Bellanova: “absolute priority to keep companies in the food supply chain alive. Brussels does not underestimate the emergency in the sector. We need a more courageous and aware Europe "
Absolute priority: “Keep farms and the food chain alive. Europe must be more courageous and aware ”.
This is what Minister Teresa Bellanova reiterated to the French Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume during a bilateral videoconference that ended a few minutes ago, only 24 hours after the videoconference of yesterday's European agriculture ministers.
“It is necessary - said Bellanova at the beginning of the interview - the shared identification between all the European partners of useful solutions to face this very serious situation: no one should have the feeling that Brussels, like other European countries, underestimate the problems. If anything, we need a Europe that is all the more courageous and aware the greater the challenges we face today ”.
And again: “Farms cannot be left alone in this battle, we must respond to their need for liquidity. Specific exceptions to Community regulations on the submission of applications, the execution of checks and payments are not sufficient. Extraordinary actions are urgently needed ”.
Courage and vision, exhorted Bellanova, who confirmed to his French colleague the proposals already illustrated during yesterday's video conference: extension for Pac applications beyond June 15, 2020, without any penalty for producers; broader terms and new ways of providing aid to producers with anticipation of resources; activation of further crisis instruments to support the sectors most affected with non-Pac funds.
“We cannot think only of facing the emergency”, stressed Bellanova. "A real Extraordinary Agricultural Program must be put in place through extraordinary resources outside the CAP, remodeling of EAGF funds, reprogramming of non-committed rural development resources, use of the EAFRD 2021 and 2022 annuities, introducing exceptional measures in Rural Development Programs that respond to the new scenario and the new needs of agricultural enterprises. And we must respond to the great suffering of fishing, whose activities have been practically eliminated, and to those of horticulturalism, also involving the other European states whose production of flowers and plants risk going unsold.
Today the priority is to keep companies alive, so that immediately after the emergency we can talk about investments again. Avoiding using funds already present in the EU budget would mean a missed opportunity. We cannot afford it ”.