Tiziana Beghin - Five Star Movement Europe intervened in Cernobbio at the XVI International Forum on Agriculture and Food organized by Coldiretti.
The Italian agricultural future is threatened by free trade treaties like the Ceta and the nefarious policies of our government. We are on the side of citizens and protection of our excellence.
Here is his speech:
"Europe is pushing a lot on the accelerator of free trade and, as mentioned agreements, often there are powerful lobbies, large multinational interests behind these agreements. First of all, thank you for this invitation and thank you for pointing out the fact that the Movement 5 Stars, since 2014, has argued forcefully against this type of agreement. we do not speak only of Big Company, multinational, and everything else, but it is evident that this type of agreement is basically brought forward to facilitate this type of companies.
Exports are an essential item for a sector such as agriculture and food. Witness the 38 billion euro achieved. So it is clear that the agreements have to be made and there is absolutely agree fiction who wants the agricultural sector as tending to protectionism, because you have to distinguish between protectionism and reasonable concerns of those who have these agreements, extremely liberal, receives incalculable damage . Some of these have already been mentioned, but I want to address the issue of multinationals often seen as the big bad. God forbid, produce wealth, produce value, they produce jobs, but we can not forget that account for only 2% of farmsand Italian food. 90% of companies, you know very well that you're sitting here and who represent them, have an economic size that does not exceed 50,000 Euros. Then, our economy is not protected from these major agreements are justly or unjustly negotiations.
AGRICULTURE AS A PRODUCT OF EXCHANGE
Agriculture is one of the only chapters that are most affected and used as a bargaining chipto achieve greater progress in the negotiations for the manufacturing industry, and mainly with regard to the services sector. Beyond what was said before, you can agree or disagree with these agreements, but you can always see what's inside: CETA, for example, was perhaps one of the least transparent negotiations ever, but now that we know what's inside it. On the other agreements that the EU is negotiating, at least that I am part of almost all monitoring groups, I know what to bring with them. They bring competition, unbridled competition among companies. For example, with agreements such as CETA and TTIP (which is now blocked), they will favor companies that have on average at least 20 times the size of our medium-sized businesses,
In other agreements on the other side of the planet, then towards the east, in addition to not be tied down, as well as having much less stringent regulations, besides being able to use products that we are strictly forbidden, they also have a completely different legislation (in some cases were also recorded examples of near slavery). Before anyone spoke of rice that comes from Burma. Despite this the agreement is coming to take effect, you do not have to figure out in favor of those who will, for sure we understand in favor of those who do not go and this is absolutely clear and evident. Then, when there are so many pressures, so many forces at play, when often these agreements there is not even an economic growth:The TTIP the same. And this happens because it is obvious that if the cake remains the same, forgive me if I use an example so simple, but when a cake is the same and there are so many pressures in order to still get to the conclusion of this agreement, it is evident that the slices that are cut are different: much larger than those for a few actors, much smaller than those for most actors.
And I still take a few seconds, I see that the light is still green (as far as the traffic lights in the food issue, it is true a bit 'has been exploited the issue of traffic lights, but alas there is the marketing that still allows certain companies - always big ones - to pass through the window on the issue of labeling), I would that also looked a different point of view. The question of the arrangements you are faced with depending on which produces a result: a commercial agreement by definition leads to an increase in trade, which does not mean much in terms of real results on the real economy, not the financial one, but the real peasants or otherwise small business owners.
THE TRAP EXPORTS
The truth is that very often, when we speak of exports, and I'm sorry to see that often so do the institutions or those who spread statistics, we talk about exports also referring to intra-Community traffic. But unfortunately it does not. The export from a European point of view, and then from the point of view of these agreements negotiates them and brings them forward, it is only within or outside Europe. Then. when we say that is growing because exports have increased exports of our food producers in Europe we are not just saying the truth: in this case are increasing intra-Community trade that is, from Italy to France to Germany.
So what is not said in the information symmetry that characterizes a bit 'our whole society is that this type of agreements in which not only the European Commission does not speak, but I do not even speak the media, they do not even speak the people they should talk about it to inform citizens and small and medium entrepreneurs that are not always present at these meetings, it is that this type of door arrangements to replace the market from the point of view of intra-European trade replaced by that which comes from other parts of the world. And for us this is an indescribable and incalculable damage to the extent that the total of 63.5% of our exports manufacturers in Europe. That is, I repeat, the Italian market for exports 63.5% in Europe!What we are going to tell the small business owner when it will erode its market share of this pie, which always remains the same, in favor of large companies that arrive overseas? The go again to tell the tale that will open the American market, Canadian or Asian? At a small business owner who does not have the commercial strength to be able to approach those markets? That this is the great information asymmetry and the big lie that these gentlemen are telling.
DEFEND NATIONAL INTEREST
Every day, we in the Movement 5 Stars, make a commitment to the citizens. For sure it's a very real commitment and much in favor of all operators in the sector, because as I said before if it is true that 90% of companies are small it is also true that there are companies large whose interests are to be properly protected. We are and continue to be a political force that tries to be closer to its citizens. They have been called many things, they say many more before the end, but I would puntualizzarne a couple: we have said yes to the agreements that are truly righteous. We said yes, recently, in an agreement with Chile, which will bring much development, especially for our agriculture and the organic sector. It will also tell you yes, and I would invite Matteo Salvini to become better informed about what they will vote next week in the European Parliament as not voting the trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand, but a resolution of the European Parliament ... we we say yes to this resolution because the European Parliament will strive to closely monitor, with a safeguard clause, the negotiations that the European Commission will have to make.
These are the things that make the difference: we require constant application of the safeguard clause , and here we also have a European Commissioner (ed. Vytenis Andriukaitis)that could explain the reticence of the reasons by which these requests are answered. In all of our amendments we present constantly and are voted on by all, we require that the appropriate compensation mechanisms for farmers, like other states. He has already made Canada with its dairy producers, but rather that we are regarded as State aid. These are the things we must do: we must carry on things that are absolutely concrete. And above all, one thing I can guarantee is our presence in the institutions and in the places where they work, the same can not be said of everyone present. We, and I say this in the presence of the Minister Martina who is here, the absentee Ministers at Council meetings, MPs have nearly absent Commissions where you work. Here we Italians have to be where you make the games. And we can proudly say, that in these three years that have passed in the European Parliament, we have always been there and always been listened to, among other things from the other political forces. True, they not always put into practice what we ask, but this is something that we are committed to do if we have the honor of being called to play a role of government in this country. Thank you" They not always put into practice what we ask, but this is something that we are committed to do if we have the honor of being called to play a role of government in this country. Thank you" They not always put into practice what we ask, but this is something that we are committed to do if we have the honor of being called to play a role of government in this country. Thank you"