EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION ON A STRONGER PARTNERSHIP FOR THE OUTERMOST REGIONS

摘要

This resolution, adopted by the European Parliament on September 28 in Strasbourg, calls for more EU funding and more specific measures for the EU's outermost regions (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, the Azores, Madeira and the CanaryIslands). The report by Sergio Marques (EPP-ED, Portugal) calls for special treatment of these regions in the sugar, milk, fruit and vegetable sectors, which provide their livelihood, and recommends a sufficiently high tariff under the common market organisation for bananas to preserve domestic banana growing. The resolution also calls on the Commission to adopt measures enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural produce from the EU's outermost regions to enable them to compete with similar productsfrom countries that have signed Association Agreements with the EU or which benefit from preferential regimes. It calls for additional funding in the context of EU cohesion policy. The European Commission has proposed the introduction of a specific surcharge compensation programme in the context of this policy over the period 2007-2013, funding operating aid in order to offset additional costs stemming from these regions' specific situation. The resolution calls for an increase in funds earmarked for this programme (0.42% of convergence objective credits under the Commission proposal).