Food security in the developing countriesThe European Commission has presented the EU Council and Parliament with a series of projects “to help the developing countries to tackle the problem of food security, in situations of emergency and in the long term”. The range of initiatives suggested is wide. They should not only guide the action of the EU but also be applicable to other international players. All presuppose that “food security be based on three basic concepts: availability of food, access to food, and quality of food”. In this sense the Commission intends to promote an “ecological and sustainable agricultural model, in keeping with the reality of the developing countries and markets and able to ensure the availability, accessibility and adequate nutritional quality of food products”. Particular attention is assigned to increasing the productivity of small farmers, boosting the mechanisms of assistance to particularly vulnerable sections of population, and the improvement of the rural production and marketing of basic commodities. “It is unacceptable – explained Commissioner Andris Piebalgs – that in 2010 a billion people should still be suffering from hunger and malnutrition”. So the EU must “provide more structural aid to the developing countries in the fight against two closely connected scourges, hunger and poverty, so as to be able to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals”.Rom: EU action for integration. “No to ghettoes””Ours is a Union founded on strong values, and that’s why we must ensure respect for the fundamental rights of the Rom. Discrimination against this ethnic minority is unacceptable”, says Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, summing up the position of the EU institutions on the living conditions of rom and sinti minorities in Europe. To mark the International Day dedicated to the Rom, the EU promoted the second continental summit, held at Cordova (Spain) on 8-9 April. The Commission for its part has published a report that “urges member states to use Community funds for the socio-economic integration of rom”, and focus action on “access to jobs, non-segregated education, and adequate housing and health services, “essential for their inclusion”. “The integration of the 10-12 million rom – a population as large as that of Belgium or Greece – constitutes a common responsibility of member states and EU institutions”. The Executive has also presented a document that reviews the progress made over the last two years, in which it is emphasized that, “although the situation of many rom in Europe remains difficult”, some progress has been achieved at the level of integration. László Andor, Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, has stressed: “Efforts aimed at the integration” of these EU citizens “must regard the whole cycle of life, from nursery schools to the school system in general for children, from employment for adults to assistance for the elderly”. The rom – the Commissioner insisted – “don’t need a separate labour market, nor schools that perpetuate the segregation of their children, nor do they want new ghettoes. Our objective is that they be accepted on terms of equality and be integrated in society”.Parliament: debate on Europe 2020 and the case of GreeceAn extraordinary session of the European Parliament examined, on 7 April, the results of the European Council in late March dedicated to the case of Greece, the economic situation in general and climate change. “The worst of the crisis is over, but not its effects”, said Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council, speaking before the EP in Brussels. Commenting on the economic situation, Van Rompuy explained the main focuses of the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and employment, which received the go-ahead from Europe’s political leaders, at least in its essential lines. “What is now needed – said the Belgian statesman – is a mix of national and European interventions, in which each must define and maintain its own commitments, connected with its respective internal realities”. On two points in particular an agreement will be sought at the next summit in June: the growth of average levels of education and the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Van Rompuy then turned his attention to the case of Greece, and outlined the agreement reached at the summit. During the debate in the Parliament, many criticisms were expressed by MEPs about the deal. During the debate, speaking on behalf of the Executive, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic spoke of the need to “re-define, with a collective effort, the overall economic structure of the Union”, also “with the aim of improving the quality of life, protecting the environment, and playing a leading role at the world level”.
