GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I too want to begin by congratulating the rapporteur on her report and her strategy. I welcome her recommendation that we should not suggest any amendments to the common position. All current surveys show the great economic potential of electronic business. The previous speakers have already described that in graphic terms, so I need not go into the subject or this aspect of it again. Europe continues to trail behind the USA in e-business. Yet we have a real chance to catch up. Europe is presently seeing a wave of Internet companies being set up. We must give political support to this trend. We must also encourage stronger competition on the local telephone markets to make Internet connection cheaper. In this context, let me also give special thanks to the Commission, to Mr Bolkestein and his colleague, Mr Liikanen, who has also done an excellent job here with the TC package he forwarded to us in Parliament a few months ago. Many thanks! I think that means we have a very good policy in that area as well. At European level, the creation of the European single market and the introduction of the euro are certainly decisive factors in the promotion of electronic business. Furthermore, e-business will be encouraged tomorrow when we adopt a legal framework for electronic commerce in the European Union. That will send out a clear signal. It will show that Europe is open and is able to promote the Internet as a new form of communication and commerce. I believe it is also a good signal in terms of attracting foreign investment. On the content of the directive, I just want to emphasise one key point which some of the previous speakers have also addressed. It is the question of the regulations that a web trader has to comply with for cross-border transactions. Here the regulation provides that what is known as the principle of the country of origin should apply. That means that a service provider is subject only to the control and the legal system of the Member State in which he is established. The aim is to prevent him from having to comply with the different legal provisions of all the countries in which his clients may reside. That saves him a considerable financial outlay in these transactions. However, it also creates a new situation, to which industry and national legislators will have to adjust. Divergent rules in the Member States, on advertising, for instance, will mean that Internet providers in the European Union are treated differently. That is why we need changes to the law and more far-reaching harmonisation in some respects. In Germany, for example, we may well have to abolish the law on discounts and the regulations on free gifts. I am glad the directive also contains a review clause. I would ask the Commission to take that very seriously. We in Parliament will, of course, follow developments in e-business closely and give appropriate support to any Commission proposals for a revision of the directive in a few years’ time.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I voted for the Redondo report which regulates European Union interventions in the event of fires and atmospheric pollution. This is certainly a positive measure. I voted for the motion but I would prefer it if, in future, in implementing the proposal, we took into consideration the fact that many pensioners and elderly people live near forests and they are often the only people left in remote and countryside areas. Fires are frequent in these areas and it would therefore be a good idea, or rather appropriate to use these people to help prevent fires.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, here, at last, is a report which is genuinely Community-focused, although it takes as a starting point the specific, technical issue of the management of the Union’s external borders. It is a very topical subject, as has been pointed out, if you consider that the Union’s current external borders will be radically changed and extended in May 2004 when the 12 new Member States become part of the political and geographical structure of the current European Union. It is therefore more than appropriate that we should now be proposing the model used thus far on the basis of the consolidated experience of the 15 current Member States before the entry of the new candidates. The Pirker report drops into this wide-ranging framework a number of practical proposals on how to achieve integrated management of our external borders, without interfering in the territorial sovereignty of the individual States but rather defining the ideal formulae for harmonious cooperation. This is an acceptable approach which will involve the creation of a Community corps of border guards in the coming years – not straightaway but after we have fine-tuned techniques and procedures with appropriate measures for training staff and achieving cooperation between the different current corps of border guards. Hitherto impromptu experiments with mixed patrols have yielded excellent results. As far as my country, Italy, is concerned, these have been developed on borders with Member States such as France and Austria and on borders with third countries such as Switzerland too, and with a candidate country, Slovenia. The section which addresses the issue of combating illegal immigration