(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3730/87 of 10 December 1987 laying down the general rules for the supply of food from intervention stocks to designated organisations for distribution to the most deprived persons in the Community, subsequently repealed and integrated into Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/ 2007, has provided a reliable source of food for distribution to the most deprived persons of the Community for more than two decades and has positively contributed to the cohesion of EU regions by reducing economic and social disparities between regions which have different levels of development .

– (DE) Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, let me start by making it clear that the distribution of food to deprived people is, for me, not at issue in the forthcoming vote on the report by Mr Siekierski, particularly in these difficult economic times.

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3730/87 of 10 December 1987 laying down the general rules for the supply of food from intervention stocks to designated organisations for distribution to the most deprived persons in the Community, subsequently repealed and integrated into Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/ 2007, has provided a reliable source of food for distribution to the most deprived persons of the Community for more than two decades and has positively contributed to the cohesion of EU regions by reducing economic and social disparities between regions which have different levels of development .

(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3730/87 of 10 December 1987 laying down the general rules for the supply of food from intervention stocks to designated organisations for distribution to the most deprived persons in the Community, subsequently repealed and integrated into Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/ 2007, has provided a reliable source of food for distribution to the most deprived persons of the Community for more than two decades and has positively contributed to the cohesion of EU regions by reducing economic and social disparities between regions which have different levels of development.

The upcoming social program review scares many disadvantaged people and those who are suffering because of the sluggish economic recovery. It scares unemployed persons, welfare recipients, low and middle income families, senior citizens and, of course, disabled persons.

Nine lines of action The Green Paper, which will be comprehensively reviewed by the main parties concerned in the coming months, puts forward nine lines of action: - a legal framework for the situation of "student/trainee" and volunteer in the European Union (EU) to solve the problems of social security and taxation hampering mobility; - standard treatment for researchers on a grant in the all the Member States, either through the recognition of an identical condition or the application of similar measures throughout the Union; - social protection for anyone wanting to travel in the Union as part of training or studying, this facility already being accorded to people moving in ...[+++] the EU for the purposes of employment; - a European area of qualifications through mutual recognition of studies and training courses in another Member State; - abolition of the "territoriality" of grants, thereby allowing the least privileged to train or study in another Member State; - equal treatment of EU citizens and third county nationals residing legally in the Member States; - reduced socio-economic problems by granting aid to the most needy to enable them to undertake periods of training in other countries; - encouragement to learn languages, even those less widely spoken; - better information on existing possibilities and raising of public awareness of the advantages of mobility in training and studying.