Agricultural policies in Europe
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 27 January 1971 (28th Sitting) (see Doc, 2882Doc, 2882, report of the Committee on Agriculture). Text adopted by the Assembly on 27 January 1971 (28th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Having regard to the report of its Committee on Agriculture on the latest developments in the common agricultural policy and on the problems raised by the enlargement of the European Communities in the agricultural sphere (
Doc. 2882) ;
2. Believing that the implementation of a socio-structural policy for the purpose of achieving a common, comprehensive, dynamic and balanced agricultural policy can no longer be delayed in Europe ;
3. Welcoming the consensus of opinion on the need for social measures on behalf of farmers as proposed on the one hand in its
Recommendation 577 on the preparation of a Statute of the European Farmer and on the other hand by the Commission of the European Communities in its draft directives of 29 April 1970 on agricultural reform ;
4. Recalling its
Recommendation 517 of 1 February 1968, on farming in mountain areas, in which it invited the Committee of Ministers to improve general economic and social conditions in mountain areas by developing and maintaining adequate infrastructures ;
5. Welcoming also the Ministers' decision to include in the draft Intergovernmental Work Programme of the Council of Europe for 1971-1972 a study on "the economic and social problems of mountain regions and ways of solving them" (item 3111/3) ;
6. Considering that the enlargement of the Communities will be easier to achieve once agriculture in the countries concerned has been rendered healthy and competitive ;
7. Believing that the projects for the reform of agricultural structures presented by the Commission to the Council of Ministers of the European Communities constitute a basis for constructive discussion, and regretting that the Ministers of Agriculture of the Six have postponed examination of the said projects for nearly two years ;
8. Expressing its satisfaction at the promising start made with negotiations between the Six and the countries applying for membership of the Communities ;
9. Approving in principle the proposal of the Commission of the European Communities to introduce a five-year transitional period applicable to the industrial, agricultural and financial sectors, and to all the applicant countries ;
10. Considering, nevertheless, that the Six should show some flexibility in applying the principle of the transitional period, especially in regard to certain problems of a legal and technical nature, so as to take account of individual regional situations ;
11. Believing that it is important to give special attention to the particular problems experienced by Norway, in so far as, owing to climatic conditions, the infertility of the soil and the lack of alternative employment, any modifications in agricultural structures may well result in large-scale rural depopulation which would give rise to serious socio-economic and demographic problems ;
12. Considering that the normal development of the Community, and particularly the implementation of the common agricultural policy, should not be delayed or impeded because of the membership negotiations ;
13. Hoping that the United Kingdom, having made known its intention to respect the provisions of the common agricultural policy, will approve the measures for the reform of agricultural structures which the Community is at present introducing with the aim of bringing the competitive level of continental agriculture into line with the higher level obtaining in the United Kingdom,
14. Expresses the wish :
a that the member governments of the Six should :
state clearly their views once and for all on the proposals of the Commission of the European Communities for the reform of agriculture ;
implement, simultaneously with measures for the reform of structures, a regional development policy, including a rural modernisation policy designed to take account of nature conservation requirements ;
conduct the membership negotiations with sufficient flexibility to take account of certain particular cases, while continuing to pursue the policy for the strengthening and completion of the Communities, and that they bring the said negotiations to a successful conclusion by the end of 1971 ;
b that the governments of member States applying to join the European Communities should :
conform to Community regulations step by step in every sector where this is possible, and particularly in the agricultural sector, without waiting for the completion of negotiations or the entry into force of the membership agreement, in order to facilitate adaptation during the transitional period ;
make known their position with regard to the aims set forth in the "Mansholt Memorandum" and in the draft directives of the Commission of the European Communities on the reform of agriculture ;
c that all governments involved in negotiations for the enlargement of the European Communities should take account of the political purpose of the Communities whenever negotiations concerning agricultural policies raise major difficulties, and maintain in force within the enlarged Community all existing Community regulations ;
d that the Committee on Co-operation in Municipal and Regional Matters and the European Committee for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which have been given the task of studying "the economic and social problems of mountain regions and ways of solving them" (item 3111/3 of the draft Intergovernmental Work Programme 1971-1972), should take account of the practical suggestions contained in the Assembly's
Recommendation 517 (1968) and in the report of its Committee on Agriculture (
Doc. 2313) ;
15. Invites its members to take appropriate action in their national parliaments and to approach their governments to ensure that the principles set forth above are taken into account in present and future negotiations relating to the establishment of agricultural policies.
