Activities of George BECALI
Plenary speeches (89)
Preparation for the European Council meeting (28-29 June 2012) - Multiannual financial framework and own resources (debate)
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Commission work programme for 2012 (debate)
The future of VAT (debate)
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Economic crisis and the euro (debate)
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2010 progress report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
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Harmonised conditions for the marketing of construction products (debate)
Implemented reforms and developments in the Republic of Moldova (debate)
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Third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of Member States (debate)
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Security of gas supply (debate)
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The Belgian Presidency’s programme of activities (debate)
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Climate change and developing countries in the framework of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen (debate)
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
New regulations on visas for Western Balkan countries (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia) (debate)
Statement by the President-designate of the Commission (debate)
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
Written declarations (1)
Amendments (52)
Amendment 2 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas every year in Europe a growing amount of healthy, edible food – some estimates say up to 50% – is lost along the entire food supply chain, in some cases all the way up to the consumer, and becomes waste,
Amendment 24 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes food security to be a basic human right that is achieved through the availability, accessibility, use and temporal stability of healthy, sufficient, adequate and nutritious food;
Amendment 28 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Council, Commission and Member States to encourage ways of improving the efficiency of the food supply chain and addressing as a matter of urgency the problem of food waste along the entire supply and consumption chain; urges them to prioritise both of these aspects within the European policy agenda;
Amendment 38 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers it vital to reduce food waste along the entire food chain, from the field to the fork; stresses the need to adopt a coordinated strategy followed by practical action at European and national level in order to improve the efficiency of the food supply chain;
Amendment 49 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Wishes to point out that agriculture, by its very nature, can play a fundamental and pioneering role in combating food waste; therefore urges the Commission to include ambitious measures to this effect in its next legislative proposals on agriculture, trade and distribution of foodstuffs; hopes for joint action by way of investment in research, science, technology, education, advice and innovation in agriculture with a view to reducing food waste and educating and encouraging consumers to behave more responsibly and deliberately to prevent food waste;
Amendment 60 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the Commission and the Member States to promote awareness-raising campaigns to inform the public about the causes and effects of food waste and ways of reducing it, fostering a scientific and civic culture guided by the principles of sustainability and solidarity; calls for the introduction of food education courses, particularly in secondary schools and colleges, so as to encourage better behaviour; stresses the important role played by the media, local authorities and municipal enterprises in providing information and support to citizens on preventing and reducing food waste;
Amendment 62 #
2011/2175(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the initiatives already taken in various Member States aimed at recovering, locally, unsold agricultural products and foodstuffs in order to redistribute them to groups of citizens who lack purchasing powerbelow the minimum income threshold; points out in this regard the valuable contribution made, on the one hand, by volunteers in sorting and distributing such products and, on the other, by professional companies that are developing anti-waste systems and measures;
Amendment 136 #
2011/2114(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to set up an EU information campaign for farmers and consumers stresspromoting the need for better management of energy, water and natural resources throughout the agri-food chain, so as to significantly reduce waste of resources and food;
Amendment 187 #
2011/2114(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Repeats its calls for the Commission to swiftly submit to Parliament and the Council a report on the possibilities and options for increasing domestic protein crop production in the EU by means of new policy instruments, thereby reducing the EU’s dependence on protein imports and the external input of mineral fertilisers and pesticides, and examining the potential effect of these options on farmers’ revenues and production costs;
Amendment 192 #
2011/2114(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses again the need to introduce in the new CAP suitable measures and instruments to support those farmers cultivating protein crops in crop rotation systems, thereby reducing the EU’s crop protein deficit and price volatility, improving agricultural practices, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving disease control and fighting and reversing reduced soil fertility;
Amendment 67 #
2011/2108(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to promote and coordinate the setting up of appropriate national surveillance systems and to develop harmonised standards at EU level to allow comparison; stresses the need for uniform identification and registration of bee hives;
Amendment 108 #
2011/2108(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Stresses the need to promote and provide appropriate training, and financial support, for young farmers wishing to invest in apiculture;
Amendment 17 #
2011/0432(CNS)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Unrepresented citizens should be able to freely choose the embassy or consulate from which they seek consular protection. Member States should be able to enter arrangements on burden-sharing. However such arrangements should be transparent for the citizen and should not jeopardize effective consular protection. Any such arrangement should be notified to the Commission and published on its dedicated website, as well as on the relevant websites of the competent institutions in the Member States involved.
