European Parliament resolution on 25 years’ application of Community legislation for hill and mountain farming (2000/2222(INI))
Date: 2001-09-06
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU regional policy, application of EU law, hill farming, less-favoured agricultural area, mountain region, regional aid, sustainable development

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Expresses its concern and deep sympathy with the populations and the governments of the countries

1.
affected;

Calls on the Council and the Commission to make a rapid assessment of the consequences of the

2.
drought and to introduce effective aid mechanisms to help to alleviate the famine;

3.
Calls on the Council and the Commission, when drawing up the 2002 budget, to take into account
these special circumstances, to ensure recognition of the financial aid needed to cover the basic needs of
the affected populations in the region;

4.
Recommends that the Council and the Commission should consider the cyclical and worsening
nature of the Central American drought and promote sustainable development policies resulting in a
specific programme for agriculture aid measures which will help to prevent drought and deterioration of
the environment in the worst hit areas of Central America;

5.
Calls on the Commission to urge the governments of Central America to accept their responsibilities
in the face of this chronic problem and to adopt public policies aimed at revitalising the rural sectors
which are most vulnerable from the social and economic points of view;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of

6.
the Central American countries and the Central American Parliament.

22. Mountain farming

A5-0277/2001

European Parliament resolution on 25 years(cid:146) application of Community legislation for hill and
mountain farming (2000/2222(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to the United Nations decision to proclaim 2002 International Year of Mountains, and
to the Johannesburg (cid:145)Rio+10(cid:146) meeting, which will further consider Chapter 13 of Agenda 21, relating
to mountains,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 23 October 1998 on a new strategy for mountain, less-favoured and

environmentally sensitive regions (1),

(cid:129) having regard to Council Directive 75/268/EEC on mountain and hill farming in certain less-favoured

areas,

(cid:129) welcoming the important new elements concerning European mountain regions stemming from the
second cohesion report, especially those cases where policy measures are to be implemented from
2006,

(cid:129) having regard to the importance of the Council of Europe(cid:146)s proposed European charter of mountain

regions and to the Alpine Convention and the protocols thereto,

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A5-0277/

2001),

A. whereas mountain regions account for about 30 % of the land area and about 20 % of the utilised
agricultural area in the European Union; whereas in some Member States, such as Italy, Spain, Por-
tugal, Greece and Austria, mountain regions account for over 50 % of the national territory and
whereas some 30 million people live in mountain regions,

(1) OJ C 341, 9.11.1998, p. 369.

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B. whereas European policy to promote hill and mountain farming must always be placed within the
broader context of an overall European policy in support of mountain regions, bearing in mind that
the different economic sectors interact to a high degree,

C. whereas the problems affecting mountain regions often raise political issues of governance within the

Union, given the importance of regional and local governance,

D. whereas a single European definition of mountain regions is required, with a view to a more precise
understanding and analysis of the problems of the population in mountain regions and with a view to
special support,

E. whereas the protection and promotion of sustainable development and farming in mountain regions is
essential, because of their rich resources, which are vital for the whole of the Union; whereas this
includes in particular protection of water resources, forests, rare plants and animals and habitats and
the maintenance of recreational and leisure areas,

F. whereas the mountain regions are characterised by great social and economic imbalances, including
declining development and poor areas, and an exodus of the population, owing to the difficulties of
movement or the inaccessibility of public services; whereas the farming population still accounts for a
high proportion of the overall population in mountain regions,

G. whereas the compensatory payments introduced by the EU under Directive 75/268/EEC have helped
to reduce the exodus of the population from mountain regions and to halt the abandonment of
farming,

H. whereas farming in mountain regions, because of adverse topography, the often poor and less pro-
ductive soils and the frequently harsh climate, is at a considerable disadvantage by comparison with
farming in lowland areas and whereas compensation payments for these disadvantages will therefore
be required in the long term if the desire is to maintain farming in mountain regions, because of its
importance for the social structures, the economy and the environment,

I. whereas the nature and intensity of agricultural use have a decisive influence on nature and the land-
scape and whereas non-intensively farmed land has a significant function as a habitat for plants and
animals in mountain regions,

J. whereas hill and mountain farming, which is extensive by nature, serves to safeguard water resources
and protect them from pollution, thus helping to ensure that mountains themselves (cid:129) a source of
drinking-water (cid:129) irrigation of meadows, and electricity generation remain in a balanced relationship,

K. whereas mountain farmers make major contributions which are in the general interest when practising

sustainable farming, in particular by:

