• Demonstration: Farmers and ranchers expel Vox from his protest in Madrid: "It is not the time or the way"
  • Work: Employment is sinking in the countryside and the government blames supermarkets

"It is clear that the big distributors have to take an exam, a self-criticism." Very clear and very direct message from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez , to the big companies of the food sector. From Brussels, where he meets on Wednesday with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, to discuss and press on the EU Budget for the period 2021-2027, Sánchez has not wanted to lower the tension, but to increase it, at a time when the one that the farmers manifest in Spain asking for measures.

The president has come to discuss an issue related to the demands of the field. In the negotiations of the so-called Multiannual Financial Framework, Spain is trying to minimize what may be the sharpest cut in the Common Agricultural Policy and Cohesion Funds in a long time. Both are the largest items in the EU budget, and after Brexit they will look very resentful. And he has taken advantage of the issue to send an errand nothing ambiguous.

"We have talked about it in the Ministerial Council, the Minister of Agriculture put it: in the formation of prices, it is clear that the big distributors have to do an exam, a self-criticism. And we have to introduce more transparency to defend the small and medium farmer and winners, who unfortunately see how prices go down and down, something that is unacceptable to the government, "said the president

Responding to the questions of journalists, the president has assured "Spain is going to defend three important things. That we need ambitious European budgets, not only in objectives but also in support of ambitious objectives. And there are two fundamental elements: the Funds Cohesion and the CAP. And within it, the first pillar, that of direct payments to small and medium farmers, "said the president, also pointing to the items that affect" youth training and employment and vocational training and in digitalization. We are ambitious in a negotiation that begins and that is guessed long, complex, tense. The Government goes with a constructive but firm attitude in the interests that we want to see reflected ", he added.

In his opinion, there are three key factors when addressing the demands of farmers and the problems of the sector. "The first, tariffs and superpower trade policy , and in particular the US. There we tell the European Commission that it has to be worth the specific weight of a single market that represents 500 million people. The second, the Agricultural Policy Common. And the third, the formation of prices ", where he has asked the big distributors for self-criticism.

The president has not given more details on how his Executive intends to address the issue, what margin he thinks he has to squeeze the distributors and if in fact he can do so in the way they have implied at the moment without breaking the norm or the spirit of the competition law.

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  • Pedro Sanchez
  • Luis Planas
  • economy

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