GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, enlargement of the European Union from 15 to 25 Member States is resulting in inevitable changes to its economic, administrative, and social structure. The average gross national product per capita is lower. Unemployment has risen, and society is becoming more divided. The number of poorer persons has increased significantly. There is a greater number of less developed regions, and these regions require support from the Union’s budget. At the same time, however, there have been some very positive developments. Our common market has grown. Internal competitiveness has increased, which will strengthen our external competitiveness. Structural and economic changes in the ten new Member States are opening up great opportunities for development. A so-called baby-boom generation is starting productive adult life in Poland. For the most part, these young people are, well educated citizens, prepared for the challenges of a modern economy. A younger generation of Europeans, open to innovation and progress, is our greatest asset. Social Europe imposes restrictions on economic Europe. It reduces the competitiveness of the economy. This does not mean, however, that we must dispense with Europe’s social heritage, which is so important for our citizens. It need not hamper the search for new tools for development. Recently I was asked what associations the European Union has for me, what buildings, monuments, historical events, achievements, it brought to mind. I answered that Europe does indeed have great buildings, magnificent monuments, and beautiful chapters of history. I said that Europe has wonderful traditions and achievements, but that for me Europe is associated with the values it developed and offers to the world. These values are democracy, human rights, and security for the individual, including economic and social security. They have to be the fundamental prerequisites and guidelines for the philosophy and development of the European Union.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, since you have announced that the votes will start at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday, could you tell me what will happen to my report on the European Year of People with Disabilities? It would be very wrong if a report dealing with disabled people's rights were put back to Thursday afternoon when most of the Members are not here and most of the Members will not be here to vote. We are very remiss about disabled people's rights in this Parliament in terms of access. It would demonstrate a great lack of awareness of the problems that disabled people face if we do not give them some degree of respect by scheduling this debate at a time when Members will be present to debate and vote on this important issue.

Political group: ELDR
The British delegation of Labour MEPs welcomes the action taken by NATO member states to investigate the causes of deaths and illnesses suffered by troops who served in the Balkans. We believe that consideration of the use of depleted uranium should be based on scientific fact. We note that as yet there is no evidence to link depleted uranium and ill health suffered either by troops or civilians. For that reason, we do not believe that it is appropriate at this time to call for a moratorium on the use of depleted uranium weapons.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the human rights situation in Djibouti is giving us great cause for concern. The political prisoners are being held in terrible conditions for they are either packed into cramped cells or kept in isolation. Hygiene is totally lacking and they have no access to medical care. A tuberculosis epidemic has broken out on several occasions and two prisoners have already died due to lack of care. The political detainees have held hunger strikes to protest against the conditions of their detention and to demand access to medical care and their release in the absence of a fair trial. We should remember that most of the prisoners are being held in preventative detention without having been brought before the courts. Among the prisoners who are ill is Mohamed Kadamiousouf. He is the European representative of the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy. He was illegally extradited from Ethiopia in 1997 and, in the absence of medical care, risks losing his sight. As respect for human rights constitutes an essential element of the cooperation and development between the European Union and the Republic of Djibouti, we demand, in accordance with these principles, the release of all political prisoners and access to medical care for all detainees. We particularly want emergency medical care to be given to Mohamed Kadamiousouf to prevent him losing his sight. We also demand a guarantee of freedom of expression and political pluralism which are essential for any democracy and the end to repression against opponents of the regime. Finally, we ask the Commission to use all the means in its power to ensure respect for human rights in Djibouti.