European Parliament
A7-0032/2012
Vladko Todorov Panayotov  (ALDE ),
in writing
. –
Current estimations from the Commission reveal that 50 million people in the Union are at risk of food poverty while, for a number of reasons, fewer and fewer surpluses are available in the framework of the Scheme for food distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union, set up in 1987. As a matter of fact this aid, which provides food-aid for 13 million people across the EU, is losing its capacity because on the one hand, the reframed CAP has increased dependency on market purchase while on the other, the current economic crisis has considerably aggravated poverty. If food aid is only a short-term form of assistance in the struggle against poverty in Europe, we need to insist on its importance being maintained and enhanced. The rise in inequities among EU citizens is a threat to the EU, and access to food must be one of our priorities as it concerns fundamental rights and human dignity. The fight against poverty and exclusion is one of the five pillars of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the most urgent one to reach.