is extremely innovative. This involves a difficult, daily undertaking, particularly on the part of border States such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece. However, the problem is everybody’s problem, not just the problem of these States, for, thanks to Schengen, an illegal immigrant who succeeds in penetrating the Adriatic coast has automatic access to many other Member States, at least those in the Schengen Area, which therefore have a major responsibility as well as a great opportunity. Therefore, the rapporteur is right to propose to call upon all the countries to work together to contribute to and bear the costs of external border controls, whether they have external borders or not. Indeed, it would appear to be clear that it is appropriate for all the countries to contribute if we are to achieve an effective control and monitoring service, particularly in the places where the flow of illegal immigrants is currently greatest – a genuine flood of new illegal immigrants is, even as we speak, pouring into the Union – for this is not just a problem for those who are directly involved in the daily fight against illegal immigration: it is also a problem for all those countries which are the automatic destinations of these illegal flows.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I believe that this Parliament is making a certain degree of progress in dealing with issues which concern our citizens and in which the European Union must have a political profile. I believe that in the case of the Toulouse disaster the change to the agenda is perfectly justified. I believe that the case of Afghanistan is highly topical for two reasons: the first is the humanitarian tragedy of the people of Afghanistan, who are the principal victims of the Taliban regime. Every day there is more and more news about the desperate condition of millions of people. Almost a fifth of the population (more than five million people) have practically nothing to eat. The European Union is contributing to the humanitarian effort, but I believe this is an issue on which we have to state our position. Secondly, the political issue. You yourself set an example, to a certain extent bypassing certain rules of protocol, international law and diplomacy, by bringing Commander Massoud here. I believe that we are also currently committed to a political solution which will bring stability to Afghanistan, and it is notable that, when a person who could establish a degree of mediation in Afghanistan, the exiled ex-king in Rome, proposed the calling of a Grand Assembly, the Loya Jirga, which could bring the various tribes together, he did so together with American congressmen, but we were not involved, although the Community troika has visited more or less the whole region. I believe that it makes sense for Parliament, with the current participation of the President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Michel, and the Commissioner responsible, Vice-President Patten, to be able to hold a debate on such an important issue, which is not just one more urgent subject, but which is an absolutely fundamental issue in relation not only to the fight against terrorism, but also to the stabilisation of Central Asia and the fight to prevent a humanitarian tragedy. These are the reasons why my group has proposed this change to the agenda.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have two observations to make regarding the disturbing problem which is the subject of this resolution, namely parental abduction. We are all familiar with the many conventions, Article 24 of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Charter, the treaties of The Hague, and the many real-life cases, as Mrs Van Lancker mentioned a moment ago. I can foresee two large obstacles which will stand in the way of finding solutions. First of all, many of the existing agreements between countries, and even within the European Union, are different and not harmonised, as a result of which it becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reach a solution. This is therefore something we need to work on. Secondly, if a parent who kidnaps a child is domiciled in Germany, for example, but actually lives in Greece, then a solution is often ruled out. That means that the professional NGOs, of which Belgium has many, have to start their own investigations and try to track down children and bring them home. That is why the Group of the /Free European Alliance hopes that this resolution will not be swept under the carpet but may signify the necessary step forward.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr Katiforis' document on the implementation of stability and convergence programmes affects pensions, as we are all aware. Therefore, as representative of the Pensioners' Party, I would like to stress how important it is for pension funds to be managed properly in the States of the European Union. Many of the European Union's States use a part of workers' salaries to pay their pensions, which is set aside and then returned when they are pensioners. I therefore call upon all 15 governments of the European Union to keep these funds safe, manage them well and make sure that they give good returns, for we all have the right to a sufficiently high, substantial pension which is enough to live on.

