GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism, on behalf of whom I am speaking, put forward ten or so amendments to the draft budget with regard to the four Community initiatives (URBAN, INTERREG, EQUAL and LEADER), for safety and sustainability in transport and tourism. Despite the current circumstances following the tragic events of 11 September, tourism will soon be the largest service industry in the European Union. The World Tourism Organisation anticipates a doubling in the number of tourist arrivals up to a figure of approximately 720 million per year by the year 2020. The 9 million people who already work in the tourism industry will be joined by a further 2 to 3.5 million between now and 2010, to reach 12.5 million people employed. The Committee on Budgets, however, rejected our proposals. Fortunately, the Group of the has once again been able to put forward an amendment to this House so that, at European level, resources are assigned to stimulate the promotion, monitoring and evaluation of a tourism policy that is both ecological and socially sustainable. I trust that the majority of my fellow Members here will have the sensitivity necessary to support this reaffirmed proposal with their vote.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, although, as Mrs Isler Béguin has said, the hostages have been released, I think that what we must consider here is that we can in no way regard the taking of hostages as a political act. I believe that this is above all an act of cowardice, of barbarism, which is unacceptable. The message that should have been given when the hostages were taken must remain exactly the same one now. Therefore, Mr President, we must continue to give our solidarity, with the same conviction, to all those working behind the scenes, to all the NGOs which are easy targets for one simple reason – and that is because they often work in a non-partisan manner. Their members bring relief to all those in need, regardless of their political beliefs, and I think that this is what makes them extremely easy targets –vulnerable targets. We must therefore continue to give them our unwavering support. Next, Mr President, I believe that we must appoint a permanent representative for this affair who can monitor the situation in Somalia, as we did during the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Initial progress has been made with the appointment of the interim democratic Government, a Government that is recognised in the international courts and which has managed to quell the unrest throughout the region. I believe that we must now go further by also forcing this Government to take its place around the negotiating table with all the parties, all the political parties, involved in this conflict. Most importantly, we, be it the European Union, the UN or the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), must ensure that there is a total weapons embargo and that this embargo is strictly complied with. We must condemn in the strongest possible terms any supply of illegal weapons. Somalia is unfortunately experiencing a period of great instability due to all the fighting between various factions, which has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. It is the people who are paying the price. Violence is bringing about famine, famine brings about wars, and wars are bringing about disease, against a background of general indifference. We must send an equally powerful message.

Political group: GUE-NGL
I voted for this report. It is essential to point out that this involves, first and foremost, a health problem. An increasing number of diseases are undoubtedly linked to over-use of pesticides. We should exert pressure on the various players concerned in order to rationalise and significantly reduce the use of these pesticides. As far as possible, recourse to alternative crop-protection solutions should be encouraged. We are aware of the responsibility of the agricultural professions, whose ambition is to achieve optimum product quality while preserving their way of life. The environmental stakes in this matter are high: the quality of water and soil is suffering badly from over-use of pesticides, frequently with tragic, and sometimes as yet unknown, repercussions for human health. It is vital for research to continue in this sector. That is why I feel that, at this stage of research, it is premature to rule out the use of GMOs as a way of combating harmful organisms. Strict independent monitoring combined with successful application of these new methods will allow organic agriculture to develop rationally.

