Activites

• 2002/11/07 Final act published in Official Journal
• #2429
• 2002/05/30 Council Meeting
  • 2429 summary

    The Council welcomes the forthcoming World Food Summit : five years later, which will be held in Rome on 10-13 June 2002, as a central event in the cycle of high-level international conferences, from Monterrey to Johannesburg, held in 2002 at a time of renewed political attention to the fight against poverty and hunger as well as for food security and overall global relations. The World Food Summit: five years later is the first opportunity to translate the landmark consensus reached at Monterrey on the mobilisation of national and international resources for a renewed development process, into the reaffirmation of the political will to combat poverty and hunger and its causes, and to enhance a renewed partnership between governments, civil society and the private sector for the reduction of world hunger in the context of food security and sustainable development, in the perspective of the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg. The Council reiterates its strong commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which include reducing poverty and hunger by half by 2015, as the basis for specific national and international poverty reduction strategies and the mobilisation of resources at the appropriate priority level in line with the Monterrey Consensus. The Council stresses the need for a broader approach when addressing with renewed strength the underlying causes of hunger and poverty, such as the lack of peace, security and stability. Rural development and the agricultural sector of developing partners, especially LDCs, should receive increased policy attention and adequate resources in line with the commitments of the Barcelona Summit, taking into account the conclusions of the Doha Round. The Council believes that the reduction of hunger and poverty should be seen in connection with food security and social and economic stability and that, in this context, the World Food Summit is a timely opportunity to renew a constructive dialogue with developing partners leading to a coherent and comprehensive implementation of the positive consensus emerging from Monterrey (and leading to Johannesburg). Such a dialogue requires sustained action, of which the EU, based on the decisions adopted at the Barcelona Summit, should become the leading force.�

• 2002/05/16 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0252/2002 summary

    MEPs adopted a resolution on the United Nations World Food Summit which will take place from 10 to 13 June in Rome. The House stressed that 'food security and sustainable rural development' are priorities of the EU's development policy. Parliamentarians also underlined that hunger and malnutrition result from above all bad distribution and supply systems. Furthermore, it was recognised that patents on seeds and genetic resources for use in food production and agriculture threaten sustainable agriculture practices and increase the monopolies of trans-national corporations on technologies, seeds, genes and medicines. The House considered that the creation of an international alliance against hunger and poverty will require reform of the EU's development policy. Better co-ordination is required in policy formulation and the work of international organisations. Accelerated action will also be required if the target of halving those suffering from hunger by 2015 is to be achieved. MEPs noted that hunger is both the cause and effect of extreme poverty. The development of local markets, including giving priority to local practices and to the processing of food products locally were considered essential. It reaffirms its commitment to poverty eradication, sustainable development and the achievement of the development goals set out inat the Millennium Summit and at the UN conferences, but warns that current data indicates that the number of undernourished is falling at an average rate of only 6 million each year - far below the rate of 22 million per year needed to reach the World Food Summit target. The House deplored the fact that government of food-insecure countries have let military spending prevail over the nutritional requirements of their populations. The WTO, according to the House, should concentrate its attention on food security, which will require the adjustment of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies to take account of development objectives. The WTO Member States should also clarify the TRIPS agreement with the aim of banning the patenting of living organisms and guaranteeing the free access of local people to their genetic resources. Furthermore, Parliament calls on Council to include the European Development Fund into the EU budget in order for overall financial clarity. MEPs recognised the importance of the EU's 'Everything but Arms' proposal which grants unlimited access to EC markets for all goods of the Less Developed Countries with the exception of munitions. They called on other developed countries to follow this example. A call for an end to exporting pesticides to developing countries whose use is banned in Europe was also supported. Finally, the House called for an international code of conduct on the right to adequate food.�

Documents

• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0252/2002
• Debate in Council: 2429

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)