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, this is an extremely important document outlining the progress of the ‘Culture’ programme over its first two years of operation – 2000 and 2001. Parliament adopted this report with a view to facilitating all European Union actions seeking to improve the culture of the European citizens. I know that culture is an extremely important investment, even though it is not tangible, even though it is not a road or a house. I am therefore genuinely pleased to discover that this programme is running very well, despite a few technical hitches, which will be resolved in its next three years of operation. I will therefore always persist in calling for more funds to be spent on improving the culture of the European citizens. Report Gröner (A5-0019/2002)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, the message for Mrs Schreyer this evening is crystal clear: she should say to Mr Prodi that we have no need of his action plans. They are only there to gain time, to sweep the whole matter under the carpet. We cannot tolerate this.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I agree with Mr Dimitrakopoulos that the central issue in respect of the problems in Albania – be these of an economic, social or internal security nature – continues to be that of helping that country to reinstate the rule of law, bring security to the citizens, and restore the credibility of institutions and local administrations. Without this rise in the democratic barometer in that country, and in view of the latest electoral shenanigans and the denunciation of the gerrymandering that went on at that time, it is clear there can be no other way of ever resolving Albania’s problems. I welcome the fact that the report at last takes into account and develops two points to which we Italians attach great importance. Firstly, an unstable Albania means instability in the Balkans and an unstable Balkans means instability for Europe. This is an awareness that we must all help to foster. Secondly, another reality is that the pressures brought about by migration and the fight against criminality, both of which originate in Albania, cannot be shouldered by Italy and Greece alone. I have heard many declarations of solidarity and willingness to help, but I must remind you that the only real solidarity shown so far has come from people living in border areas within Italy and by local institutions. I have seen no sign of this solidarity that is supposed to bind Europe, now that it has come to sharing the problems of another people. However, what I cannot accept in this report, and I will state this quite frankly, is that it confuses cause and effect, which is to say it confuses a procedure for the carefully considered issuing of visas, and hence the possibility of migration, with a cause, that of illegal immigration. Things are completely the reverse, so let us not confuse cause and effect. Above all, I find it unacceptable and negative vis-à-vis Albania that we should in a sense intimate that illegal immigration could be tolerated. This is something of which Albania has no need. What Albania does need from us is tangible economic aid and genuine solidarity, but also a little firmness, because it must, with our assistance, go about reconstructing for itself a framework for the rule of law.

Political group: PPE-DE
The rapporteur recalls the low level of payments set and accepts the trend of reducing the EU budget’s share of Community GNI/GNP. Given this situation, with the systematic increase in priorities and with the savings policy that has been pursued – inseparable from the Stability Pact and which contains the systematic practice of cuts, freezes, call-backs, redeployment and reprogramming of budgetary expenditure – consequences that are damaging to the implementation levels of the EU’s traditional priorities are inevitable, especially in the social fields and those of cohesion and cooperation. The very credibility of the budgetary process is also undermined. We are now seeing further problems with defining priorities, such as that given to the Lisbon strategy, or to issues of immigration and asylum. The rapporteur also concedes on the need for changes to national budgetary policy when he accepts the current framework of financial perspectives and even the existing limitations in internal and external policies. He does so to the point of contradicting himself, where Afghanistan is concerned, stating on the one hand, that he would not reduce support for other regions but then says, on the other hand, that he intends to evaluate the possibilities of redeploying the budget and of making it more flexible. Furthermore, priority is still not being given to Palestine ...