Political group: PPE-DE
Chairman of the Committee on Budgets. – Mr President, a letter was sent from Commissioner Patten to the President of Parliament yesterday asking Parliament to adopt, as quickly as possible, Supplementary and Amending Budget No 4 in order to allow the budgetisation of the EUR 70 million for Afghanistan. The additional funding is consistent with the pledge made by the Commission in Tokyo last January. At the trialogue which was held yesterday evening between 9 p.m. and 10.30 p.m., an agreement was reached between the representatives of Parliament and the Council that Supplementary and Amending Budget No 4 should be adopted as quickly as possible, as already approved by the Council. On the basis of the letter from Commissioner Patten, could I ask you to consider the vote on the SAB 4 as an urgency, so that we can adopt it during this part-session? If that is agreed to, then we will be calling a meeting of the Committee on Budgets at 10.30 a.m. this morning. I should therefore like to inform those of my colleagues who do not already know, that there will be a meeting of the Committee on Budgets at 10.30 a.m. today in place of the coordinators' meeting that was planned.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I think it is very important that we should now obtain common legislation on environmental liability. That is something for which we have waited for many years. I do not believe that the Commission’s proposal for a directive is completely satisfactory. On the other hand, to adopt Mr Manders’ report unamended would be totally to undermine environmental protection in the EU. It would genuinely undermine the Commission’s actual proposal. There is a need for important changes. First and foremost, it must be ensured that the polluter pays principle is applied without exception, and we must at the same time ensure, along the lines indicated by several other people, that there are financial guarantees of the polluter’s also actually being able to pay, either through compulsory insurance arrangements or in some other way. We should have strict or objective liability for forms of environmental destruction resulting from commercial activity. When it comes to the issue of reducing biodiversity, I think it important that we obtain as broad a definition as possible so that all the habitats and species protected by Community legislation and corresponding national legislation are in actual fact covered. Finally, I believe that the directive should also cover pollution of the countryside by genetically modified organisms. I cannot begin to understand why there is no desire to address that issue in this directive. In conclusion, a remark on access to the complaints procedure. I believe that, in this area too, we must provide cover that is as broad as is humanly possible so that people really are given the opportunity to make complaints about environmental pollution, and the same thing should of course apply to non-governmental organisations or NGOs. As a very last point, a couple of remarks about the legal base itself. I appreciate that some people would like, in a few years’ time, to transfer the legal base from the environmental protection provisions to the internal market. That would, in my view, be a total mistake, and it would in actual fact destroy the rules governing environmental liability already established in many Member States. That is therefore something I would very strongly oppose, and I would state that I shall only be able to vote in favour of Mr Manders’ report if it is amended in relation to the points I have just mentioned.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the abolition of the death penalty is a cornerstone of the moral message which the EU wishes to convey throughout the world, not only to free and democratic countries but also, and especially, to dictatorships. The abolition of the death penalty also expresses that view of the equal, unique and inviolable dignity of mankind which has its deepest roots in the Judaeo-Christian ethic of our Western civilisation. The EU’s opposition to the death penalty therefore has a conscious and deeply entrenched ethical and moral basis that provides the foundation for our civilisation’s view of human beings. Enlargement of the EU will also mean abolition of the death penalty’s being a principle that will be extended to new countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. We and liberal conservatives in the group of the European People’s Party regret the fact that, in the present resolution, this unifying principle of the abolition of the death penalty, which we fully support, is only affirmed in relation to free and democratic states such as Japan and South Korea, where football’s World Cup is being organised right now, together with Taiwan. For some reason, the Group of the , together with the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party, the Group of the and the -wing s and former Communist parties here in the European Parliament have chosen not to say anything at all about the abolition of the death penalty in neighbouring countries such as China and North Korea. We find that extremely one-sided and difficult to understand and therefore choose to abstain from voting in the impending vote at 5.30 p.m. In the fight for the abolition of the death penalty, we must take our stance on a shared moral basis. Singling out free and democratic states gives a one-sided impression. That is deeply regrettable.