Activities of Zbigniew KUŹMIUK related to 2021/2254(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a long-term vision for the EU's rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040
Amendments (22)
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that, despite this differentiation, many of the challenges facing rural areas are universal; these include: the outflow of agricultural workers into non-agricultural sectors, the weakening bargaining position of farmers in market chains, the instability of the labour market and employment, and finally the demographic crisis and the lack of smooth generational renewal; points out that these phenomena lead to the abandonment of rural farms, a decline in productivity and the financial viability of work, and an increase in agricultural income disparity, all of which have a negative impact on the attractiveness of living and working in rural areas;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the central role rural areas can play in addressing societal challenges, by providing; calls, therefore, for investment projects to improve the quality of basic services in rural areas – such as education, including agricultural education, healthcare, developing social capital and improving public institutions’ actions and cultural activities – in order to make life, work and setting up businesses in the countryside more attractive; highlights, moreover, the importance of ecosystem services to mitigate the consequences of climate change and environmental deterioration, ensuring sustainable food production, preserving rural heritage, and contributing to a just, green and digital transition;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out, in this connection, that changing natural and climatic conditions are increasing the frequency of weather anomalies, natural disasters and natural catastrophes; feels, therefore, that it is necessary to develop more comprehensive agricultural risk management and water management systems, tailored to local conditions and needs;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Draws attention to the growing discontent among rural populations who feel their needs are insufficiently considered in political decision-making, which creates fertile ground for civic and political disengagement; considers that a specific challenge should be to involve young people in the life of local communities, including participation in decision-making and community networking, which may slow down the exodus of young people from rural areas;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. StExpresses concern that rural areas, which are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of crisis, such as the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine but are also capable of offering new opportunities in response to such crisis and are grappling with the consequences of the COVID pandemic, will be particularly affected by the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine; considers rural areas to be capable of offering new opportunities in response to such crisis, but in order to do so, they need framework support in the form of transparent legislation, adequate funding and incentives for innovation;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Points out that the EU’s successive Comprehensive Free Trade Agreements with third countries represent, on the one hand, a potential increase in opportunities for expansion into external markets and for stimulating the development of the EU’s rural areas, but, on the other hand, they also cause an increase in competitive pressure on the EU’s agri-food sector; calls on the Commission, when negotiating free trade agreements, to bear in mind that liberalisation of tariff levels increases the role of non-tariff factors and the need for promotional measures on third-country markets; feels, therefore, that it is necessary to carry out an ex-ante evaluation, on an individual Member State basis, of the effects of free trade agreements on the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and on the long-term health of the EU’s rural areas;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Insists that the potential of rural areas is first and foremost their people, and rural citizens must benefit, like any other citizen, frombe provided with equitable conditions for achieving their professional, social and personal goals, with a particular focus on more vulnerable groups, thereby effectively upholding the European Pillar of Social Rights; stresses thatBelieves that the Vision should give priority to combating rural depopulation, mitigating the effects of the ageing of the rural population and stemming the outflow of young people through targeted interventions fostering effective generational renewal are essential;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Points out that the countryside needs strong measures to improve the social inclusion of persons with disabilities, older people and women, as well as to increase the availability of childcare and care services for the elderly in the countryside; calls on the Commission to provide incentives for closer cooperation between agricultural organisations and social services in rural areas;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Is convinced that the Long-term Vision for Rural Areas should not be held hostage to the overall objectives of the Green Deal, such achieving climate neutrality by 2050, but should be shaped from the bottom up in response to regional and local demands and expectations, and thus independently define its own goals and courses of action, striking the right balance between environmental, economic and social considerations;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Is convinced that, in view of the rapidly changing global context, the concept of the European Green Deal should be reviewed and the cumulative effects on rural areas analysed carefully for each Member State individually, in order to ensure that the primary role of rural areas remains that of maintaining a viable and stable agricultural economy, and the strategic objective of that agricultural economy is to ensure resilient food supply chains in EU markets;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the central role agriculture plays in rural areas; insists that sustainable agriculture, providing fair income to farmers, is crucial for the vitality of these territories; is