André ROUGÉ

Policy topics André ROUGÉ is active on

What André ROUGÉ has said (10)

• 2025-07-18 “E-002999/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is taking measures to support the development of a sustainable and competitive nickel industry that also brings added value in New Caledonia. The Commission recognised the CaledoNi Project as a Strategic Project under the Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act on 4 June 2025 1 . The project will benefit from support to coordinate its access to finance and offtakes. New Caledonian CRM projects can also benefit from the CRM Facility, a technical assistance facility to integrate raw materials value chains between EU and partner countries and overseas territories. The current Commission’s Multiannual Financial Framework allocates EUR 30.9 million to New Caledonia via the 2021–2027 Budget Support programme on energy transition 2 . One of its Specific Objectives is to green the industrial sector to position New Caledonia as a global leader in green nickel. The programme seeks to increase the share of renewable energy in the mining and metallurgy electricity mix, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower electricity costs, a key factor affecting the sector’s competitiveness compared to jurisdictions such as Indonesia. The EU’s regulations on environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards strengthen the position of ESG-compliant businesses on the EU market. For example, the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 3 includes human rights and environmental due diligence obligations on the sourcing, processing and trading of nickel. The Commission also promotes these ESG standards in negotiations and implementation of EU trade agreements. The Commission also takes trade defence action to defend EU industry from unfairly traded imports when it receives complaints with evidence of dumping or subsidisation harming that industry. 1 C(2025) 3491 final - COMMISSION DECISION of 4.6.2025 recognising certain critical raw material projects located in third countries and in overseas countries or territories as Strategic Projects under Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council 2 Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland (DOAG), https://eurlex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2021/1764/oj/eng. 3 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1542/oj/eng.”
  Chinese clean tech competition: trade barriers and investment caps vs. open market · Due diligence in supply chains (environmental and human rights)
• 2025-06-13 “E-002395/2025 Answer given by Mr Hansen on behalf of the European Commission EU support remains essential for the development of Réunion’s agriculture. The selection of supported projects under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) falls under the remit of the local managing authority, hence the Commission cannot reinforce EAFRD support for irrigation projects. Réunion support will continue through the French Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 1 . Within the framework of the 2023-2027 programming period, European funds such as the CAP Strategic Plan and the Recovery and Resilience Plan, continue to provide support for the implementation of the various agricultural projects including those relating to irrigation networks in the coming years. Moreover, the Mid-Term review of the Cohesion Policy 2 , as per the political agreement reached between the co-legislators, offers a package of measures to encourage Members States to invest in water resilience. New dedicated priorities established for that objective will benefit from an additional one-off pre-financing of 20% of the amounts programmed and the possibility of a top-up of 10% of the EU co-financing rate. Finally, the Commission presented its proposal for a post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework on 16 July 2025. As outlined in the Water Resilience Strategy, the next Multiannual Financial Framework is an opportunity to further support water resilience through investment and reforms. In the context of the national and regional partnership plans, and according to Chapter VI (Articles 46-48) of the proposal 3 , Member States could address areas such as improved governance, risk assessment and disaster preparedness, increased water efficiency and reuse, prioritised demand reduction and enhanced controls. 1 https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/cap-my-country/cap-strategic-plans/france_fr. 2 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, ‘A modernised Cohesion policy: The mid-term review,’ COM(2025) 163, 1 April 2025: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/communication/mid-term-review-2025/communication-mid-termreview-2025_en.pdf. 3 COM(2025) 565 final, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security for the period 2028-2034 and amending Regulation (EU) 2023/955 and Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.”
