EU Parliament Press Director Duch to EF: After Tunisia EU may deal with Food Security+Foreign Policy

 

After recent developments, particularly at Tunisia, Algeria, etc., and Food prices' rises, at the eve of French EU President Sarkozy's speech on Rural issues here next day, EU may deal also with Agricultural Security/Defense and Foreign Policy, replied, in substance, EU Parliament's Spokesman and Press Director, Jaume Duch, to an "EuroFora"s Question at the January 2011 Press Briefing in Strasbourg, shortly before MEPs start debating in Plenary on the Tunesian turmoil, (Comp. forthcoming DraftNews).

EU Commissioner on Enlargement, Fuhle, observed, later-on, that the popular uprising in Tunisia had "started when a Young man set himself on Fire by Despair because a Policeman had seized the Fruits and Vegetables he was selling in order to survive"..

Earlier, informations about a probable rising trend of Food Prices, reminding the 2008 upheavals, had circulated among mainstream Media.

- "EuroFora" observed that the recent events in Tunesia, Algeria, etc., followed previous infos about Food Prices' rise, while French President Sarkozy is also due to speak about "Rural" issues, naturally including Agriculture, Tomorrow morning close to Strasbourg, and Duch had already anounced, last week in Brussels, that, during 2011, EU Parliament is expected to debate and vote also on Agricultural and Cohesion policies, including in view of the PluriAnnual EU Financial Perspectives.
Meanwhile, the incoming 2011 French Chairmanship of G8 - G20 has already anounced President Sarkozy's intention to raise the issue of Agricultural prices' extreme volatility, as well as Energy's, and other raw materials.

- Therefore, "EuroFora" asked Duch if, according to his experience, he thought that EU Parliament could find a way to examine Agricultural issues not only taken as such, in isolation, but also in the Context of EU's Security/Defence and/or Foreign Policy.

- Replying to "EuroFora"s question, EU Spokesman and Press Director, excluded from the outset that MEPs might be obliged to limit themselves only to the stricto sensu commercial aspect of Agriculture : - "No, not only", he stressed.

- On the contrary, "I think that there are" also other ways to deal with Agriculture's external aspects, (such as Foreign Policy, EU Security/Defence, etc), "f.ex. through Bilateral Agreements" with certain 3rd Countries, he added.

- "So that, if there are particular Situations in one or more among these Countries, or particular views (among MEPs) about it, then, EU Parliament will certainly find a way to express its views, without any doubt", Jaume Duch concluded.

Obviously, this goes in addition, and in parallel to the purely "Democratic" aspirations of Mediterranean People, but it also leaves still open another part of "EuroFora"s question, on EU's overall Strategy for Security of supply and/or Independence on Agricultural Food products needed by EU Citizens, which are naturally at least as important, if not even more, than Energy merchandises, (for which, such kind of "external context" issues, are currently, hotly debated, both inside and outside the EU)...