European farming cooperatives union Copa-Cogeca has backed the recent move by members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to reinstate funds in the draft EU budget for 2012, particularly the €80m for fruit and vegetable producers after funds were initially cut by ministers.
At a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, MEPs reinstated the reductions made by EU ministers, in turn maintaining the initial expenditure proposed to the Commission.
'EU fruit and vegetable producers and cooperatives are still suffering huge financial losses from the EU fruit and vegetable crisis and this well help them,' said Copa-Cogeca secretary general Pekka Pesonen after the vote.
Copa-Cogeca highlighted in particular the decision not to make cuts of €26m to the subsidised EU School Fruit Scheme, which its said would have run counter to the bloc's objective of encouraging healthy eating in young people.
Aid for quality improvement measurements has also been reinstated by MEPs to the tune of €2m, which is in line with the EU objective to encourage quality production.
In addition, MEPs called for the funding of the other existing lines to be increased – so that aid to producer groups for preliminary recognition reaches €95m and operational funds for producer organisations comes in at €255m.
In a further move, MEPs called on the Commission to present a proposal to MEPs and ministers to increase the EU contribution for the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations.
Copa-Cogeca also said that it welcomed a move to agree on funds for the aid for the needy programme, which supports 18m people with malnutrition problems in the EU.
