Activities of Gabriele ZIMMER related to 2010/2100(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Assisting developing countries in addressing food security challenges (short presentation)
Reports (1)
REPORT on an EU policy framework to assist developing countries in addressing food security challenges PDF (267 KB) DOC (159 KB)
Amendments (48)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 18 May 2010 on The EU Policy Coherence for Development and the ‘Official Development Assistance plus concept’;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the number of undernourished peoplepeople suffering from hunger amounted to 925 million in 2010 according to the FAO,; whereas, globally, underweight prevalence in children under 5 years old is at 26 percent and more than one-third of under five child deaths are attributable to under nutrition; whereas only half of all developing countries (62 out of 118) are on track to achieve the MDG target.
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas strong State capacities and local and democratic ownership are crucial for sustainable development and for building up production and processing capacities,
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the consequences of under nutrition, such as poor foetal growth or stunting in the first 2 years of life lead to irreversible damage, including shorter adult height, lower attained schooling, reduced adult income, and decreased offspring birthweight, have still to be seen as a major problem for sustainable development in many countries of the south;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas there has been a renewed political emphasis on food security since 2008 which has led to the multiplication of initiatives at the international level which call for a comprehensive global strategy,
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that implementing the human right to food should be the overriding political objective and must take priority over the specific interests of private and state investors, which undermine the implementation of this right;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the coherence of the two Communications from the Commission on humanitarian food assistance and food security; calls for strongerthe two Communications to be implemented in a coherent and coordinationed 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 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)
recalls that emergency mechanisms must not be a long-term solution ; expresses deep concerns about the negative effects of such mechanisms especially on local economies; emphasises that a sustainable development policy should be based on long-term and cooperation approaches ;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the EU to increase support in favour of smallholder and peasant agriculture in its development aid programmes and to invest in nationally led plans which should be implemented on a local level in cooperation with farmers and their representatives, local and regional authorities and civil society organisations; emphasises the need for increased public investments in research for sustainable agro-ecological production systems;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Insists on the need for a partnership approach with the whole range of development stakeholders on food security, in particular local and regional authorities and civil society organisations; underlines that because of their proximity to the territories and local populations, and their capacity to coordinate actions from different actors, the local and regional authorities play an essential role as an intermediary and a development platform; emphasises that the Structured Dialogue between the Institutions and civil society organisations should be extended to food security issues;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Agrees that EU assistance programmes should focus on sustainable small-scale food production, as recommended in the IAASTD report, and that priority should be given to ‘ecologically-efficient’ approaches that strengthen biodiversity, prevent the degradation of fertile land, promote agro- ecological and low-external-input (LEI) practices, and excludes GMOs;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to take measures that discourage the import of soybeans and corn which have been grown outside the EU using large-scale monoculture farming, because imports of these crops often have direct and indirect negative consequences in the exporting third countries for local farmers, the environment - especially vulnerable ecotypes like forests and wetlands - and indigenous people.
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls for the establishment of mechanisms that protect forests, indigenous people, wet lands and traditional agricultural practices in exporting third countries.
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Calls for the establishment of mechanisms that discourage exporting third countries to use GM-technology in growing crops intended for the EU- market.
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that the fair integration of smallholder farmers, especially women, in the value chain context can only be successful if conditions are created to facilitate their access to the means of production, processing and trade opportunities;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. emphasises the importance of scaling up both nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive activities and policies and to better align donor interventions in this sector at country, EU, and international level;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to support agro-processing capacities in partner countries in order to reduce post-harvest losses, extend the shelf-life of foodand preservation of food and storage capacities, improve local market access and create decent work for the local population;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to recognise the fundamental role of women, as smallholder farmers, in food and nutrition security, and to invest in programmes which specifically support them; reminds that women’s importance in achieving nutrition security for themselves and their children has still to be properly acknowledged and, therefore, women’s livelihoods have to be secured and knowledge about adequate nutrition has to be increased;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 10 – subparagraph 1 (new)
insists on the fact that the EU strategy should also focus on the implementation of actions to ensure that the most vulnerable, especially in rural areas, can benefit from agriculture training opportunities, education on nutrition, good health and work conditions and a safety net in case it is needed ;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Urges the EU to support the UN social protection floor initiative, which would help satisfy the basic food needs of impoverished populations, since the poorest receive a basic allowance which enables them to obtain the most essential basic foodstuffs;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Commission and the Member States to take concrete action at EU and international level to effectively tackle financial speculation on grain and foodagricultural commodities, in particular grain and food, and to permit only as many commodities futures as are necessary for price hedging;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 13 – subparagraph 1 (new)
13(1) Calls on the Commission and the Member States to commit themselves at EU and international level to setting up medium-term price corridors which will make forward contracts for price hedging unnecessary;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 1 (new)
14(1) Calls on the EU to commit itself to regulation of the agricultural markets and the relevant financial markets by means of: – standardising derivative contracts, – introducing position limits for individual traders and limiting the overall number of contracts for each raw material (aggregate position limits) and limits for the physical acquisition and possession of agricultural commodities by non-state firms or private individuals; – setting up monitoring bodies and disclosure obligations, including real-time reporting obligations; – introducing a minor tax on commodities futures in order to make speculating on serious price fluctuations unattractive and guarantee the balanced development of raw materials markets;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 2 (new)
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 2 (new)
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 3 (new)
Paragraph 14 – subparagraph 3 (new)
