e of its contribution to employment and to keeping the population in the countryside, the Commission's proposals go in the opposite sense.
I am sure that a more detailed consideration of its proposal on the part of the Commission would lead, as has happened in other sectors - such as wine - to a new proposal, a much more realistic one, which maintains the economic and social cohesion which must inspire all of the Community policies of the European Union.

Arias Cañete
Madam President, it is not necessary to highlight the enormous economic importance of the olive crop in the European Union.
More than 4 million hectares and 465 000 jobs depend on this crop. In my autonomous community alone, Andalusia, 14 000 jobs, almost 50 % of all agricultural jobs, depend on this COM, which is thus established as a basic element of social and territorial cohesion.
In this context, the Commission has presented us with a proposal which, in its current form, is clearly out of step with Mediterranean agriculture, unbalanced in respect of certain Member States and technically incorrect since it eliminates fundamental elements for the stability of prices and agricultural incomes, such as intervention. Further, it does not protect Community consumers in that it does not consider banning mixtures and totally ignores the situation of table olives.
The Commission must begin to treat Mediterranean farmers fairly. It is not possible to always invoke financial neutrality for the more disadvantaged farmers and to be prepared to systematically increase, without restrictions, aid to continental production. Commissioner, it is perfectly possible to increase the maximum guaranteed quantity with a very limited budgetary effort; it is perfectly possible too, where appropriate, to bring national quotas into line with actual production in the Member States, and the Commission knows that the figures on which it based its proposal are inaccurate and obsolete.
I am pleased with the fact that we have tabled amendments which have led to important agreeme