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I welcome this report, which is wonderfully comprehensive. The sad thing is that we have to have it at all. If only we lived in a world where we did not perpetually have to stand up and condemn the human rights abuses that occur throughout the world. Let me mention what is happening in Zanzibar, with its criminalisation and arrests of homosexuals, and where the EU has a mechanism through which it can act - the Cotonou Agreement - but does not seem to have the political will to do so. Similarly, when there have been breakdowns of the human rights clauses in our EU Association agreements and we have called for action, those calls have been ignored. Let me also mention Egypt, where there is continuing arrest, entrapment and imprisonment of homosexuals. I praise the Irish Presidency for its work at the UN in supporting the Brazilian motion on human rights and sexual orientation. Sadly, this motion has once again been suspended, due primarily to lobbying by Egypt and Pakistan, the Vatican and the Conference of Islamic States. We are talking here about human beings, about the destruction of individual freedom, individual hope and individual lives. The dignity of any society is based on respect for the dignity of those individuals. Finally, this report sends out a powerful message that what happens in another part of the world is as important to this House and the Member States as if it were happening in Europe. Human rights abuses against another individual are human rights abuses against us all. IN THE CHAIR: MR PUERTAVice-President

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I wish to state my view that Mr Bourlanges's astute reflections are only likely to put an end to the procedural chaos if we really are prepared to be guided by this transparency and clarity in the hierarchy of acts, and that is not always very easy, particularly for those of us who deal with lawmaking in this Parliament's specialised committees, as there is the temptation in modern-day laws to draw a distinction between technical issues and questions of policy. And, as lawmaking has become not only a more involved process but also ever more complex, Members of this House are assumed to be incapable of mastering difficult technical problems. So the executive, wanting to be helpful, puts its rules in appendices or other forms of act, despite the fact that in some cases there are some really intricate political issues of decisive importance lurking in their depths. I think this makes it right and proper to propose that a hierarchy of acts be used to create reliable forms of cooperation. Alongside primary legislation, we need secondary legislation; it is only when it comes to secondary legislation that we need, even more than the national parliaments – which already have it these days – the so-called callback procedure, as this House has no right of initiative with which to reverse the Commission's initiatives. I think it is to the committee's enormous credit that it has now also concurred with the view that both institutions, which are held in an institutional balance, must each have their own chance to withdraw a proposal. I think that really is of the utmost interest for democratic and transparent lawmaking.

Political group: PSE
The Erika oil spill is one of a catalogue of disasters that have taken place in recent years in Community waters, including the Braer spill off Shetland and the Sea Empress off Wales. These spills, in addition to causing irreparable ecological damage, have devastated local industries. In the case of the Erika, the local fishing and aquaculture industries have suffered a bitter blow and it is important not just to look at the harmful effects that are apparent today but also to look ahead at the long-term detrimental effects of oil pollution. Effective compensation is essential. It is time that shipping safety within the Community was tightened up and that greater controls were introduced, including bringing an end to the use of flags of convenience which is also increasingly resorted to in the fisheries sector. The companies responsible, the ship and the cargo owners must pay up for their negligence. The current compensation funds are inadequately funded and this was all too apparent in the case of the Braer disaster where the Shetland Islands fishing industry was inadequately compensated for their losses. We must learn from past experience and make sure that the industries affected by the Braer spill can be rebuilt.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, it is true that the European economy appears to have grown quite solidly over recent years. The main reason is the boost in exports to the US dollar area as a result of the current economic climate there and the weak euro. So the basic principle reads: a weak euro is good for an export-oriented economy and hence good for Europe. It is true that, at over 2%, the rate of inflation in Europe does not meet the stability criteria for the introduction of the euro, mainly as a result of higher oil prices, which are traded in dollars. So then the basic principle reads: a weak euro is bad for the European economy. This illustrates the absurdity of reducing economic policy measures to fiscal policy. It is true that the number of unemployed has fallen over recent years. But it is also true that unemployment in Objective 1 regions has not fallen, because they do not tend to have an export-oriented economy. So we have no convergence, just continuing divergence, i.e. a deepening social divide. It is true that investments have increased over recent years. But it is also true that most were rationalisation and non-expansion investments and that public investment in infrastructure has fallen. What has all this to do with a forward-looking economic policy? The report does not contain a single proposal on strengthening domestic demand, on the specific issue of small and medium-sized enterprises, on strengthening regional economic cycles, on European tax harmonisation, on implementing the Lisbon employment summit, mentioning instead simply liberalisation, privatisation, falling social standards and the abolition of public-funded health and pension funds. The von Wogau report must be rejected.