GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
I voted in favour of the report, despite the fact that I did not get a number of amendments through, because it also concerns the excessively high exchange and transfer costs in the euro area. On 4 July, the Commission issued a warning to banks in Belgium, Finland, Portugal and Ireland on account of anti-competitive practices in connection with their exchange charges for currencies in the euro area. It sent statements of objections to nearly 120 banks and banking associations. The banks were given until the beginning of October to reply, but at the same time it was made clear to them that the Commission would severely punish agreements to fix charges, which would stand in the way of introducing the euro notes and coins and harm the consumer. Since 1 January 1999, exchange rates have been irrevocably fixed. It is understandable that the public is disappointed about the continuing high charges, because since this time the banks have no longer been faced with exchange-related risks. These charges still exist, both for exchanging cash and for making cross-border payments. In light of the fact that we are now living in a single market with a single currency, it is unacceptable that these excessive charges should continue to exist. This continuing state of affairs could have an adverse effect on the public's attitude towards the euro and its acceptance of it. If the banks do not cooperate and continue to levy high charges in the euro area, there is a grave danger that consumers will call into question the point and purpose of the euro. I would call on the banks to adopt the standards developed by the European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS) as soon as possible, because these will allow cross-border payment instructions to be forwarded directly and automatically between banks. A survey in the 11 countries of the euro area has shown that consumers still have to pay costs of an average of EUR 17.10 to transfer EUR 100 between Member States. This intolerable state of affairs must be brought to an end as soon as possible. Banks and credit institutions need to do far more to reduce the costs of transferring small amounts between the Member States. I would make a firm plea for transfers to be made less expensive, more efficient and more reliable.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, it is as a completion of what is already in place that this report is particularly important. I would like to thank the rapporteur for the work he has done. This revision of an existing regulation for the recognition of seafarers from countries outside the European Union is, in particular, an improvement on the current situation. The assessment of training by the European Maritime Safety Agency against the training requirements laid down in the IMO treaty, under which approval is given to the third country in question for five years, is a good thing, as it will improve maritime safety in and around European waters enormously. We are making direct use of the agency that we have just set up. It is extremely important to think the same things, to have recognisable rules, to have a recognisable language as far as possible. Many of the accidents at sea are, after all, not only the result of technical defects but are often the result of inattention; human error that could have been avoided if people had been more alert. Amendments that will allow us to use languages other than English as languages of communication in the maritime world seem to me to be undesirable. We need to try to follow other examples of uniformity in international language use. In aviation, for example, English is the right language of communication. Language was said to have been a problem when the Tricolor sank in the Channel, for example. One of the causes of the accidents that occurred after the Tricolor sank was a breakdown in communication between an English-speaking captain and the French pilot services. It is therefore vital that we apply the same recognition in the same language and that we are dealing with the same rules throughout the European Union, and indeed throughout the entire world. Mr Poignant, I think that it is a very good thing that you have formulated your report in these general terms and it is also in general terms that I will support it. (Applause)

