GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I should like to add my voice to the congratulations being offered to Mrs Heidi Hautala: she has sought compromises, she has come halfway to meet our various concerns. Consequently, I hope that her efforts will be rewarded at eleven o’clock, since a report in which so much hard work has been invested and about which there should be a large measure of agreement, must be assured of a sizeable majority in this Parliament. You can count on my group at any rate. When people ask me what the value added of Europe is, it is always very easy simply to give the examples of what Europe has done to promote equal rights for men and women. A great deal has already changed, including in my own country, the Netherlands. We sometimes think that we are in the vanguard, but the truth is far from that and a great deal still needs to change. This revision is very important in that respect and accordingly I am glad that this is now going ahead in Europe. Mr President, sexual harassment at work must be outlawed. It is terribly difficult to combat. Victims feel they are alone. It really is a major step forward that this will now be regarded as discrimination, because that allows us to deal with the problem better. But of course the saying “prevention is better than cure” applies here too. And if companies are now obliged to take preventive measures, that simply means that this problem, if things go well, will be banished. Motherhood will be better protected by this legislation, since it is unfortunately still the case that with applications or career decisions, employers still weigh up whether they will be “losing” a woman for a time, because that is how they still see it, to maternity leave. The only way of ensuring that such weighing up no longer takes place and that that form of discrimination disappears is to ensure a much better distribution of care responsibilities between men and women. That is also the reason why our group feels it is important that paternity leave can be claimed by men, and that if that option does not exist, this is simply another case of discrimination. Hence our amendment. I must say that I was surprised that in the women’s committee tried to remove it. My understanding was that there is now a pact on the matter. I hope that this is indeed the case, and that at eleven o’clock it will prove so and that at eleven o’clock we shall all be here and we will be able to give a very clear signal that fathers should be entitled to leave too. In conclusion, Mr President, a few words about the exemplary role that European institutions could play in this. I mean the intended amendment of the terms of employment of employees of institutions like, for example this Parliament, and also the Commission. If we look at opportunities for maternity leave in the European institutions, we see that the situation is depressing. I hope that the Commissioner will be able to point out to her colleagues that they have an important function in showing that we, at any rate, do things in a certain way in these institutions and can use this to give an important signal to Europe.

Political group: ELDR
I and my colleagues have opposed this amendment because Leyla Zhana is insisting that she is not herself asking for special treatment or immediate release from gaol. She wants the penal law changed, as do we. Moreover, we believe that not only Kurdish, but all political prisoners should be freed.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, this Parliament has always argued in favour of improving EU laws on arms export and, partly as a result of these pleas, we now have a code of conduct which we are able to debate today for the first time. The Group sees this as a good start but a code is no law. We continue to strive for legislation which is more binding and more up to date, in view of the developments within the arms market and in the arms industry. So, as far as we are concerned, we would emphasise the wording in Mr Titley’s report about also making the code legally binding. Having said this, I would naturally like to congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Titley on his excellent report. He has scrutinised the code most comprehensively and has prepared a report for us which we can now readily discuss. One central point, of course, is that arms export policy should not develop in isolation. It must form an integral part of the common foreign and security policy. After all, it is an instrument of foreign policy which can and must contribute to the Union’s external policy which we would all like to bolster. The European Union is currently developing a military arm within the second pillar. This requires more cooperation in the field of arms production and arms export. I hope that the bigger players in the arms export industry can see this as well. May the improved cooperation between six Member States, which came about recently, serve as a case in point. I would still like to underline that, within that framework, one of our objectives is to improve the so-called end-user regulation. We feel we should continue to work on this code and ensure that it can lead to a common arms export policy in due course. The rapporteur is also right to highlight a number of persistent problems in the field of arms export. The proliferation of light weapons remains disconcerting, even close to home, in the Balkans, for example. In a sense, these arms have come to symbolise anarchy in many areas worldwide. The EU would do well to grant this more priority. There is of course also a direct link with organised crime, which is actively involved in the arms trade. This can only be tackled through increased cooperation. I wholeheartedly back Mr Titley’s plea to grant the candidate states a more prominent role. I would also like to include the Balkans in this. Much of the so-called illegal arms trade is channelled through these regions. As Mr Titley pointed out – rightly so – the code can be made more transparent by providing more and better information. I would like to underline this, also on behalf of my group. Unnecessary secrecy surrounding arms transactions must disappear. Here too we should continue to fight for more transparency. It is only by having hard facts that we can assess whether the EU Member States actually practise what they often preach, namely work on more security within and between countries.