(cid:129) ensuring the sustainable conservation of the cultivated and natural landscapes and use of the high

pastures,

(cid:129) ensuring the production of high-quality foods,

(cid:129) guarding against the dangers of natural disasters such as avalanches, mud-flows, rockfalls and

floods,

(cid:129) protecting biodiversity, forests and water resources,

(cid:129) providing a minimum level of population and the basis for tourism, which in mountain regions,
in particular, contributes considerably to added value, without farmers benefiting appropriately
from it,

L. whereas support for hill and mountain farms has a bearing on the stability and equilibrium of EU
territory as a whole, especially from the hydrogeological point of view; whereas conservation of the
natural environment and the rural world has to be assessed in overall terms; whereas, given the size of
Community mountain regions, their equilibrium automatically becomes a matter of strategic import-
ance from an environmental, economic, and social perspective and as regards the specific aim of
providing continuity with the development of lowland areas,

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M. whereas many mountain regions are economically dependent on tourism and whereas this sector
offers a significant source of income for the population; whereas a sustainable livelihood may also
be derived from the linking of mountain farming and tourism,

N. whereas structural funding in mountain regions must be increased gradually, with due regard for the
enlargement of the Union, so as to prevent the abandonment of small farms, especially family farms,
and craft businesses in particular and the deterioration of environmental conditions,

O. whereas diversification should be pursued in mountain regions in order to afford opportunities to
carry on a range of occupations to help achieve a standard minimum income and foster a systematic
approach to the mountain economy,

P. whereas the Community(cid:146)s agricultural policy, as far as mountain regions are concerned, must be
embedded in a complete strategy for the sustainable development of mountain regions, which gives
priority to farming(cid:146)s function in environmental protection and its role for rural development,

Q. whereas this strategy requires an interregional and cross-border approach and coordination with the
Member States concerned; whereas economic and social adjustment and accompanying measures at
national and European level are required so that the existence of farmers and their holdings in moun-
tain regions is not put at risk by the exclusive application of economic yardsticks,

R. whereas economic factors are crucial for maintaining farms in mountain regions; whereas mountain
farmers increasingly see themselves as entrepreneurs and managers who distinguish clearly between
land of high agronomic value and difficult, less productive areas which can be cultivated only on
environmental grounds and with financial support from society,

S. whereas the aspect of quality production and organic farming must be a particular focus in agriculture
and EU support for mountain regions, as protected origin labelling offers comparative advantages as
far as mountain regions are concerned,

T. whereas farming in mountain regions of the Union, in view of its role in protecting the environment
and preserving the landscape and soil, should be supported more strongly, in particular through an
increase in the short term in compensatory payments under the EAGGF,

U. whereas small and medium-sized farms are capable of fulfilling multifunctional tasks and can act as a
counterbalance to the trend towards intensification as a result of the globalisation of world markets,

V. whereas since 1991 the Leader and Interreg programmes have co-financed a number of projects, in
particular in mountain regions, and have made clear the Community(cid:146)s role in providing support for
mountain regions,

W. whereas biological and cultural diversity are closely linked in mountain regions and whereas such
regions are often the home of traditional and historic minorities who have developed a specific cul-
ture, language and customs,

X. having regard to energy requirements, which fluctuate greatly depending on the altitude, the season
and, in part, tourism and are spread over a very wide area and having regard to the local availability
of renewable sources of energy in mountain regions,

Y. whereas the marginal position of hill and mountain farms isolates them and prevents them from
benefiting from the opportunities in the form of support and incentives granted by the Community
to farms in general, thus creating a spiral whereby farms in the most disadvantaged areas have the
greatest difficulties in utilising the public subsidies and aids intended to help them,

Z. whereas the programmes to promote the development of less favoured agricultural areas, for example
Leader+, must go hand in hand with horizontal policies affording much easier access for hill and
mountain farms to Community measures and subsidies,
in particular by extending the lump-sum
payment system,

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AA. whereas, in addition, it is essential to alleviate the social difficulties facing hill and mountain farms,
especially those run by young farmers or women, who are now having to contend with swingeing
cutbacks in the system of social services normally available to lowland farms (for example children(cid:146)s
schooling, training opportunities, access to the Internet, etc.),

Thursday 6 September 2001

1.
Calls on the Commission to submit a communication to the Council and the European Parliament in
2001, which sets out the EU(cid:146)s position and actions in relation to 2002: International Year of Mountains,
proclaimed by the United Nations;