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Madam Vice-President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen, I would firstly like to thank the rapporteur for this report, on behalf of the Committee on Legal Affairs, for having accepted the majority of the amendments which this Committee has proposed in its opinion. I would also like to thank all the members of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism for having accepted a series of points of view which the Committee on Legal Affairs believed were important because they would improve the report being produced by Parliament. Secondly, Madam Vice-President, please allow me to congratulate you as we have done on other occasions and on other diverse and varied reports, since, once again, you have dealt with a complicated and controversial issue, which may annoy certain sectors and groups affected, and have made a courageous proposal which, in certain cases, as you can see, we have reduced to a certain extent, although on other aspects we have proposed, if you like, some further detail and a degree of toughening of the proposal. We must acknowledge your work and your will to resolve issues so that the European citizens are much better covered and so that they gain confidence in air transport. Furthermore, this confidence, security and responsibility in the rules on air transport should also be extended to other areas of transport on which you have also made proposals and in which we have not reached the same level in terms of the internal market and liberalisation. We are dealing with a courageous proposal, from the Commission, the rapporteur and the Committee on Transport, which provides for a qualitative leap in the field of insurance. As both you and the rapporteur have indicated quite correctly, we are trying to give the citizens and users confidence and we are making our air transport competitive, and at the same time establishing a series of rules which indicate the route to be taken by air companies as well as the route to be taken by other States. None of these concepts should make us nervous. I believe we are taking the right approach and we must maintain it. We must improve the texts, we must propose innovative ideas such as this and you will always have our support, Madam Vice-President. I hope that Parliament will vote to ratify the proposal of the Committee on Transport, which I believe the Commission can accept, and I believe the Council will be capable of following us and that we will not find, as on other occasions, that in the end certain issues have been rather left behind and then we have all regretted it and have been obliged to resolve them hurriedly.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, it is correct that this report coincides with the upsurge in electoral support for populist xenophobic parties which we have been experiencing in Europe and which is now igniting the heart of our continent. Every report, whether it comes from the institutions, from NGOs or from the Monitoring Centre in Vienna, emphasises the persistence and indeed the escalation of racially-motivated violence. For my part, I applaud the rapporteur’s clarification that racism is not an opinion. Insulting or humiliating someone is not a matter of exercising freedom of expression; it is nothing short of a criminal offence. Saying ‘I don’t like bread pudding’ is not the same as saying ‘I don’t like Arabs’. We know that these two statements have quite different consequences. The important feature of this report is that, rather than merely dealing with the punishment of isolated individuals for isolated acts, it calls for the pursuit of those who supply the ideological weaponry that incites others to commit acts of violence. From this point of view, the comments that were read on the Internet are very interesting. We know that this marvellous communication medium, the Internet, can be used today to order revisionist magazines, buy tapes and CDs glorifying the Third Reich, preach anti-Semitism and, since 11 September, in the name of freedom of opinion, devote entire chat forums to outpourings of anti-Arab and Islamophobic invective. This is unacceptable. To my mind, we cannot plan to enlarge Europe and promote peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the Old World without raising awareness among our youngest citizens of the evil nature of racism. The Constitutional Council in France has just decided to grant the SOS Racisme association the legal right to conduct spot checks to catch nightclub owners who refuse young people entry without good reason. This is the example to follow. Commissioner, Mr President, let me conclude by saying to you that this report will be voted down in any event, which I regret, for unless we grant economic, social and ... (The President cut the speaker off)

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I wish to endorse Mr Posselt's comments. On the one hand, we have a packed agenda for Tuesday and Wednesday. We have night sittings and virtually no opportunity even to meet the visitors' groups who come here. We have very little opportunity to do any of the paperwork which still arises during the week of plenary. On the other hand, we have the scrappy arrangements on a Thursday afternoon, when time is wasted. If I look around, I see far more visitors in the galleries than Members in the chamber. There are empty seats everywhere. I believe that it will damage the reputation of this Parliament if we continue with such uneven timetabling. I would urge you to give this matter very careful consideration when drawing up the timetable for next year. I have a draft copy in various versions and it seems to me that we should be dealing more efficiently and more economically with the time available to us. I would very much appreciate it if you could give this matter serious thought and take it into account during planning. Secondly, I would like to address a question to Mr Nielson, with your permission. Mr Nielson, you were just talking about the budget arrangements which are the basis for your endeavours in the field of food aid. Of course, I would like a little more explanation on this point, if I may. I have been dealing with the budget in the committee which I represent for months. We know that it is still with the Council at present, but Parliament, too, has a number of items which it would like to include in the budget. We see that it is taking time. Nonetheless, perhaps you could give us a clearer idea of what this means for you and your area of work. I think that would be helpful for us.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I believe that I can say to you and to my fellow Members that the explanations that Mr Barón Crespo has just given are the most pathetic that I have heard in ten years of parliamentary life here. (Applause from the right) I would also like to take the liberty of noting that, in his letter to Mr Cox, Mr Barón Crespo, when quoting what was published yesterday in the Corriere della sera in my name, completely misinterpreted it and changed the wording. This is serious, Mr Barón Crespo, because I wrote that the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs has breached some of the Rules of Procedure, which is why I sent Mr Cox a letter, to which he sent a reply, which I answered. The difference between saying ‘breached some of the Rules’ and saying ‘systematic breaches’ is merely one of intellectual integrity, or otherwise. It means saying ‘black’ or ‘white’: it is one thing to raise some points; it is another thing to say that our Rules of Procedure have systematically not been respected. I will take the liberty – in conclusion, Mr President – of making one remark. You said that yesterday the House voted on something that is, in any case, the sole responsibility of the President, but since we chose – or rather, since he chose – Rule 130(3) without considering that paragraph 1, which is binding, says that first of all amendments are put to the vote and then the text, we – or perhaps not we, but someone here whose responsibility it was – betrayed this Parliament’s sense of democracy. (Applause from the right)

