Activities of Gabriel MATO related to 2022/2147(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions (short presentation)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on the assessment of the new communication of the European Commission on Outermost Regions
Amendments (25)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the Programmes of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI) is a vital instrument in strengthening local agricultural and food production and mitigating the risk of abandonment of agricultural activities, which would have a significant negative effect on employment and on the social and territorial dimension of the outermost regions (ORs);
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 26 February 2014 on optimising the potential of outermost regions by creating synergies between the Structural Funds and other European Union programmes (2013/2178(INI));
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas the overall performance of the POSEI programmes is positive, especially when it comes to their ability to address the agricultural challenges specific to the permanent constraints of the outermost regions, as defined in Article 349 of the TFEU;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A b (new)
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas the ORs are particularly vulnerable to socioeconomic crises as well as natural disasters, such as volcanic activity; whereas due to their isolated location and difficulties in accessing basic supplies from mainland territories, such as fuel or water, the ORs are more severely affected by crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine, which create particular difficulties for farmers;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
— having regard to the Regional and cohesion Policy of the EU,
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A c (new)
Recital -A c (new)
-Ac. whereas ORs can be at a considerable disadvantage due to harsh competition from third countries, which often do not respect the same environmental, social and food safety production standards and have much lower costs;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Citation 3 b (new)
Citation 3 b (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 14 September 2021 towards a stronger partnership with the EU outermost regions (2020/2120(INI));
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) should be strengthened; calls, in this regard, for an increase in the budget of POSEI from 2027, in order to reduce the dependency of the ORs on agricultural and agri-food supplies, ensure food security and the ability of these regions to access their markets, be it internal to their territory or to the Union; calls, in this regard, for an increase in the budget of POSEI from 2027 to meet the growing needs and sustainable development of local production in these regions, which have significant additional production costs;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the Commission to increase the financial allocations for POSEI in exceptional circumstances, such as those faced by the agricultural sector in La Palma in the Canary Islands following the volcanic eruption that began on 19 September 2021; calls on the Commission, as an alternative possibility, to make the management and implementation of POSEI more flexible so as to ensure that agricultural and livestock farmers in the outermost regions receive the full amount of aid without being required to attain 70 % production in such situations of force majeure or natural disaster;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas women in the ORs too often face unstable and short-term employment; whereas female unemployment is higher than male unemployment in all ORs except Réunion;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the youth unemployment rate in the ORs is much higher than the EU average of 16%, and whereas the levels of NEETs and early school leavers is particularly high;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas challenges exist in the fisheries sector, such as the difficulties that local fishermen face with accessing credit or insurance for their vessels;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the EU biodiversity strategy’s targets should not hinder the sustainable development of the agricultural sectors in the outermost regions (ORs); ORs; recalls that the Commission has committed that “the progress towards the targets will be under constant review, and adjustment if needed, to mitigate against undue impact on biodiversity, food security and farmers' competitiveness";
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the proposal for a farm to fork strategy requests the EU to further limit the use of plant protection products; stresses, in this context, that the specific characteristics of the tropical and sub- tropical climates in the ORs must be taken into account and that access to the EU markets for products that do not comply with the EU standards, such as bananas from third countries that massively use plant protection agents that are not authorised in the EU, should be limited;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the social situation of young people is a central concern for the ORs; calls, in this regard, for the reinforced Youth Guarantee to be fully deployed in the ORs; believes that an evaluation of the guarantee’s implementation is necessary in these territories, including an assessment of the existing barriers for young people, especially as regards access to education and employment;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to establish a separate chapter dedicated to the ORs in its impact assessments of the farm to fork and biodiversity strategupcoming legislative proposals related to the farm to fork and biodiversity strategies; considers that the outcome of these assessments should be taken into account in order to adapt legislative initiatives, where necessary, to the natural and economic difficulties of these regions and the stiff competition they face from third countries;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the need to attract young people into fishery, forestry, and agriculture sectors, which are a major economic driver in these regions. Calls on the Commission to launch a pilot project that will aim to increase the attractiveness of those sectors as they contribute to food security in these regions;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Recalls the aging of the fishing fleets in the Outermost regions and urges the Commission to allow as soon as possible the renewal of these fleets in order to ensure the safety of fishermen in the workplace;
Amendment 87 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a specific regulation for the ORs ointroducing the necessary flexibility in the common organisation of the markets so that the ORs' specificities can be taken into account;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the Commission to exercise the utmost vigilance in the liberalisation of the EU market and the proliferation of trade agreements between the EU and partner countries; that produce the same agricultural products for export as the ORs, but under different social and environmental conditions, which distort competition; calls on the Commission to take effective action to ensure that trade agreements do not jeopardise measures supporting the ORs, particularly under the POSEI programme; calls on the Commission to grant preferential treatment to OR products on both OR local markets and the EU market and fully protect sensitive agricultural products, such as banana, tomatoes, sugar, milk, etc., in those negotiations; calls for the creation of a trade agreements taskforce within the Commission that will involve representatives from the ORs' economic sectors;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to improve access to the European Social Fund Plus in the ORs by setting up mass information campaigns aimed at institutional and associative partners, providing a support service for project leaders and financing training for managing authorities.;
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission to recognise ORs’ specificities and support initiatives to create better conditions for workers of agricultural and fisheries sectors;
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for strict compliance of tropical goods from non-EU countries with the applicable EU environmental and social standards; and for systematic import quotas for tropical products from such countries, based on existing trade flows; considers that specific surveillance and sanction mechanisms should be introduced to check compliance with these conditions; recommends imposing the 'conformity' principle on imports from third countries, in particular for organic products;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls the joint declaration by the three institutions annexed to Regulation (EU) 2017/540 on the stabilisation mechanism which was revised when Ecuador joined the EU-Colombia/Peru Trade Agreement: ‘The Commission will continue to carry out regular analyses of the state of the market and the situation of Union banana producers after expiry of the stabilisation mechanism. If a serious deterioration in the state of the market or the situation of Union banana producers is found to have occurred, given the importance of the banana sector for outermost regions, the Commission will examine the situation, together with the Member States and the stakeholders, and decide whether appropriate measures should be considered. The Commission could also convene regular monitoring meetings with the Member States and the stakeholders’; reminds the Commission of its commitment to halt the gradual reduction of the customs tariff by permanently ring-fencing the residual tariff of EUR 75/tonne applicable to third countries with which the EU has signed trade agreements.
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Highlights that, while no duties shall apply to direct imports from third countries into the outermost regions of agricultural products which are essential for human consumption, for the manufacture of other products or as agricultural inputs, in implementing this “specific supply arrangement”, account shall be taken in particular to the need to ensure that existing local production is neither destabilised, nor obstructed in its development;