Calls on the Commission, taking enlargement into account, to develop a complete EU plan for sus-
2.
tainable development of the Union(cid:146)s mountain regions and those of the candidate countries which includes
safeguards for agriculture; this strategy should involve in particular cross-border cooperation in the moun-
tain regions (Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Balkans, etc.) and lay down specific measures under Interreg,
PHARE, TACIS and Sapard which include the candidate countries and the adjacent regions in the measures
for mountain regions;

3.
Considers research by the Commission into European mountain regions to be crucial as a way of
promoting a common classification of mountain regions in Europe, of prompting discussions regarding the
implications of climate change and of encouraging the issue of a label (consistent with relevant EU legis-
lation) designating products from mountain regions;

Calls on the Commission to lay down an exact definition based on the criteria of height (in metres),
4.
slope, shortened growing seasons, and appropriate combinations of those criteria so as to ensure that
mountain regions and other less favoured regions can be differentiated clearly, on account of the differ-
ences in the problems, when drawing up development strategies and support mechanisms;

5.
Emphasises that it is essential to compensate for the permanent natural disadvantages by means of
compensatory payments; considers that such compensatory payments must therefore remain the key ele-
ment in policy for mountain regions and diversification using various compensatory payments must be
continued; special support mechanisms should be available for natural animal husbandry methods and
organic farming; an integrated support plan should also be developed for farming, forestry and tourism
(farm holidays) in mountain regions because of their complementary and, in part, inter-dependent func-
tions;

6.
Advocates a gradual shift in EU funding resources for agriculture towards the second pillar of agri-
cultural policy (development of rural areas) in particular in order to strengthen the environmental and
conservation functions of agriculture as far as funding is concerned, and to take particular account of the
multifunctional character of farming in environmentally sensitive areas such as mountain regions;

7.
Insists that in addition to the second pillar, the economy in less favoured areas requires additional
support from the Structural Funds with particular emphasis on transport, telecommunications and business
development support for enterprises not directly linked to farming and tourism; considers moreover, that
the development priorities include the need for such areas to be progressively equipped with essential
minimum infrastructure and services, not only education, health and transport but also those relating to
the new communication and information technologies;

8.
Rejects a general removal of the milk quota system for the mountain regions as milk production in
the mountain regions and less favoured areas is not a purely economic factor; rather, the small-scale cattle
holdings which predominate in the regions are needful for the care of the landscape and milk production
also forms their main livelihood, with the processing of milk geared towards the production of high-
quality local products;

9.
Calls on the Commission to promote extensive forms of stockfarming such as suckler cow herds and
the keeping of sheep and goats in mountain regions and to provide producers in mountain regions with
the appropriate suckler cow, sheep and goat quotas;

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10.
Calls for measures to protect bovine species which are typical of mountain regions and are an
example of biodiversity and to benefit particularly significant agricultural sectors such as wine-growing,
which play a major role in keeping mountainous areas viable;

11.
Requests, as regards mountain wine-growers, given that high restructuring costs make it difficult to
benefit from the support measures now in force, that a distinction be made between the costs of planting
vineyards in lowland areas and on mountains on the one hand, and in hill areas on the other, bearing in
mind that hill and mountain farming in no way lends itself to mechanisation;

12.
Calls on the Commission, as part of its policy for the development of rural areas, to support collec-
tively managed regional processing and marketing structures in mountain regions and the processing of
high-quality products through initial funding; believes that the Commission should accordingly consider
whether a stamp of origin and quality label might be awarded to high-quality mountain produce made and
processed in clearly circumscribed named mountain regions, the aim being to enable PDO and PGI pro-
duct gradings to apply across the board, bringing them into line and unifying them for that purpose;

13.
Points out that the continuing strategy under Agenda 2000 of increasing competitiveness and the
desired further liberalisation of agricultural production and greater orientation towards world markets will
speed up structural change in agriculture, with its negative regional, environmental and social effects and
aspects; calls on the Commission in the WTO negotiations to insist on recognition of the multifunctional
character of European agriculture and for example the admissibility of support measures for conservation
of the environment and the long-term regional development opportunities in less favoured regions;

14.
Advocates the conclusion of regional conventions (including in connection with cross-border coop-
eration), along the lines of the Alpine Convention, so as to establish and speed up the cooperation in
solving specific regional and cross-border problems and thus to give a practical example for realisation of
the idea of a Europe of the regions;