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we here in the European Parliament and, obviously, the Swedish Christian Democratic Party too, welcome the clear and significant administrative simplification entailed in a European Health Insurance Card. As from 2004, this card will also be electronic, and it will be possible to read data off it. The introduction of a Health Insurance card is, of course, extremely welcome. It will make it significantly simpler for people in the various Member States of the European Union to have their social rights safeguarded without administrative worries. The various forms will now disappear, firstly the E111 form and, subsequently, the others too: E110, E119 and E128. At the same time, it is important to emphasise that this new European Health Insurance Card does not provide any new social rights. It is only an administrative simplification. In the future too, it will, on a purely constitutional basis, be the Member States that are responsible for health care within the European Union. Responsibility for payment also lies with the Member States. It is important for us in the European debate to see social rights as being linked to issues of solidarity and responsibility for payment. I also wish to emphasise that, today in many EU Member States, there is an economic crisis within the health and social insurance systems. The objective of harmonisation, or of creating a European catalogue of social rights without linking this to funding by the Member States, is very dubious. We must make matters easier from an administrative point of view, but we must allow the Member States themselves to deal with these issues in the future too.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Madam Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the question which interests me is this: what is the legal basis – the relevant legislation and technical directives – for the assessment of radioactive effluents?

Political group: PPE-DE
The report deals with the procedure for adopting derogations concerning the creation of a common system of value added tax. If the European institutions were concerned about the interests of the majority of the public then they would standardise VAT by proposing to abolish it, which would simplify the procedure at the same time. Of course, though, the European institutions, like the individual States, chiefly want to exempt private companies and the privileged social classes from the tax burden by making the public, including the poorest people, bear the bulk of it. Indirect taxation, in particular VAT, serves to do this. It is especially unfair because, since it is not proportional to income, then it hits the poor harder than the rich. We obviously voted against the report. Report: Karas (A5-0472/2003)

Political group: GUE-NGL
I would like to congratulate the rapporteur on his work. State aid must be defined and provided by a nation at times of economic crisis. If aid were to become a normal, regular occurrence, far from benefiting the country or providing an essential means of overcoming difficult times, it would without a doubt exacerbate the problems of the recipients. The Berenguer Fuster report on the draft Commission regulation on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to state aid for employment should be read in this light, considering that these articles would also normally apply to the transport sector. The impending enlargement must be seen as an extraordinarily important, exceptional event. It will lead to a change in the distribution of work and to marked differences in salary levels and standards of living between the current Member States and the newly acceded countries. The potential structural distortions generated by the – certainly lower – cost of labour in these countries, by different environmental, social and technical standards and by strong competition between the labour forces on the market can be addressed by making the labour market more flexible and, to some extent, through the provision of state aid to employment. The accession of the candidate countries will lead, especially in the traditional economic sectors such as heavy industry, agriculture and transport, to excesses of labour, and these people will not be able to find work immediately in the new, emerging economic sectors. (Text abbreviated in accordance with Rule 137(1) of the Rules of procedure)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, the tragic events of 11 September have certainly changed the face of the aviation industry and will probably have more effects in the months to come. Today I want to deal with the effect they are having on the regional areas of Europe, rather than the major cities like London, Birmingham and Paris, because they will survive and receive support. We in Northern Ireland watched with interest as Sabena pulled out, and then Aer Lingus, which provided a service from Belfast to Shannon for transatlantic flights and was used by many people in Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland's Government said it wanted greater cooperation with Northern Ireland, but the first time there is a bit of trouble, it runs away! That is the kind of cooperation we Unionists have to put up with! No one can persuade me that some of these large companies have not used this situation to put some of their own problems right. British Airways stayed in Northern Ireland and stood by its staff through bombs and bullets. What has it done? It has pulled out of Northern Ireland as well! I condemn it for that. I hope, Commissioner, that you will ensure that it is not allowed to keep those slots in order to open up more lucrative routes and that if other companies are prepared to start up from the regions those slots will be given to them. I certainly feel very strongly about this. I am not in favour of giving large amounts of money to bail out inefficient companies. To some extent Mr Atkins is right: there are other companies out there which are making money and they have to be supported. I say to the Commission and the Council that they cannot come here and give us a lecture. They will have to come back with firm and positive proposals. It is time for action and time for a dose of realism. If the Council and the Commission cannot do it now, we will harry them until they do!

