Two more years for the food programme for the EU's most deprived citizens

The European Parliament approved the "Food for the needy" programme that supplies food to the EU's most deprived citizens, for two more years, thanks to a rescue plan previously agreed with the Council. The programme will run until the end of 2013, with a budget of up to €500 million per year.

The "Food for the needy" programme will continue to supply food to the EU's most deprived citizens for two more years, with a budget of up to €500 million per year. MEPs backed the plan in plenary session, with the yes to the rescue plan previously agreed with Member States and that it was adopted by the Council on the 7 of February.

The proposed update of the regulation which would make it possible for the scheme to purchase food on the market, had remained blocked in the Council until November 2011, when Germany agreed to back the scheme's continuation, with proper funding, until the end of 2013. The free food originally came from CAP intervention stocks, but as these were reduced, the scheme came increasingly to rely on market purchases, just as the global economic crisis caused a sharp increase in the number of citizens in need.

The new rules will apply retroactively from 1 January 2012. The programme, on which 18 million of the EU's poorest people in 20 Member States rely, will run until the end of 2013. Moreover, MEPs also consider that the programme should continue to provide food to poor and needy EU citizens also after 2014.