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the , I would like to join in the moving tributes to President Pflimlin, and am only too pleased to extend warm congratulations to Portugal on its presidency. The past six months have certainly seen some highly creditable work on the various aspects of European integration. I mainly have in mind the activities carried out within the context of the IGC. The Liberals believe it is crucial for there to be further institutional reform before enlargement takes place. In particular, I would point out that qualified majority voting in the Council and Parliament’s codecision powers will have to be extended if we want the European Union to be more efficient, more democratic, more open and broader. The Liberals are also delighted that a solution has been found in the form of an agreement on the exchange of information concerning the taxation of income from savings. This could provide the impetus for better fiscal coordination within the Union. It is probably safe to say that the most outstanding achievements have been the decisions taken on the wider introduction of modern technology, the promotion of e-commerce and the realisation of a knowledge-based society with a view to creating more job opportunities. The decision taken by the Council to develop a system of best practice for public administration is also to be welcomed. As far as external relations are concerned, the welcomes the idea of a summit between the European Union and the most democratically advanced countries in the western Balkans. EU policy ought perhaps to be given a higher profile over there, in support of the ongoing stabilisation process. Finally, there are two comments I would like to make. As a Belgian national, I am delighted with the progress made in respect of food safety and that an undertaking has been given to set up a central food agency before the end of this year. As an MEP I have no intention of letting the matter of the uniform statute for MEPs drop. I hope we will be able to reach agreement on this during the forthcoming French Presidency. Indeed, we must.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, as colleagues know, today across Europe there is popular discontent with regard to Europe's apparent disconnection from ordinary life. The European political process is widely seen as an elite preoccupation of little or no relevance to many outside the political classes. Quite rightly concern about this crosses national boundaries and the ideological divide. It is a wish to try to remedy this discontent that lies behind Mr Napolitano's report, which we in the Group support. There have been a number of responses to this unhappy and unacceptable state of affairs, one of which included the suggestion of establishing a second European parliamentary chamber comprising national parliamentarians. The conclusions of this report, as the rapporteur has already mentioned, echo a recently published report from the House of Lords in my own country. They recognise the important role of national parliaments, but reject the argument for a further second chamber. Rather than further encumbering the European political process, this report recognises that it is for the European Parliament in its sphere, and national parliaments in theirs, in accordance with their own national traditions, to scrutinise their own governments' conduct of European business and activities in the Council of Ministers. Consensus has rightly emerged that an important component of the way to reconnect Europe with national political life, and through that with European citizens, is through an alliance between the European Parliament and national parliaments and national politics, which at present seem to give insufficient weight to thorough and comprehensive scrutiny of European matters. In this report Mr Napolitano, as befits the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and rapporteur, has most skilfully woven together an approach to improving relations between the European Parliament and national parliaments and to strengthening cooperation between them. The pedantic constitutional purist from any one Member State might cavil at some of the detail, but this report provides a template for action which cannot be carried out by any single parliament. Changes must take place in a wider framework of change and democratic openness on all sides. If political and democratic openness and acceptability matter – and no political group in this House believes in them more than we in the Group do – the Napolitano report represents an important starting point. But we must not complacently rest on our laurels now. This report represents words; we must now see action. Change, in line with the thrust of the report's conclusions and catalysed by the Laeken Convention as the rapporteur himself pointed out, is needed to start to remedy these democratic deficiencies in the European political system which, if left unattended, could be so damaging.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I propose to the House to adopt the text of Amendment No 33 without the words 'and training': this is because we have already added the case of rapid mobilisation to the many cases in which the Single Sky rules can be suspended. Adding 'training of their armed forces' would mean rendering all the legislation we are adopting on the Single Sky totally unusable. This is why I am calling for the two words 'and training' to be removed. (Parliament accepted the oral amendment)