  EU policy on water management · Agricultural funding
• 2025-01-15 “E-000137/2025 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The European Agricultural Funds may support sugarcane growers in La Réunion. Agriculture in the outermost regions is supported by the Programme of Specific Options on Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI), and exceptional changes to the programme are possible to deal with natural disasters. Under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), under certain conditions, support can be provided to restore agricultural production potential damaged by natural disasters (including pest diseases). Support is also available for cooperation measures such as pilot projects and developing new products, practices, processes and techniques. In addition, a new exceptional EAFRD measure under the Rural Development Programme allows Member States to provide liquidity support to farmers affected by natural disasters. The Commission’s proposal on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques 1 contributes to sustainability and resilience of the agri-food system, in particular to foster the development of improved plant varieties that are climate resilient and pest resistant. Plant health research and innovation are prioritised through Horizon Europe 2 , particularly under cluster 6: ‘Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment’ 3 , and will remain a key focus in future Horizon Europe Work Programmes 4 . Numerous EU-funded projects address emerging plant pest threats 5 by developing advanced tools for early detection, prevention, monitoring and management. They also focus on breeding resistant or tolerant varieties adapted to climate change 6 . 1 COM(2023) 411 final. 2 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe_en 3 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/cluster-6-food-bioeconomy-natural-resources-agriculture-and-environment_en 4 Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/fundingopportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/strategic-plan_en 5 Agri Factsheet Plant Health https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/e8a5772e-9fca-4583-a81b649729068f1e_en 6 Agri Factsheet Breeding and Genetic Resources https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/158ab06d-46a7-4803-bef8-ae6582bfcfe1_en”
  GMOs
• 2024-12-05 “E-002778/2024 Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the challenges facing the EU’s outermost regions and French Guyana in terms of food security and farming and is fully committed to supporting the development of these regions. The outermost regions can receive support under the Single Market Programme 1 for the implementation of phytosanitary programmes for the control of pests. However, Ceratobasidium sp. does not feature among the pests eligible for funding in the phytosanitary programme 2025-2027 2 . The outermost regions can also benefit from support through the Horizon Europe programme for plant health research and innovation. This area is a priority under cluster 6 ‘Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment’ of the Horizon Europe Programme 3 , and will remain a key focus in future work programmes 4 . Under Horizon 2020 5 and Horizon Europe, numerous projects in plant health were funded, including initiatives addressing emerging threats from plant pests. The outermost regions benefit from further support for agriculture and food autonomy under the Common Agricultural Policy and the Programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity. The French Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan supports research projects for agriculture through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development 6 , enabling outermost regions to address plant health challenges. The LIFE 7 programme under which the outermost regions benefit from bonus points for their applications, also supports biodiversity protection and projects relating to invasive alien species. Outermost regions also benefit from the ‘BESTLIFE2030: Grant scheme for biodiversity in EU Overseas’ 8 that finances small biodiversity projects with 95% financing. 1 Regulation (EU) 2021/690 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a programme for the internal market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European statistics (Single Market Programme). 2 Commission Implementing Decision of 8.4.2024 on adoption of the multiannual work programme for 20252027 for the implementation of veterinary programmes for animal diseases and zoonoses and phytosanitary programmes for plant pests. 3 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/cluster-6-food-bioeconomy-natural-resources-agriculture-and-environment_en 4 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-europe/strategic-plan_en 5 https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-opencalls/horizon-2020_en 6 https://commission.europa.eu/funding-tenders/find-funding/eu-funding-programmes/european-agriculturalfund-rural-development-eafrd_en 7 https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life_en 8 https://bestlife2030.org/”
  GMOs
• 2024-10-30 “E-002354/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The Scattered Islands are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories, which are themselves associated with the EU through the status of Overseas Countries and Territories. The status of the Scattered Islands is being discussed between the French and Malagasy governments in the framework of a Joint Commission. This being a bilateral issue between a particular Member State and a third country, the EU has no competence to intervene.”
