for the future, there is a need to develop high-quality, territory-based food systems supplying raw or processed food products by promoting individual responsibility and the involvement of all stakeholders – either grouped together as producers, processors, distributors and consumers, or only as producers and consumer communities – in qualitative and contract- related activities designed to ensure food and health security, as well as fair incomes for farmerso that farmers can earn a decent livelihood and sustain employment on their farms; notes that these food systems can, in particular but not solely, take the form of short supply chains and/or local markets;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Notes that the tourism sector offers significant opportunities for generating revenue and direct and induced employment in agriculture and rural areas, allowing the historical, cultural, gastronomic, landscape and environmental heritage of each region to be enhanced; notes, also, that a region's attractiveness to tourists is based not only on its history, but increasingly also on the quality of its food products, its landscapes and its environment; believes that, for all these reasons, the tourism sector should receive more support from the rural development policy;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19c. Stresses that the challenges linked to climate change and the environment call for significant public and private job- creating investment, with support from the emergence of new professions, to ensure that rural resources are maintained and preserved and that the quality of degraded ecosystems is restored, to tackle floods and fires more effectively and to improve protection of water, soil and air quality and biodiversity; notes that while this certainly involves cooperation between agriculture and other rural stakeholders, it offers new opportunities for income diversification in agriculture;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Takes the view that it is vital to ensure that public and private services are in place to ensure the attractiveness of rural areas and to make it possible to maintain and develop employment in rural areathose areas; considers that all regions should therefore have quality access to high-speed broadband communication networks;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Stresses that access to basic services such as education, health care and housing and the continuity of these services are prerequisites for an environment conducive to job creation and for meeting the vital needs of people living in rural areas;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Considers it vital to facilitate access to high-speed internet (broadband) in rural areas in order to reduce the digital divide in terms of infrastructure which exists in rural areas and to increase the competitiveness of farms;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Considers it vital to ask public authorities to create extension services and services to assist farm management in rural areas in order to modernise European farming and do away with obsolete traditional methods;