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, one of the central issues in the whole approach to the social security system is the need to ensure that the new method of open coordination guarantees the right to pensions that enable pensioners to live a dignified and independent life and does not impose reforms on the system that are designed to privatise it, albeit partially, and I am referring here specifically to pensions funds. It is certainly important, as stated by the rapporteur, Mr Fatuzzo, that we guarantee the right to adequate pensions, regardless of the problem of financing, and avoid the risk of making workers and pensioners responsible for any imbalances in pension systems, since maintaining a fair system is more a problem of distribution than of demographics. It is, therefore, important that we guarantee a public and universal social security system, which is able to combat poverty and maintain a satisfactory standard of living for all pensioners, as we proposed in the amendments we tabled. It is not acceptable that, on the pretext of the budgetary consolidation stipulated in the Stability Pact, we move towards laying down rules and recommendations which, in practice, threaten the right to pensions that enable pensioners to lead a dignified and independent life and to participate in social and cultural activities. Hence the importance of expanding the base of contributors, of exploring alternative forms of financing statutory pension systems, for example, by extending social contributions to financial profits, and by conducting a thorough review of some legislative initiatives, specifically the directive on the activities and prudential supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision. Of equal concern is the approach outlined by the Council in the conclusions of the Barcelona Summit, proposing a progressive increase of around five years in the effective average age at which people stop working in the European Union by 2010. We are opposed to any attempt by the Member States to take the Council conclusion to be a starting point for increasing the legal retirement age or for extending the periods in which contributions are made in order to acquire full pension rights. We therefore hope that the proposals we tabled are approved so as to improve the content of the report.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, too many people have died in this conflict, killed in a war of fratricide and poverty: out of three and a half million inhabitants two and a half have been dispersed, there are rapes, summary executions and enforced conscription of children to the army and military groups. This death and destruction weigh like lead weights on our consciences too. We cannot fail to feel responsible for the neglect, the indifference, the interests of our multinationals who are greedy for this large country’s resources, the colonial heritage, the misdeeds of the international and native communities which are, in reality, mixed, for neither is blameless. We must act. The peace agreements are in jeopardy, and the different parties fighting are to blame for this in a number of ways, particularly where the various countries have failed to withdraw troops. There must be no more massacres like that which claimed hundreds of victims on 3 April 2003. Kofi Annan has reminded us that the perpetrators of criminal acts must answer for their actions to the international community. That is why we too must step up our efforts to create an international criminal court to try the perpetrators of such crimes. In my opinion, it is necessary to support and give effect to the calls of various social groupings and movements for MONUC to be given more power and a higher profile. It must fulfil its mandate by taking practical action, implementing peacekeeping measures in the territory, to ensure that there are no more massacres and to guarantee the security of the people, so that the situation in Ituri, where MONUC did nothing and was unable to act although informed of the potential danger of a massacre, is not repeated. I believe we need the boldness and transparency of a common policy which denies support to regimes which promote war and investigates the allegations made in the UN report against multinational and European firms which are unlawfully exploiting the Congo’s wealth. The report records both unlawful funding of the militia and unlawful exploitation of gold, diamonds, oil and coltan. It is no coincidence that so much gold, more than the country’s mining capacity, is exported from Uganda, as are so many diamonds, which are not mined in Uganda at all. I genuinely believe we need to act as quickly as possible to bring peace and development in Uganda: the people need it. We must therefore launch a policy which is genuinely rigorous and transparent.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I should like to express my appreciation to the rapporteur, Mr Jové, for his splendid work and for always being willing to collaborate with members of the Committee on Agriculture. I should also like to thank the European Commission for its report on quality strategy for olive oil and for the draft regulation. Both these documents are sound in principle. Nonetheless, the proposal in question has been much improved by Parliament’s report. Allow me to highlight a number of areas where this is the case. Regarding checks, we fully agree that they should basically be undertaken at the level of the oil mills. This is a far more efficient method of monitoring. The geographical oil information system should become complementary to it. Secondly, as far as mixtures of olive oil and other fats are concerned, we advocate a total ban on marketing. In so doing, we are responding to requests made by the producer countries. The consumer can easily be misled by such mixtures, and olive oil’s reputation will be adversely affected. It should be noted that this in no way restricts consumer choice, as any individual interested in such a mixture can produce it for personal consumption. Thirdly, following revision of the COM in 1998 and the end of intervention aid buying, aid to private storage became the only way of regulating market prices. This measure has not been implemented correctly, however. As a result, price levels have been below the limits set by the Council for many months, when such measures had not been authorised. It is therefore very positive that Parliament’s report should call for the automatic opening of private storage. This will allow olive oil prices to be maintained at an appropriate level. Finally, I should like to refer to aid for the production of olive pomace oil. Its purpose is to ensure that the by-products of olive mills are handled in an environmentally-friendly way. We feel that such aid should be calculated with reference to the amount of pomace oil actually produced, and should not be awarded on a lump sum basis as is currently the case. Furthermore, this proposal is certain to have a beneficial impact on quality strategy.