  EU policy on the Indo-Pacific region · EU competences on foreign affairs
• 2024-10-04 “E-001962/2024 Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is aware of the constraints faced by Outermost Regions as recognised by the Treaty 1 . EU provides several support opportunities for the fruit and vegetable production under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). First of all, the POSEI scheme 2 , with its high level of support and degree of subsidiarity, continues to be an efficient instrument to strengthen local production by supporting crop diversification including fruit and vegetable production. There is also complementary national funding under POSEI. In 2023, EUR 5,5 million were allocated to crop diversification in Guadeloupe. Through the French CAP Strategic Plan, producers can benefit from area-based support for organic farming, and integrated production. In addition, there is aid for investments in agricultural holdings, including specific support for young farmers (EUR 6 million), and for the processing and marketing of agricultural products. Risk management tools are available for farmers, as is the specific support for areas facing natural constraints, comprising mountain areas (EUR 5 million). The CAP also supports prevention actions and the restauration of agricultural production potential damaged by natural disasters and including plant diseases 3 . Finally, in his Mission letter, the Commissioner-designate for Agriculture and Food 4 , has been tasked to present under the new Commission a generational renewal strategy, notably to support family farms and young farmers to access capital. 1 Article 349 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). 2 Programme of Specific Options Relating to the Remoteness and Insularity (first pillar of the CAP financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF)) replacing the direct payments granted under the first pillar of the CAP in all other EU regions. 3 Subject to the official recognition by the national authorities of the occurrence of a natural disaster. Also, it should be noted that the Commission recently put forward proposals to amend the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) 2014–2022 legal framework, with a view to granting further flexibility to Member States to support farmers affected by natural disasters and including plant diseases. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_5321 4 https://commission.europa.eu/document/2c64e540-c07a-4376-a1da-368d289f4afe_en”
  Agricultural funding · Direct payments to farmers (pillar 1)
• “Thank you very much, chairman. Colleagues, if I may, I'd like to welcome the work of the rapporteur, which, in the view of the Patriots, does propose some amendments going in the right direction. General aims give the commission powers that it shouldn't have to decide which priorities it wants to use the funds for. We also support you, Mr. Rapporteur, when you talk about the merging of several budgets, this creates an uncertainty when it comes to predictability of financing for beneficiaries. Once again, this gives discretionary powers to the commission to the detriment of our farmers and fishers. And those of outermost regions. So we have put forward several amendments to support agriculture and fisheries. They should have a separate budget to the cohesion policy. These essential policies should have funding that meets their needs. The envelopes proposed by the Commission will not allow that. The same applies to pose. It's not acceptable that that's disappeared. The only reform planned is to work on increasing those funds and improve its performance, as underlined by the Court of Auditors report from the 26th of January. This disappearance is especially bad because, given the intrinsic fragilities that as described in the treaties, outermost regions need dedicated budget lines.”
  Agricultural funding · Funding for OCTs and outermost regions · Funding for fisheries and aquaculture
• “Lastly, Mr. Rapporteur, we support you when you ask for the cohesion policy to maintain its own budget heading. However, our group is absolutely against conditionality for cohesion funds. This takes end users in hostage. I would remind you of Germain's comments at the end of the 19th of January between several committees where they refuse conditionalities that have nothing to do with agriculture, and they accused the European Commission of increasing their powers and their competences. We couldn't have said it better from the Patriots. European tax should be contained and we will oppose both indictment and increasing the budget of the European Union. This budgetary control is absolutely possible, as long as we get rid of ideological spending and the various ineffective programmes and interventions outside of the EU's competences as described in the treaties. Lastly, if we don't oppose the forced enlargement of the EU to Ukraine, this will end up doing away with our Common Agricultural Policy and Cohesion policy. Our constructive amendments are along those lines, and I hope that the majority of this committee will receive them positively. Thank you.”
  Conditions to access EU budget
• “President. Colleagues. Commissioner. Nice just hosted the UN Ocean Conference. Now we should, um, pay tribute to the role of France, but a lack of, um, discernment about the exclusive zones for France. There is a risk, um, in on these areas second biggest in the world. And we're seeing that even more seriously in the islands and in the Mozambique Channel off Mayotte, but also in the South Pacific. All of these French areas, people are looking at them. They're threatened. They're intimidated by huge foreign powers with the risk of maybe having one day to cede some of their areas and resources in the seas. Now, this affects the future of France, but the UN has little to say about that. Strengthening the inclination of the international community to block the mining of the seabed. Now Europe, which wants regulation, is also getting involved here as well. And we're applying it to the seabed. The Ocean Pact acts on a supranational level and France has to move away from that to rebecome, a first rank power which can freely respect and use its seabeds.”
  EU competences on foreign affairs
• “President. Colleagues, the legal framework in sustainable biofuels needs to be reviewed to better uphold the energy sovereignty of our member states. We can see that we need this, especially when we see the situation in Guadeloupe and Martinique and in French overseas territories. Since in the Americas, since 2011, these overseas territories have seen that there has been sargassum, algae, sargassum that pollutes the environment and that has a negative impact on fisheries and tourism. And then, of course, there is an impact on the budgets of the local authorities. 3000 tons. 300,000 tonnes are accumulating on the coast. This biomass is currently something that is having a negative impact, but it should become a resource. In fact, when we look at Sargassum, we can see that there's a lot of potential for producing sustainable biofuels, so long as the European Union will allow that to be possible from the patriots for Europe and as a member of this and from the overseas territory, I should like to see a specific legal framework in order to make sure that we can use sargassum, taking a constraint, making it an opportunity. So through mechanization, for example.”
  Biofuels (RED II)