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, enlargement of the European Union will strengthen the Northern Dimension. When the Baltic countries and Poland, which have been major partners in EU external relations, join the Union they will give the Northern Dimension strength both in the EU’s internal development work and its external relations. The enlarging EU is reorganising external relations with its eastern and southern neighbours by creating the Wider Europe and new Neighbourhood Policy. The Northern Dimension’s future crucially depends on how well we can link it with this wider scenario. Within the framework of the Wider Europe Policy, the EU will still enlarge and develop its relations with its European neighbours. Added to that are the Northern Dimension and the Southern Dimension aspects of EU policy, which also extend outside Europe. It is natural that the New Neighbourhood Policy and the new neighbourhood cooperation finance scheme should also be implemented in northern regions. It is precisely in the north that the new finance scheme could be applied as a pilot project before it is adopted generally, as is proposed in Mrs Napoletano’s report.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Commissioner, in a few months’ time, hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers will again head for the Adriatic Coast to spend their summer holiday. We know from media reports that bombs and weapons were dumped just off the coast. Are you able to confirm that holidaymakers will be able to swim safely in the Adriatic this summer, and are there any measures in the pipeline for ascertaining what the dangers might be in this respect?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I speak in my capacity as draftsman of the opinion on the European Climate Change Programme. Commissioner Nielson, I was astonished by the self-satisfaction you radiated during your contribution on the outcome of Johannesburg. There is little evidence to justify it, and your abuse of the press is of no use and makes no difference. I wish to speak on the Climate Change Programme, and with specific reference to the ten of its forty-two points that are to be implemented over the coming two years. The Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy has welcomed this programme as a whole, as we take the view that it is not enough for measures to be taken by the Member States alone. There can, though, be no doubt that responsibility for adherence to the climate change objectives rests primarily with the states that signed the Kyoto Protocol, that is, with the Member States of the European Union, that burden sharing is a voluntary agreement within the European Union, and that the measures proposed by the Commission and supported by Parliament must not be allowed to frustrate these objectives. That is why the Committee on Industry takes the view that what matters in evaluating the measures is that the most efficient and cost-effective should be taken first. It is, then, about not providing just for any old measures that cost a lot of money and put the European Union's industrial competitiveness at risk, but rather about making a start where everything can be put into effect as quickly as possible. There are, as yet, few proposals on how to go about this. Two have been received, one on biofuels, which are the right thing but expensive, and another on emissions trading, on which latter subject the Committee on Industry has made an emphatic call for a voluntary pilot stage up to 2008, and for such trading not to be enforced before that date. It is my belief that this objective and these considerations have to be looked at from the point of view of industry policy. I have been preceded on the floor by four speakers from the Scandinavian states. I believe it to be the common responsibility of us all not to lose sight of our industrial policy objectives and our economy's competitiveness, no matter how necessary it is that we support to the utmost a sensible European climate change programme.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, on behalf of the Green Group I would like to welcome both of these reports. In the limited speaking time I have, I want to focus on just one aspect and that is the health aspects of flying. It is true to say that in the past the airlines have been woefully neglecting passengers' health. That is beginning to change but there is still a long way to go. I particularly welcome the fact that Mr Collins has devoted a clear section in his report to health and I strongly support his calls for the airlines to be far more proactive in giving information about health risks. We need far greater clarity. Information should be available when you book your ticket. It needs to be there in doctors' surgeries. There needs to be a health briefing in the same form as the current safety briefing on board, including advice on the preventative measures that can be taken. Of course life is not risk-free but there has to be a balance in that risk and if people know what the choices are, they are more likely to be able to make an informed judgement. On deep-vein thrombosis for example, although for over ten years there have been reports of people getting blood clots after travelling by plane no comprehensive independent research has been carried out. According to a recent report in The Lancet by a London-based consultant, as many as one in ten people get blood clots of some kind on long-haul flights. Clearly serious health risks are very slight for the vast majority but for a few they are very real. We need to respond to that in terms of both research and the action resulting from that research. More space in aircraft, for example, and less emphasis in getting as many people on board, in as small a place as possible with as much profit as possible. There was another example in the press this morning. A Canadian researcher was saying that as a result of air recycling in the cabin some passengers are at risk of catching diseases as serious as tuberculosis. His claims have been refuted by the airlines. The issue here is not the rights or wrongs of this latest allegation but the fact that this type of uncertainty will continue unless we have a new proactive strategy based on more and better research, appropriate action by the airlines and better information to the public.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I withdraw the question I was going to ask because it has already been put by Mr Hatzidakis and Mr Jarzembowski. I thank the Commissioner for her communication but I would like her to say what she means by ‘unfair competition’ because I did not fully understand this point.

Political group: ELDR