Political group: PPE-DE
I voted against the resolution. By integrating the whole of Turkey, Europe would be changing not only its geographical dimensions but also its very nature. Turkey has no claims – be they geographical, historical or cultural – to be part of the EU’s political project. We must, however, connect Turkey with Europe. I say ‘no’ to accession, but ‘yes’ to close and privileged cooperation, and to a strong partnership agreement. Turkey must, furthermore, confront its past. I also voted in favour of the amendment calling on the Turkish authorities to make a public acknowledgement of the genocide against the Armenians. I also hope that Parliament’s assent will be sought before negotiations are opened, and not once they have been completed.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, up to now we have placed particular emphasis on the fight against communicable diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We have repeatedly asked for the scope of this action to be extended to other diseases particularly associated with poverty and with poor hygiene and environmental conditions. I therefore very warmly welcome John Bowis's report, which approaches health in the broadest possible way and takes account of the impact on health of food, environmental and educational policy. Preventing diseases involves improving the living conditions of people in the South, by means of a coherent and integrated development strategy. In the long term a preventive strategy is essential. In the shorter term, we need to ensure that the sick have access to treatment and medicines, which also have to be made available in the first place. It is true that in the majority of countries in the South health systems are poor, but privatising the sector will not solve the problem. Only the public sector can provide free and universal health care. For that reason, health should continue to be excluded from GATS, and I am delighted that this report reiterates that fundamental principle. I of course support the amendment calling for the provisions of the Doha Declaration on medicines to be implemented, especially as the agreement that the TRIPS Council has just reached is supposed to allow it to come into force. Although we welcome this entry into force, it also has to be recognised that the complexity of this agreement means that we have some doubts about its effectiveness. For example, countries without any production capacity will be subject to a double system of mandatory licences and restrictions that they could often find costly. If health really is one of the priorities of the European Union's development policy, then the Member States should make a firm commitment to grant the mandatory licences developing countries need if they are to protect their public health. We Members of the European Parliament need to join together to exert continuing pressure if this communication is not to be just a dead letter.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Madam President, the situation in Afghanistan is of great interest to this House. This important report, in the context of the development of democracy in Afghanistan, is highly topical. As the report emphasises, the situation since the end of the Taliban regime has improved, but additional efforts need to be made. For example, as many have said this morning, the situation of women must be highlighted. Literacy is still unbelievably low, with only a 10% to 15% literacy rate among women. Only one-third of school children are girls. They are often held back from returning to school. And even if some of these women go to school they face violence just for attending. These trends are strongest outside Kabul, in the south and east of the country, where the situation of women is not so well known but is much worse than in the political centre. The Constitution, drawn up in January, specifically recognises the equality between men and women. 25% of the seats in the House of the People are reserved for women, yet it remains uncertain that this provision, along with others establishing rights for women, will help to implement women's rights properly or help women get elected in the coming election. Many Members have talked about the issue of drugs. We live in a world where a poppy grown in Afghanistan can end up being illegally sold as heroin in Scotland. The human suffering caused by the drugs problem and its links to crime in our communities concerns us all. That is why we should support the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, which sets the target of complete elimination of poppy growing by 2013. I am pleased that the UK Government plans to deploy an enhanced drugs team to Kabul and Kandahar by the end of the year and has made GBP 70 million available, over three years, for law enforcement, capacity-building, alternative livelihoods for those who are involved in poppy cultivation, and demand-reduction initiatives. We must ensure that capacity for effective public administration continues to improve at central and provincial levels.

Political group: PSE