Toespraak Minister Sawicki over het limiteren van armoede (en)

Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Marek Sawicki addressed the Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg during the plenary debate on the Food Programme for the most deprived persons in the EU.

Below you can find extracts from Minister Sawicki's speeches:

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  Everything is in the hands of the Council and the European Parliament now. The opponents of the programme have no reason to hide behind the technical and legal obstacles. Let's face it, on their shoulders lies the responsibility for the future of this programme. On this occasion they cannot behave like a sick patient, who upon hearing about his disease breaks the thermometer. By limiting or abolishing the program we do not eliminate poverty, it will hit Europe twice as hard. Let’s not be ashamed of poverty, let’s actively limit it. “
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  I would like to thank you warmly for this debate. It will without a doubt help me cut through the Gordian knot which dates back to 28 November 2008 when the blocking minority came into being. I would remind you that since then we have seen six Presidencies go by and (...) each Presidency has passed this hot potato on to the next. I would say clearly, the Polish Presidency does not want to hand this potato on to its successors. We want this problem resolved in the immediate future.
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  As a politician I must say I am a little ashamed to see that the blocking minority is made up of countries which in the past have heavily used the market intervention mechanism, and in the past have never had any problems with passing the intervention stock to poor people. Now that there are so many intervention stocks we are creating an artificial legal problem although, as the Commissioner has told us it is not a legal problem. It is a problem of funding. It is a problem of political decision-making. Here today in this house you adopted the six-pack - the rescue package, the bail-out package for the banks. Are those six governments not ashamed when there is no decision to help 18 million people by handing over a relatively tiny sum of money? I am glad we have had a political debate here. I am glad we are not burying our heads in the sand. A week ago I raised it in a public debate in the Council because I want the people of Europe to know who is saying what and why. And now I believe, Mr President, that in the wake of this debate the consciences of the governments in the blocking minority will have been reawakened.

Watch the debate on the Food Programme for the most deprived persons in the EU on EbS: http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/player/streaming.cfm?type=ebsplus&sid=187054