Amendment 7 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas recent food and commodity price volatility has raised serious concerns about the functioning of the European and global food supply with regard to food producers and also the final consumer,
Amendment 15 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas every year around 30 million hectares of arable land are lost as a result of environmental degradation, urbanisation and industrialisation, and of heightened trends towards financial speculation and an expansion in agri-fuel crops,
Amendment 19 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU is largely over-reliant on imports of protein and oleaginous products for its animal husbandry sector,
Amendment 23 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas poverty and famine still exists in the European Union; whereas 79 million people in the EU still live below the poverty line (60% of the average income of the country in which the person lives); and whereas 16 million EU citizens received food aid through charities last winter,
Amendment 25 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas lack of food security for the poorest members of society has been aggravastrongly affected by the effects of the global economic and financial crisis,
Amendment 34 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that a strong and sustainable agricultural sector in the European Union and a sustainable and thriving rural environment are the most important guarantees of food security;
Amendment 38 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes Europe's emphasis on safety and quality and on safeguarding the environment will ensures that it continues to play a leading role in world agriculture;
Amendment 42 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that food securitythe right to food is a basic human right and it is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy life;
Amendment 67 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Is conscious of the great challenge climate change poses to achieving food security, especially through an increase in the frequency and severity of climatic events, such as droughts, floods, fires and storms;
Amendment 75 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recognises that energy costs are a key factor in determining thethe level of profitability of agriculture; encourages measures to reduce the costs of energy and to foster more consistent support for research and development;
Amendment 143 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls for more measures to facilitate women's employment on farms and in rural areas, as well as equal ownership rights, access to pensions and direct payments with the aim of encouraging them to stay in rural areas;
Amendment 147 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Wishes to stress in particular the importance of diversity in European agriculture and of ensuring the coexistence of different agricultural models, as well as that of the diversity and quality of food and nutrition across Europe;
Amendment 154 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Notes that traditional agricultural practices, including small-scale farming and organic farming, can make a valuable contribution to food security, because they often represent the most effective way of utilising land through methods specifically developed in individual regions over lengthy periods of time and of capitalising on local resources and human potential in rural areas;
Amendment 177 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Stresses the need for fairness in the CAP, which should ensure a balanced and equitable distribution of support to farmers from all Member States, greater territorial cohesion, and the phasing-out of export subsidies, under an overall budget at least equal to the current one;
Amendment 184 #
2010/2112(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls for a CAP that does not encroach on developing countries'’ ability to produce food, but which provides help for farmers to grow and distribute food locally; calls for the EU to support the agricultural sectors of developing countries as a component of its development policy;
Amendment 7 #
2010/2106(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that forests not only are essential to the environment, but also contribute to the achievement of social and economic objectives, for example by providing timber, improving the general living environment and protecting crops; forests are a major source of funding for rural communities, revenue being generated by activities relating to forestry, hunting, fishing and tourism;
Amendment 19 #
2010/2106(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that agriculture is vulnerable to climate change, the manifestations of which have been increasing in number, frequency, gravity and intensity, massive and uncontrolled deforestation having been taking place in numerous regions of Europe; forests also play an important role in terms of watercourse regulation, water quality standards and the protection of vital springs, all of which are of relevance to agriculture;
Amendment 65 #
2010/2106(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Observes that climate change will have different consequences for different European forest types, which means that adaptation strategies must be decided on at regional or local level but coordinated and monitored at EU level; takes the view that national forestry plans must be subject to specific and quantifiable ex ante and ex post evaluation criteria;
Amendment 85 #
2010/2106(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the need to draw up and promote good practice guidelines with regard to forestry, so as to help ensure that forests are able to withstandcontribute to combating the effects of climate change; such guidelines should be adapted to the needs of owners and local communities and based on the principles of sustainable management;
Amendment 3 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the sustainable economic development of rural areas and the sustainable, long-term operational capability of economic units in Europe are priorities, and the specific potential of relatively sparsely populated agricultural areas ought to be utilised and developed in a worthwhile way and so as to ensure their continued inhabitation,
Amendment 22 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas, in the circumstances of modern society, this ‘multifunctional challenge’ can be met only by drawing on support services, facilities and structures, which need to be affordaccessible and accessiblereasonably priced, in line with rural earnings,