concerned that the observed outflow of agricultural workers to non-agricultural sectors is one of the reasons for the slower growth rate of labour productivity in agriculture compared to the non-agricultural sectors, leading to persistent and even widening income disparity in agriculture;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that diversification of and innovation in the rural economy based on local potential are crucial to drawing opportunities from the digital and green transition; calls on the Member States to put in place measures to support the fair transition and diversification of the rural economy; stresses that the green transition must deliver inclusive growth, i.e. build an economy that maintains high levels of employment and ensures economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets that the work of rural women is still not properly recognised; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action to design and implement measures to fight gender gaps; notes that, as a result of the more frequent exodus of young women from rural areas due to their greater ambition for careers and personal development, there is also a gender disparity in terms of people of working age, which constitutes a barrier to the social development of rural areas and the sustainability of farms; expresses the view that rural areas need comprehensive measures to increase the availability of childcare services;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Highlights the central role of rural areas in the transition to a low-carbon economy; stresses that initiatives in rural areas, such as renewable energy infrastructure, must contribute effectively to the economic and social vitality of such areas; points out that the increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agri- food sector, in particular from livestock production, results in the need for costly adjustments in terms of, inter alia, the organisation of production and the technologies used, which are particularly noticeable at the level of small and medium-sized farms; is concerned, in this connection, that these over-restrictive requirements and over-ambitious reduction targets may exacerbate the relocation of agricultural activity to regions of the world with lower production standards and a high environmental and climate footprint – precisely the opposite of the effect sought by the Green Deal strategy;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Draws attention to the difficult situation of livestock producers in regions where larger predators, mainly wolves and bears, are present; calls for livestock producers to be supported by means of effective population management measures in order to guarantee the economic sustainability of these farms and the profitability of their agricultural production, as well as a harmonious balance between biodiversity conservation and human activities;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Regrets the late publication of the Commission’s communication, which has precluded its full integration into the current programming framework; calls on the Commission to ensure that the rural territorial dimension is propnotes that most Member States have already programmed resources under the Recoverly addressed by all Member States and to assess its implementation and impact ind Resilience Facility, a legislative package for cohesion policy has been published and work on the cCommon aAgricultural pPolicy strategic plans, the cohesion policy programmes and the Recovery and Resilience Plansarrangements for the next financial perspective has been finalised; points out that implementation of the action plan will therefore require a clear indication of their sources of funding;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Takes the view that greater coherence must be ensured between EU strategies and policies; is concerned, for example, that the EU Forestry Strategy implies restrictions on forest management on almost 30 % of the EU’s territory, which may lead to a fall in employment levels in rural areas and small towns, thus apparently contradicting the objectives of the Long-term Vision for Rural Areas, particularly as regards combating unemployment and poverty in rural areas; expresses its concern that there are many more examples of similar inconsistencies and encourages a review of EU policies, especially in the areas of agriculture and environment;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the role that all EU policies and funds, both shared and those under direct management, must play in supporting rural areas; notes with concern here that the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development often finances non-agricultural expenditure, such as the building of public roads, investment in sewage systems or the setting up of non- agricultural businesses. believes that these necessary and useful investments should be financed under cohesion policy, not agricultural policy, in line with Article 174 of the Treaty, which requires cohesion policy to pay particular attention to rural areas; urges the Commission, therefore, in the framework of its Long- term Vision for Rural Areas, to carry out an appropriate and Treaty-compliant demarcation of funding for rural areas, taking into account the separate objectives of each of these policies;
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Highlights the Commission study’s conclusions on LEADER’s effectiveness in delivering solutions for sustainable rural development; calls on Member States to support LEADER/Community-Led Local Development (CLLD), thereby facilitating and promoting multi-fund approaches; considers that the meaningful earmarking of assistance for CLLD under all relevant funds at EU level, including the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), would contribute to stronger and more sustainable territorial development; Points out that there is a need for greater coordination of grassroots activities under the LEADER approach, which should manifest itself not only in greater integration of the implementation system, but above all at the strategic level;
Amendment 496 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls for the long-term vision to be developed into a true rural strategy at EU level to be fully integrated into future programming periods and calls on allthe Member States that have not yet done so to develop rural strategies at national level;