14(3) Calls on the Commission and the Member States to introduce a traders register with compulsory registration for all players dealing in agricultural commodity derivatives; registration should only be possible for players involved in production, processing and distribution, whilst index funds should not be entered in the register;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for the increase and, better management and storage of physical grain reserves toand food reserves at national and regional level and a strengthening of international coordination and monitoring, thereby countering food price volatility, and enabling a better and faster response to food crises;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 15 – subparagraph 1 (new)
15(1) Takes the view that, in the interest of food security, agricultural commodities must be coordinated and monitored at UN level (for example, by the FAO and/or UNCTAD) and that action must be taken effectively to restrict or prevent existing and future monopolies in agricultural markets;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Expresses deep concern regarding the large-scale land acquisitions that are currently carried out by foreign investors in developing countries, which is to the detriment of local smallholder farmers that need to be better protectedand to local, regional and national food security;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Encourages the adoption of the FAO voluntary guidelines on land acquisitions and ensuring their participatory implementation, but also calls for strict binding national and international regulations on land acquisitions; stresses that contract negotiations should be made transparent allowing for the participation of civil societylocal people who are affected, civil society and local and regional authorities;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls for application of the principle of gender sensitivity and a fair share of the investment profits for local people when investments are made in the agricultural economy and in land;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Calls on the Commission to support partner countries in land reforms which take into account cultural and local rules and principles such as informal and community land rights and rights of users and include the impact of reforms on smallholder structures, with particular regard to women, pastoralists and nomadic farmers; local and regional authorities should play a central role in land reforms, given their proximity to the people affected and their knowledge of local areas; furthermore, potential land reforms must be accompanied by measures enabling productive cultivation by smallholders, such as ensuring access to water, land and seeds;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Takes the view that, under the EU’s trade and investment policy, investment by European firms and financial institutions in agricultural production and land in countries of the South should only be protected if a study on the impact on human rights is conducted and the participation rights of the people affected, i.e. free, timely and informed agreement together with the possible right to object, are guaranteed;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Calls on the Commission to ensure that direct foreign investment by European firms and financial institutions in land purchase and lease in countries of the South for more than 30 years is neither made possible nor supported by public credits and other public funding programmes;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)
Paragraph 17 e (new)
17e. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to stress, in all negotiations on economic and investment agreements, the issue of the acquisition of large areas of land and their negative effects on food security and to take appropriate measures to guarantee human rights through possible sanction regimes;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)
Paragraph 17 f (new)
17f. Calls on the Member States to ask the World Bank not to provide security for investment risks by firms purchasing large areas of land or leasing land for 30 years or more in countries of the South;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 g (new)
Paragraph 17 g (new)
17g. Underlines the need for the EU to give comprehensive treatment to the subject of large-scale land acquisition in all relevant position papers and strategy papers and to commit itself to the binding pre-eminence of human rights;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. expresses its deep concerns regarding the decline of natural resources and the maintaining of effective conditions for agricultural production, including soil quality, water access and the prevention of environmental pollution; insists on the fact that all stakeholders, particularly farmers, local and regional authorities and civil society organisations, should play a significant role in the development of a sustainable agricultural development strategy;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. emphasises the importance of the right of farmers to produce seeds from their own harvests, to re-sow and exchange them between each other for smallholder farming, the preservation of biodiversity and the fight against arable land degradation; calls on the Commission to develop concepts and mechanisms aimed at significantly decreasing high energy inputs in agriculture - which is usually the case in monoculture -, long transport routes and industrial crops that require chemical fertilizers and pesticides;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 20 – subparagraph 1 (new)
urges the EU to establish a certification system in order to verify that imports of agro-fuel products from developing countries respect sustainability criteria, such as social, human rights and environmental standards,
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to carry out a CAP impact assessment that will analyse its external impact on international food markets and food security in developing countries and to set up a monitoring mechanism to enable any negative effects of the CAP on global food security to be recognised early and dealt with;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Commission to recognise the problems inherent in Europe’s dependency on protein feed imports and to propose ideas for their solution;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Urges the Commission to investigate the problem of food waste inside the EU, as up to 40% of the available food, including food produced in developing countries and exported to the EU, is supposed to be dumped, and to propose effective measures to tackle the problem and improve consumption patterns;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Reiterates concerns over the EU’s trade strategy which fails to provide a pro- development approach; calls therefore for fair and balancedpro-development trade agreements, as they are an essential element of a global food security response;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Urges the Commission to focus on development concerns in the ongoing EPA negotiations and to grant more flexibility to developing countries as to trade rul, broaden developing countries’ room for manoeuvre with regard to trade rules and, in particular, apply safeguard clauses in order to achieve endogenous, sustainable development of economic capacity in developing countries; 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;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. calls on the Commission and the Member States to push in the current FAC negotiations for an overall commitment to assist a certain number of people, expressed in quantity of food and not less than the current 5 million metric tonnes per year, and to take into account the advantages and disadvantages of financial commitments, especially in times of economic and financial crises, for the recipient countries and for people suffering from hunger;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. calls on the Commission and the Member States to support a needs based convention in which the level of donors’ food assistance commitments are linked to people’s needs and guaranteed local purchase volumes in recipient countries;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)
Paragraph 26 c (new)
26c. expresses its deep concern about the lack of transparency, of information provided and of participation of relevant stakeholders in the current FAC negotiations;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)
Paragraph 26 d (new)
26d. proposes to establish a EP permanent rapporteur for food security in developing countries;