Political group: PSE
Since there have been some errors and possibly problems concerning digital television in this telecom package, I would like to ask the Commission to comment on how it will act if this package is adopted in plenary.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I merely wish to correct something Commissioner Monti said. He is right that I referred to the 10 000 jobs in the United Kingdom and specifically those in my constituency, Birmingham, Rugby and Stafford. However, the record will show that I said we had a care of duty - a responsibility - to the 110 000 jobs. Therefore, whilst I recognise that I looked at the British consequences, I am extremely concerned about the effects on those jobs across Europe.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I am to give the speech which should have been made by my fellow Member, Geneviève Fraisse. She joins the protests made by Mrs Theorin this morning. I am pleased that the European Commission feels responsible for following up the Beijing Conference. Yet we need precision in order to ensure effectiveness. The same applies to the situation of women today, as much in terms of equality – education, citizenship and employment – as freedom – habeas corpus, the fight against violence and the trading of women. We must therefore be precise. In order for this European meeting to be successful and not just the scene of some fine words, the following conditions must be met. A European conference may be held in parallel with a UN meeting if, and only if, this works to produce an internal European policy and demonstrates a common determination within the UN dynamic. The Finnish Presidency must be thanked for having identified nine indicators for assessing the access of women to decision making. Would it not be judicious to generalise these quantitative methods? Gender-based statistics must be provided in all areas. Additional indicators must also be identified to measure the situations of inequality in fields other than politics. Could we not also comprehensively assess the means which Europe, as such, has had for several decades to develop equal opportunities, particularly in terms of compatibility between family and professional life, and to combat all violence against women? Without any common indicators, no serious assessment can be made of the measures taken by the Member States. The conference in February 2000 could have this specific and formative policy as its objective. The future enlargement of Europe, confirmed by the Helsinki conclusions, poses the problem of the applicant States respecting the requirements of developing equal opportunities and promoting women’s freedom. In these countries as elsewhere, the role of the NGOs, particularly since Beijing, has become indisputable. The Commission must be a capable participant in the work undertaken by these associations.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The proposal for a directive on environmental liability is of great importance in ensuring improved environmental protection and combating all kinds of pollution. Whether we take the example of AZF in Toulouse in 2002 or the Erika and Prestige oil tankers, these disasters cost human lives and lead to serious, long-term environmental damage. The report by the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market proposes a more conciliatory position with regard to business interests, weakening the initial proposal for a directive. On the contrary, the provisions laid down should be strengthened with protection measures, making polluters bear the cost of environmental damage, giving NGOs and citizens the opportunity to take their case to court, and including in the directive damage caused by GMOs. At a time when the IOPCF has just announced a ludicrous compensation rate of 15% for the damage caused by the Prestige, causing amazement and anger among the people and associations, and rightly so, Europe now has a duty to send out a completely different message. It must send out a clear message of justice and determination.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, attitudes close to Mr Berlusconi’s lurk all over the place, including – as these developments show – in HGV transport, which is such an important sector. Moreover, leading Members of this House are intriguing and putting about false assertions, even attempting to prevent opinions that they find disagreeable from featuring in plenary debates, and the people who advance them from being heard from the floor. Having been promised adequate speaking time, it is thus that I am left with just one minute. That, though, is enough for me to appeal to the citizens of Europe, who are getting a really rough deal from the EU – this time as regards the damage transport is doing to the Alps. Instead of decisively reducing the emission of pollutants, as had always been promised before, the issue is put right to the bottom of the list in terms of its priority and of the time available for it. In none of the major parties is there any serious support for this, and the long-overdue truth about transport costs is now scarcely mentioned, even when people get up on their soapboxes. As I see it, we can expect nothing more from the conciliation procedure that is about to get underway. Now, then, is the time for non-violent demonstrations; roads belong to the public, and not to the hauliers who destroy the environment and to their lobbyists! (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, today we are debating two politically important reports, both of which basically concern the CFSP. As it takes shape, the CFSP will experience numerous ups and downs; however, it will help realise our dream of a political Europe. Even those who speculate as to the benefits of certain decisions, such