15.
Also advocates the development of policies enabling the eligibility of high- and mid-mountain areas
to be incorporated into Europe(cid:146)s structural policies by conferring special status on registered designations
of origin such as labels and any agricultural grouping whose production is of proven quality, and by
regarding them as administrative entities;

Calls on the Commission, with regard to 2002: International Year of Mountains and in preparation

16.
for its comprehensive strategy, to update the information on mountain regions;

17.
In relation to this comprehensive strategy, asks the Commission to review the definition of less
favoured regions, not only in relation to altitude, climate and soil conditions but also in relation to popu-
lation density and trends, age structure and potential for the development of commercial activity;

18.
Considers that, building on the studies in the EU(cid:146)s fifth framework programme for research and
technological development, the support for specific mountain agricultural research must be continued in
the sixth framework programme, on a practical basis and related to specific areas, including the definition
and review of agricultural policy objectives and measures; considers that the results should be disseminated
systematically and used in training and advisory services in mountain farming;

19.
Stresses the need to promote equal opportunities for men and women and to make available appro-
priate training and further training programmes for young farmers so as to ensure sustainable operation of
farms and to increase the commercial efficiency of the holdings;

20.
Points out that agriculture in the mountain regions of the candidate countries, because of the
natural disadvantages, is clearly less competitive than agriculture in these countries in general; calls on
the Commission to review the objectives and funding of the pre-accession programmes for the candidate
countries (Sapard) with regard to agriculture in the mountain regions of these countries; calls on the
Commission also, in relation to the mountain regions, to develop a logical plan for structural support for
the forthcoming mid-term review at the end of 2003 and the period after 2006, which takes account of
enlargement;

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21.
Considers that for mountain regions which would receive less EU structural funding than previously
as a result of the more intense competition for assistance resulting from enlargement, national and regional
compensatory measures must be adopted for holdings and, possibly, exemption provisions from EU legis-
lation on State aids for enterprises;

Thursday 6 September 2001

In view of the depopulation and emigration problems affecting mountain areas, calls for the imple-

22.
mentation of immigrant reabsorption policies which are viable from the socio-economic point of view;

23.
Considers that competition policy (with particular reference to restrictions on State aid) must take
into account the special nature of the mountain economy, and that this should apply to the tourism sector
as well;

24.
Stresses that the local transport networks and in particular the access roads and tracks to farms,
pastures and woodland in mountain regions must be substantially strengthened, with due regard for the
principles of sustainability, so that these regions can be safeguarded as living communities and natural and
economic areas; believes that the Commission, in agreement with the Member States, should therefore
undertake to provide structural aid for the construction of lifts and similar apparatus, since this would be
a structural investment that could promote the overall development of mountain regions on an across-the-
board basis in accordance with the principle that all mountain regions should be multifunctional;

25.
Calls on the Commission, in mountain regions which suffer from the heavy and environmentally
harmful volume of transit traffic in particular, to support planning and structural measures which are
geared towards shifting transport services in passenger and goods transport towards more environmentally
acceptable means of transport and intermodal transport systems;

26.
Stresses that sustainable development of the tourism industry, based on the quality of services and
what is available, can make a crucial contribution to the conservation and enhancement of the natural
heritage and the economic power of mountain regions and calls on the Commission, therefore, to encour-
age farmers to share in the added value from tourism in mountain regions, by giving greater support to
tourism options available through farms;

27.
Points out that local marketing of typical local mountain farm products and tourism produce bene-
fits; considers that with the hygiene standards required by the EU the short transport distances guarantee
higher quality and, ideally, production, processing and marketing of agricultural products will take place at
one location; considers that so as to achieve such efficient and sustainable economic structures in moun-
tain regions (cid:129) for example farmers(cid:146) markets, farm holidays, farm shops (cid:129) simple framework conditions
must be created under regional control so that systems which are as unbureaucratic and practical as
possible can be established;

Stresses that Europe(cid:146)s mountain regions will be able to find their niche in the global tourism market

28.
only on the basis of their characteristic combination of local culture and typical local farming systems;

Advocates that priority support should be given to craft industries, trade, business and services in
29.
mountain regions under EU programmes for support for small and medium-sized businesses and under the
EU programme for rural development, in order to improve the local population(cid:146)s living conditions;

30.
Calls on the Commission, in the overall strategy for mountain regions, to make provision for special
support mechanisms for the preferential use of renewable sources of energy in mountain regions under
environmentally and agriculturally acceptable conditions, in particular the rational use of water resources
and wood from sustainable mountain forestry;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and the countries

31.
with which negotiations for EU accession are being conducted.