Political group: PPE-DE
The fact that the process of European integration is at such a decisive point, as a result of the enlargement under way, on the one hand, and the new political and economic challenges facing the EU, on the other, demands the cooperation of both the European Parliament and the parliaments of the Member States so that the citizens, via their legitimate representatives, may participate in this process. Hence the timeliness of the excellent Napolitano report and my vote in favour of it. Since, while it is clearly necessary to guarantee the democratic control of Community policies and decision making, it is also clear that this control must be carried out while respecting each of the areas of parliamentary activity. In this respect, I believe the commitment given by Mr Napolitano, as chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, to draw up a report in the near future on the role of parliaments in the constitutional regions within this process is particularly positive. The regions with legislative powers are a fundamental part of the mechanism, and not only because they are closer to the citizens, but also because the parliaments of these regions, as legitimate representatives of the people making up the Union, have the right to participate within the framework of their competences in the control of the legislative process for Community policies and to have a voice so that they can defend their interests.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the EU-Slovakia Joint Parliamentary Committee recently toured our border with Slovakia. Near Kosicec there is a forty-kilometre long border strip consisting of green fields. We were told that this is very difficult to monitor and that, at present, a very substantial influx of Afghan refugees can be observed there, perhaps not all of whom are entering Europe motivated by peaceful intentions. I would therefore like to ask if it is possible for the Commission to introduce satellite surveillance here, for example, or automated systems, making it possible on the one hand to gather statistical material and, on the other, to pick up more of these refugees and so be better protected in future? What programmes are in fact available to these states?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, as someone who lives in the Mediterranean, under the Mediterranean sun and who enjoys Mediterranean traditions and culture, I would like to speak up for the countries of that area. The MEDA programme, which largely failed in the first stage, perhaps did not appreciate that the situation of the Mediterranean countries, given the direction that European politics are taking, is extremely difficult. Many Mediterranean countries are less highly developed than other countries, and they face the threat of a single agricultural market, which they will not be able to cope with. In this respect, I would like to refer to the wonderful article by Mr Riccardi of two or three months ago, in which he spoke specifically of the fact that, for reasons of scale, the Mediterranean countries do not attract investment. It is extremely difficult in those countries to change the agricultural system and, nevertheless, they have to share their products with other countries of North Africa, of the mare nostrum, which belongs to everyone at the same time. Meanwhile the greatest migratory impact originates from these countries. Therefore, we must have a fair policy, and to this end the MEDA programme may be a start, although I believe that, in many cases, it is based on criteria that are important to the northern countries. Firstly, it is not possible to set up a project without highlighting the great weaknesses of those countries such as, for example, water and desertification. What European policies do we have to combat desertification? We have no clear policy on this issue. Secondly, as far as culture is concerned, more importance is being attached to intermediaries than to the actual beneficiaries and producers of culture. The same thing is happening with many other industrial projects. Numerous NGOs have been created, forming networks with no obvious beneficiaries, when what southern Europe really has to do is wake up. I therefore support a process of industrialisation based on innovation – we must not turn to the old industries but to innovation – and of supporting projects relating to technological innovation and training. In this respect, I believe it is a mistake to turn to large projects. They would simply make a few people richer. What Mediterranean Europe needs is to wake up, to leave behind its self-absorption and to exploit its own human resources. This will only happen if we support multiple initiatives which together create awareness, a critical mass and a basic system so that, on that basis, many other small initiatives and businesses of all types may be created. Some will be successful and some will fall by the wayside, but if we do not create a policy of multiple initiatives of many types, allowing society to express itself and take advantage of its resources, we will not achieve anything.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I should like to inform both you and the House that a group representing the relatives of people who disappeared without trace in Cyprus visited Brussels last week. They met the political groups and raised the question of their lost relatives for the umpteenth time, but purely from a humanitarian point of view. Twenty-seven years after 1974, there is still a huge number of cases – over 1000 – of people whose fate is still unknown. Their relatives have every right to know what became of their loved ones. Efforts to find out, including under the auspices of the United Nations Organisation, have proven futile and I should like to raise the question of the European Parliament's possibly doing something to help.