as the decision to create a so-called Euro-army, cannot fail to see the important political dimension of this decision and its effect on the cohesion of the European Union. In all events, the peaceful resolution of any conflict must be our creed. If it is to retain its political attraction, the CFSP needs to be determined on the basis of the Member States of the European Union, not on the basis of isolationist or exclusionist rationales, but as a strong driving force behind the cohesion of the European Union. Antagonism and compromise are facts of life. However, the European Parliament must act within the bounds of government compromise and balance on the one hand, and the realistic utopia of European unification on the other. There are issues such as technology, research etc. which are in dire need of a convergence strategy – this applies to the defence industry, information technology, space technologies and research. And, as it strengthens its democratic institutions, Europe also needs to consolidate its economic and social power and cohesion, its strategic potential to act as a force of peace and its technological edge. It is about time Europe had its own Cape Canaveral, its own ΝΑSΑ and its own Silicon Valley.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, with these hearings we have just carried out an exercise in scrutiny and transparency the like of which exists in none of our Member States. Imagine if each of our national governments had to go through a procedure whereby they had to fill in fifty pages of answers to a questionnaire and were subject to three hours of grilling and questioning in public before the national parliaments took a vote of confidence allowing them to take office. We have achieved something that we can be proud of. Of course this is a new procedure and a young parliament and things were not perfect. Some of the questions were less than forensic. There are things that could be improved next time. Nonetheless, with the outcome of this procedure on this side of the House we are confident that we have a Commission that is a distinct improvement on the previous one. Granted there were questions on the past activities of two candidates in particular; but both have been cleared by the national investigations that pertained to their activities and, in the absence of anything new, it would be difficult for the European Parliament to press this issue further. But the fact that the President of the Commission has secured a right not available to his predecessors to dismiss any Commissioner, should that ever be necessary, means that we can rest assured – and we shall be vigilant on this – that, if anything new emerges, we will be able to take action. We have not tried to play party politics or national politics and petty games of that sort on this side of the House. We thought that Parliament should approach this professionally and responsibly. We are satisfied with the outcome of these opportunities afforded to us in this new procedure.

Political group: PSE
The proposed resolution by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs is a move in the right direction, which is why I support it. National governments are generally relegated to the edge of the European structure. Their role needs to be developed, not with yet another institution which will get bogged down in the red tape of the European Union, but by: - improving debates of European issues in national parliaments, - examining each minister's programme before it is presented to the Council of Ministers, - controlling the activities of the Council of Ministers, - setting up more high-profile committees on European issues in national parliaments, - involving national parliaments in drafting European legislation, - strengthening collaboration between the national parliaments and the European Parliament.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Madam President, I should like this put off until January 2001, if possible, as Commissioner Fischler is unable to be here because of fisheries meetings. It is very important that he is present for this report because he is very interested in it and we are very much in the hands of the Commission for its success. I ask that the House hold it over to January.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I too appreciate the work of the rapporteur and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy on a genuinely advanced strategy. Parliament is thereby making a major contribution, applying the approach of sustainable development in all its inseparable dimensions, environmental, social and economic, to the chemical industry. In this report, protecting the environment and safeguarding human health go hand in hand and it is intended to maintain the competitiveness of the chemical industry through incentives to support innovation and facilitate the gradual replacement of the most hazardous substances. Other improvements can be included tomorrow if we adopt the amendments tabled by Mr Lange and other Members, benefiting smaller business, in particular. This is a prevention strategy, then, and not just a strategy of acting in retrospect, when the damage has already been done, but it is also a strict, rigorous strategy. That is why the reference to environmental responsibility must be accorded due importance. This is a principle which must also be recognised as important in those countries in which safeguarding health and safety in the workplace and protecting the environment are not always given due consideration. I refer to the recent decision which failed to condemn the Porto Marghera petrochemical plant and let the directors of Montedison Enimont get off scot-free, even though they were responsible for the death of 157 workers and the disastrous pollution of the Venice lagoon and the surrounding land, a decision against which the Italian government should appeal.

Political group: PSE