19. Expresses disappointment with the low levels of implementation of Milk Package measures in outermost regions and mountainous, insular and disadvantaged areas, and underlines that it is indispensable to maintain dairy farms as viable and competitive businesses in all of the territories of the Union; considers, in this respect, that these areas must be the focus of special attention and specific studies by the Commission and Member States and that the use of short supply chains, giving preference to local production in these specific c ...[+++]ases, must be encouraged in order to ensure continued production in these regions and to avoid abandonment of the sector; urges the Commission and the Member States furthermore to improve and strengthen the milk distribution regimes in schools, favouring short supply chains and thereby enabling the distribution of production in these regions; highlights the fact that in these areas production costs are typically close to or above farm-gate prices and considers that the current uncertainties of the supply chain are particularly detrimental to these areas, which have the strongest barriers and reduced opportunities for economies of scale; recalls that farmers in these areas depend directly and exclusively on a small number of input suppliers and buyers for their agricultural production because of their geographic isolation; stresses that support for the setting-up and activities of producer organisations should better reflect the realities of these regions; stresses that it is necessary to carry out ambitious policies to support these regions with the aid of policies for rural development, the Investment Plan and the promotion and fine-tuning of CAP aid, as permitted by the latest reform; calls on the Commission, therefore, to encourage the Member States to implement such measures, in order to enable the preservation of milk production in these regions; urges the Commission to closely monitor the evolution of dairy production i ...

16. Commits to maintaining milk production, as dairy farming makes an important socio-economic contribution to agricultural and rural development across the EU, and emphasises its particular importance in disadvantaged mountainous, insular and outermost regions, where it is sometimes the only type of farming possible; adds that for these regions this sector is responsible for social, economic and territorial cohesion, the subsistence of many families, the organisation, occupation and protection of the territory and the maintenance of ...[+++] cultural and traditional practices and also, as dairy farming has shaped centuries-old cultural landscapes in these regions, creating an important basis for tourism; highlights the fact that in these regions the abandonment of milk production equates to the abandonment of agriculture;

16. Believes that transport fuel supplies could be expanded by facilitating the production of unconventional oil and liquid fuels based on natural gas or coal where this is economically reasonable; supports the development and production of alternative fuels, such as biofuels, hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles and hybrid vehicles; also supports efforts to find innovative solutions for the management of transport systems in general, including measures on vehicle energy efficiency;

16. Believes that transport fuel supplies could be expanded by facilitating the production of unconventional oil and liquid fuels based on natural gas or coal where this is economically reasonable; supports the development and production of alternative vehicles and fuels , such as biofuels, hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles and hybrid vehicles; also supports efforts to find innovative solutions for the management of transport systems in general, including measures related to vehicle energy efficiency;

The statistics shall cover all economic activities defined in sections B (Mining and quarrying), C (Manufacturing), D (Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply), E (Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities), F (Construction), G (Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles), H (Transportation and storage), I (Accommodation and food service activities), J (Information and communication activities), K (Financial and insurance activities), L (Real estate activities), M (Professional, scientific and technical activities), N (Administrative and support service activ ...[+++]ities), P (Education), Q (Human health and social work activities), R (Arts, entertainment and recreation activities) and S (Other service activities) of the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE Rev. 2)’.

(19) Milk production and cattle farming are the mainstay of the agricultural economy of the Azores, and support for the sector should take account of the crucial importance of these activities in both social and economic terms, especially for small farmers. To ensure the survival of traditional activity in this sector, the suckler cow premium and the aid for dairy cows should continue to be supplemented, within the limit of the available local quota. A supplement to the slaughter premium should be introduced and aid granted for the disposal of surplus mal ...[+++]e bovines for which no normal outlets can be found in the islands and which must be shipped to the rest of the Community at considerable additional cost, given the particular geographical situation of the region. To ensure that Community support can be mobilised effectively, a comprehensive programme to support local activities in the livestock and milk products sectors should enable the sectors concerned to define and implement strategies tailored to the local context for economic development, spatial organisation of production and increasing the professionalism of producers.