I voted against discharge for the following reasons: I welcome the explanation given to plenary by the Commissioner for budgets on the Fléchard case on 3 April 2001. However, this alone is not tantamount to a fresh start in the Commission’s policy on dealing with cases of fraud. There is no clear statement that the way in which the case was handled after January 1994 was illegal. Nor has there been any significant change in the Commission’s inadequate information policy vis-à-vis Parliament compared with the 1998 discharge. I find it unacceptable that the budgetary authority called for but, as the rapporteur details in annex 2 to his report, failed to receive 11 audit reports, including all the delegations’ audit reports. This inadequate Commission information policy is exacerbated by the framework agreement which only allows the rapporteur access to documents. I also feel that I must abide by the resolution passed by plenary in December 2000 on the so-called Morgan report to the effect that, in future, discharge must be postponed if the documents requested have not all been submitted by the Commission. According to the rapporteur’s own information, this applies here. - van der Laan report (A5-0108/2001) . – (IT) Mr President, I voted for this report, which regulates and comments on the granting of discharge to a number of European Union bodies, and I would like to explain why I voted for one specific heading: the heading on the budget set aside for the Committee of the Regions. Some people – and I will tell you who, the British conservatives in particular – are calling for the Committee of the Regions to be abolished. I do not support them. In my opinion, the regions in Europe should be more highly valued and their importance stressed and appreciated because I feel that the future of Europe is, on the one hand, Europe, and, on the other, the regions of Europe. The national States have to decide to take a step backwards. We cannot have everything: therefore, let us hear less of the national States, and more of the regions and more of Europe. - Seppänen report (A5-0097/2001) . – (IT) Mr President, the Seppänen report comments on the abolition of the ECSC. I have had a passion for Europe since I was ten years old, and my heart bleeds to read this report on how to liquidate the ECSC, the European Coal and Steel Community. In stating that I voted for the report, I would therefore like to propose to Mr Seppänen that he should organise a day of – joyful, enjoyable – commemoration, full of hope for the future, of that major initial step which was the signing of the ECSC and Euratom Treaties. - Rühle report (A5-0109/2001) . – (IT) Mr President, I told you just now that I had dropped off for a moment. Well, I had a day-dream – as opposed to a real dream – on precisely the Rühle report, which gives me the opportunity to explain why I voted for the motion. I was Gulliver-Fatuzzo, a minuscule man, and I was surrounded by giants. Who were these giants? They were an African, an Asian, a South American and a man from the Bahamas: in other words, they were the inhabitants of the developing countries covered by this report. These giants bent down towards the dwarf-like Fatuzzo and said: 'Listen: do you think that we are the countries which need to develop or is it that you, the peoples of Europe, the modern peoples, appear to be developed countries but, in actual fact, have tiny brains? You are the ones who need to develop, for we are already developed enough!' - Hermange report (A5-0084/2001) . – (IT) Mr President, in my speech yesterday, I explained to Commissioner Diamantopoulou that I would like her to pass on the requests that our entire Parliament is making to the national States for there to be genuine equality in Europe for people with disabilities. In fact, this morning, during the forty winks which I have already mentioned, I saw myself having dinner with Mrs Diamantopoulou, who has thus far not taken up the invitation I extended to her. In any case, in my dream, I was having dinner with her, and she said to me: 'Look, Mr Fatuzzo, I have succeeded in having the Italian law abolished which prevents people with disabilities who are over 65 years old receiving a disability allowance. Look, Mr Fatuzzo, I have succeeded in getting the European Union to adopt the regulation which makes it possible for people with disabilities to move around within the Union without losing their pensions.' It was only a dream, Mr President!

Political group: PPE-DE