Amendment 36 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that it has always been in the interest of European unification to assist and support women;
Amendment 41 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that efforts are needed to create living conditions in rural areas which correspond to those in urban areas while reflecting the realities of the countryside, in order to offer women and their families the prospect of staying and making a successful life there;
Amendment 46 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the rural world to be promoted as a natural multifaceted, integrated setting in which people can work and do business, and for the key function of women, their expertise and their competence to be used to this end;
Amendment 52 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the promotion of development strategies that have their own momentum, as a means of supporting the particular creativity of men and women in the countryside, while making use of the specific traditional resources of each rural community;
Amendment 54 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for framework conditions to be provided in rural areas that will enable women of all generations to remain in their own immediate environment and contribute to revival and development there;
Amendment 67 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points out that, as in urban areas, a further precondition for pursuing the above aims is the adaptation of infrastructure for everyday life – such as childcare and teaching facilities, care services, educational facilities, institutions providing care for the elderly, local outlets for everyday goods, and leisure and cultural facilities – and calls for agricultural policies to be framed in such a way that women in rural areas are enabled to fulfil their potential in making multifunctional farming a reality;
Amendment 75 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for rural development policy to focus more strongly on creating healthy, innovative and sustainable living and working conditions in rural areas;
Amendment 80 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Points out that, in relation to innovative forms of provision, positive experience with projects for women already carried out under the second pillar of the CAP (e.g. Leader + projects) should be utilised, and examples of best practice should be identified, accompanied by exchanges of good practice between the new Member States and Member States which have already achieved results in respect of rural regeneration;
Amendment 86 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to contribute to an informative database on the economic and social situation of women and their involvement in business in rural regions, together with their concerns, and to optimise the use of data already available (e.g. from Eurostat) for purposes of tailoring policy measures;
Amendment 91 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recognises the important role played by existing networks for women at various levels, particularly in terms of the local promotion of rural areas and the way they are perceived by the public, and calls on the Member States to support increased participation by women in the political process, including their proper representation on the boards of institutions, companies and associations, as well as locally elected political organisations;
Amendment 115 #
2010/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for women’s entrepreneurial spirit to be encouraged, for support to be given to networks of female entrepreneurs, and also for provision to be made in the financial sector for affording rural businesswomen, including individually self-employed or part-time self-employed women with low earnings, access to investment – thus empowering them more effectively in the marketplace and enabling them to develop businesses from which they can make a stable living, including rural regeneration projects;
Amendment 195 #
2010/0353(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Title IV a (new)
Title IV a (new)
Amendment 3 #
2009/2105(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas existing policy concerning the distribution chain affects small producers' chances of reaching a wide target group;
Amendment 5 #
2009/2105(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission's Communication and the incorporation therein of several of Parliament's recommendations, following the reflection process launched through the Green Paper on agricultural product quality; wishes to see the measures proposed by Parliament in this resolution implemented as soon as possible, so as to effectively put into practice the feedback received from farmers and producers during the consultation process while taking account of the effects of the economic crisis and the need not to generate additional costs or burdens for the producers;
Amendment 11 #
2009/2105(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is confident that quality policy can bring about important developments in European agriculture but cannot be dissociated from the future of the CAP or the challenges of climate change, being an area generating a high volume of agricultural products, in the case of geographical indications already exceeding EUR 14 billion;
Amendment 80 #
2009/2105(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Considers that provided the food safety criteria are met, marketing standards should not deny market access to products on grounds of their appearance, shape or size;
Amendment 83 #
2009/2105(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Further considers that the two instruments in place (the PDO - protected designation of origin and PGI - protected geographical indication) should also be kept in the future, given their high degree of recognition and success; holds that for the consumer, a clearer distinction between PDO and PGI needs to be made and that this can be achieved through an overall information and promotion effort, involving Community financial support in the context of both the international market and third countries, inter alia by increasing the percentage of Community cofinancing;
Amendment 137 #
2009/2105(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24a (new)
Paragraph 24a (new)
24a. Stresses that Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products, while it lays down uniform standards, generates costs as a result of the different certification procedures existing in the Member States;