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, page 17 of the Minutes details what was said and done in yesterday's Question Time, which was announced on the screens only after it had begun three-quarters of an hour late. It should have been my turn half an hour after the beginning of Question Time, and, although I ran down here straight away, my question had already been dropped, as none of those down to put questions in the first half-hour had been there. I then asked that my question should be allowed anyway, as it was the question immediately following it that was being dealt with, but the President stuck to the rules with extreme rigour. I would just like to say that you should either stick strictly to the rules – which means that you start Question Time punctually – or else, if you are going to be sloppy anyway, you have to exercise some liberality in these matters. That is the first thing I wanted to say, and I ask you to see to it that I do not get the standard reminder telling me that I should have been present at Question Time, for, if I do, I will have to reply to it in somewhat personal terms. Now for the second point that I wanted to mention in this context: Mr Puerta, who was presiding yesterday, promised me and Mr Salafranca, who had the same problem, that we would get written answers – which represents a deviation from customary practice – and I would ask you to ensure that this promise, at any rate, is kept to.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I too must say to Ms González Álvarez that it was the vile Communist regimes which bandied about the word 'democracy' most frequently, and the worst environmental disasters have occurred in Communist countries – just think of Chernobyl – in other words, in states where there is no grasp of either economics or ecology. Rio was a milestone. Yet here we are today, feeling very depressed because we have nothing to show for it. I ask you this: who else, apart from the European Union, should take the lead role here? Who else has the opportunities, the awareness, and the skills, knowledge and economic scope? Without a strong economy, environmental protection is impossible. Yet Johannesburg will soon be upon us, and we have to face facts: the preparations are way off course. Let me say a few words about this New York preparatory conference, which took place from 25 March to 5 April. I am told that progress was far too slow and there was far too much bureaucracy. We have not even begun negotiating yet. The forthcoming preparatory conference in Indonesia has now been extended, and will now take place from 24 May to 7 June. If we do not make progress this time, Johannesburg will have failed before we get there. Let me mention one issue which is very important to my own country, namely mountains. At the preparatory conferences, Switzerland and Austria have called for a separate mountain chapter containing strong commitments, and this demand was endorsed by the European Union. Yet here too, it was impossible to make progress during the preparations. The countries which we represent here have all signed the Alpine Convention. Yet there is absolutely no movement on ratifying the protocols. If we want to have a strong presence at an international summit and demand measures which will benefit our mountains, we must start by doing our homework in our own countries. I ask you all to urge your governments to ratify the relevant protocols of the Alpine Convention as quickly as possible.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, having reached the common position, we must welcome the fact that Parliament’s first democratic expression has led to a situation where the Commission and the Council are upholding some of its proposals, such as the special services, the gradual opening up of the market with a review by Parliament in 2009, and even the keeping of direct mail within the public service sector. We must, however, note that two things are lacking today and we are dealing with one of those rare liberalisation directives which makes no specific mention of them. The first thing is the financing of universal service. As soon as exclusive rights and the reserved sector are opened up and inevitably become smaller, we no longer know how universal postal service will be financed. And this is no small matter. The second point is the conditions of network access. Do we know whether the networks of the French postal system are available to the German postal system and its major competitors and vice versa? This is also one of those rare liberalisation directives which fails to specify this aspect in a detailed manner. I would like to express my regret that the Commission and also Parliament did not want to thoroughly debate these issues. The Commission says it wants transparency across the board and yet, it is refusing to undertake an evaluation of what has been happening, particularly in Sweden and in Holland, where a scaled-down market has registered an increase in prices for the ordinary consumer. The Commission refuses to accept the truth about these costs and the truth is that providing a service to everyone in Greece is not the same thing as providing a service in the Netherlands. In short, they have demonised the debate and pretended that conciliation is a bad thing. I think that we could have seen this debate through to the end in order to achieve a more balanced position.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I would query your ruling that the two amendments are compatible. They are clearly addressing exactly the same issue using deliberately different language and I would have thought now that we have adopted Amendment No 10, which I welcome, Amendment No 23 is no longer necessary.

Political group: PSE
I support and have voted in favour of Mr Colom i Naval’s report, which authorises financial payment from the Solidarity Fund to Portugal. The scale and severity of the tragedy which struck our country justify appeals for EU support. The Commission’s first response was confined to EUR 30 million, which Commissioner Barnier himself recognised as falling well short of expectations and requirements. I welcome the European Parliament’s display of solidarity, its support for Portugal and the negotiating skills of the Portuguese Government, in particular those of the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Dr Carlos Costa Neves. The EUR 48.5 million in aid for which we have voted today is a fairer and more fitting amount than that previously provided.

Political group: PPE-DE