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Commissioner, the European Union’s regional policy has, until now, not been able to interpret, in any significant way, the existing differences in our inhabitants’ incomes. We have a serious situation in which in the European Union today, there is a genuine link between unemployment and poverty, as demonstrated by the very worrying fact that unemployment has reached, on average, 23.7% in the regions worst affected, regions which also happen to be poor areas, whilst in the 25 regions with the lowest unemployment, corresponding to the richer areas, unemployment stands at just 4%. Given this situation, the report approved by Parliament must highlight the need for measures that aim unequivocally to fight relative poverty and unemployment: measures such as the appropriate use of structural funds for these purposes, which are often misspent, with centralised state policies and the modernisation of telecommunication and communication systems, with the particular aim of integrating the least developed regions into the Trans-European rail Networks, which are due in 2007. There should also be measures that respect and develop the resources and capabilities of these countries’ agriculture and fisheries, which are often harmed by the European Union’s own insensitive policies, as well as the promotion of active policies to create jobs, particularly for women and young people. Only through the decisive application of this kind of measure will we be able to overcome social and regional inequality, which is not the historical product of inherent defects but of marginalisation and economic policies which have had harmful effects.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Commissioner, I would like it to be noted that I am speaking in place of Mr Pérez Álvarez, who has been the shadow rapporteur for this report on behalf of my group and who is able to attend this sitting. On his behalf and on my own, I would firstly like to thank the rapporteur and say that I am pleased with the work he has done and with the positive attitude he has adopted towards the amendments which had been presented by Mr Pérez Álvarez. Directive 93/104/EC is a continuation of Directive 89/391/EC, on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work, with the idea that the creation of the internal market must lead to an improvement in working and living conditions, by means of approximating legislations. In this respect, the Commission’s report is a general description of how the Member States have transposed and applied the aforementioned directive with results which clearly indicate that the method and result could be improved. It has been demonstrated that not only the temporary delay in compliance with the transposition period and, consequently, the non-application of the Directive within the time limit, but also that the exclusions and exceptions have been due to criteria which are not always clear. Therefore, transposition, by means of collective agreement, has not always been accompanied by the desired success for this instrument of social dialogue. The amendments presented by Mr Pérez Álvarez were aimed at highlighting and providing a remedy for these shortcomings and the amendments I am going to mention now have the same aim. Amendment No 1, because the confusion between the concepts of ‘exclusion’ and ‘exception’, which are always in the singular, must not become an opportunity to sidestep the mandatory nature of the directive. Amendment No 2, proposing an additional clarifier, which is not intended to replace, but to clarify and extend the content of the paragraph, also by means of concepts and definitions which guarantee the application of the Directive, faithful to the idea that things should be judged by what they are and not what they are called. We believe it is important to expressly highlight these two points for the sake of improving the living and working conditions of workers. All of this must done in accordance with Article 31 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, “Fair and just working conditions”. Firstly, that “Every worker has the right to working conditions which respect his or her health, safety and dignity”, and secondly, that “Every worker has the right to limitation of maximum working hours, to daily and weekly rest periods and to an annual period of paid leave”. Both aspects – health at work and working times – are clearly linked, and all of this is aimed at a more just society governed by the respect for the individual and collective rights of workers.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Mr President of the Commission, Commissioners, the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities, which I have the honour of chairing, welcomes the Commission's initiative to introduce a more compact and integrated political planning procedure. The Committee on Women's Rights had an opportunity for constructive dialogue with two Commissioners, Mrs Anna Diamantopoulou and Mr Antonio Vitorino. We had a most productive discussion, during which our opinions and positions converged on numerous points. In the light of that positive experience, I was surprised – and I wondered why – I was unable to find a single word on gender equality in the Commission programme for 2003. Mrs Diamantopoulou assured us at a meeting with our committee at the beginning of October that gender equality policy was a Commission priority and we have heard nothing to make us think otherwise. As you know, the Committee on Women's Rights has the exclusive privilege of being invited once a year to a one-day meeting with the President of the Commission, Mr Prodi, and ten Commissioners, in order to discuss the specific issue of gender equality. 2003 is an important year for the Committee on Women's Rights. The top priority is the Convention on the future of Europe and we have invested a great deal of time and effort in order to ensure that the new Treaty promotes gender equality. Secondly, we need the acquis communautaire on women to be applied, not just adopted by the candidate countries. Τhirdly, there is the question of gender mainstreaming and, of course, we still have a great deal to do to put our own house in order here. In all events, I welcome the initiative to put the Commission's annual progress report on sexual equality on the agenda for the spring summit under the Greek presidency. Another important priority is to ensure there is a balanced representation of the sexes at the 2004 European Parliament elections. The European Parliament and the Commission should set a standard for the other institutions. Finally, I am worried and concerned about the fact that the proposal for a new directive on combating sexual discrimination on the basis of Article 13 of the Treaty keeps being postponed. Have we any news on this?

Political group: PSE