C 361/10
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
20.9.2022
Thursday 24 March 2022
32.
Calls on the Commission to ensure that agricultural land is primarily used only for the purposes of producing food and feed to ensure food security not only for EU citizens, but also for millions of refugees in the EU;
33.
Stresses that a strong and sustainable agricultural sector across the EU and a thriving and sustainable rural environment, supported by a strong CAP, are vital components in meeting the food security challenge; underscores that agriculture has important value for the EU and its political and economic development and has a huge impact on society through food production, rural employment, the economic vitality and quality of life in rural areas and rural development more generally;
34.
Calls for the immediate implementation of the measures against market disturbance provided for in Article 219 of the Common Markets Organisation Regulation (7) in order to support the sectors most affected and, in parallel, for the mobilisation of the crisis reserve to this end; calls furthermore on the Commission to be prepared to take necessary further exceptional market measures under the regulation, such as activating Article 222;
35.
Urges the Commission to provide full clarity to the Member States as regards the force majeure clause in the CAP, as well as in further legislation;
36.
Considers that while increasing food security is now an even more urgent priority, national strategic plans should be assessed to make the necessary adaptations to the new circumstances, including the use of relevant flexibilities to increase the acreage of lands under production;
37.
Calls on the Commission to take all necessary measures, in particular with regard to State aid, to allow the necessary support to the sectors most affected by the crisis;
38.
Calls on the Commission to consider amending the State Aid Temporary Framework adopted in March 2020 in order to allow Member States to use full flexibility under the State aid rules to support the economy;
39.
Stresses that the extraordinary rural development COVID-19 measures should be extended to address the ongoing liquidity problems that put the viability of farming activities at risk and endanger the small businesses active in the processing, marketing or development of agricultural products;
40.
Believes that measures should be adopted to guarantee more flexibility for imports of crucial commodities (in particular cereals, soybeans and fertilisers) from non-EU countries, without undermining EU standards;
41.
Reiterates its commitments to sustainability and food safety and stresses that all imported food and feed needs to live up to the EU sustainability and food safety standards, including maximum residue levels of pesticides and antimicrobials; denounces all proposals to misuse the current crises to weaken these requirements and commitments;
42.
Calls on the Commission, in particular, to support sectoral organisations in order to secure new import markets that guarantee food supply and agricultural inputs, especially for livestock, and thereby avoid putting food security in Europe at risk;
43.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to urgently release the crisis reserve of EUR 479 million to aid the agricultural sector in coping with the current market challenges; notes, however, that this crisis reserve, once depleted, cannot be replenished with funding from the CAP; calls, therefore, for the immediate release of additional funds ready to be mobilised in the event of the crisis reserve being used up;
44.
Calls on the Commission, in view of the protein crop deficiency, to propose a comprehensive European protein strategy in order to increase European protein production and reduce the EU’s dependency on third countries in this regard;
(7)
OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.