GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, three days ago I was in Ramallah, and I am therefore one of those Members whom Mr Santini inappropriately accused of war tourism. I would like to reassure him: there was no tourism, only war. The eyewitness accounts of Members of this Parliament are one contribution to opposing this war. While we were there we saw things we would have preferred not to: we saw check points closed by the Israeli army, bursts of machine gun fire at old people and children, we saw Israeli army tanks parading in the courtyard of Ramallah hospital. If that hospital has not suffered the same fate as all the other Palestinian public buildings, if it has escaped the damage caused by roundups, that is due in part to the peaceful protection of these Members of Parliament, to their accounts of their experiences and to their power to condemn what they have seen. Mr President, time is running out. With an army that has become used to occupying and a civilian population resigned to being occupied, it is difficult to imagine that a peace free of hatred can exist. Yet the world needs unqualified peace now; above all, as Mrs Morgantini said, it needs peace without victory on either side.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I should like to thank the Commissioners for their statement. On external actions, I noted that the Commissioner mentioned Iraq but did not mention Afghanistan. The European Union has done a lot in Afghanistan; we have committed and spent money faster than ever before in keeping our promises. I am worried about the security situation in Afghanistan, however. The money might just as well have been thrown down the drain if the situation reverts to where it was a couple of years ago under the Taliban. The same situation applies to Iraq. Unless the security situation is secured, we are putting money from the poorest people in the world into an area which is quite rich. I feel that there is some measure of caution that we need to exercise in whatever we do in Iraq, unless the security situation confirms that the funds we give for cooperation and development are secured and that we are not wasting the money because the situation becomes unstable and dangerous. On the point of the Lisbon Agenda, I should like to ask the Commissioner to look back at the record of the Conservative Party: in 1977 my country was considered the sick man of Europe; my party got into power under Margaret Thatcher and we are today one of the richest and most prosperous regions of Europe. You do not need to go and reinvent the wheel: please read the books.

Political group: PPE-DE
draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Development and Cooperation. – Mr President, any petition which receives 1.9 million signatures deserves to be treated seriously. I congratulate Mr De Rossa on his excellent report and the way in which he presented it today. Firstly, can the Commissioner confirm that the action plan only covers tropical areas, and in particular the continent of Africa, and does not in any way impinge on hunting in the European Union, as some people are interpreting it? Sensible action is vital and urgent for three reasons. Firstly, as Mr De Rossa has said, at least 150 million of the world's poorest people regard wildlife as a vital livelihood asset. Commercial hunting, the exploitation of timber and the opening-up of the forests are destroying the ecological balance and depriving local inhabitants of their food and livelihood. Secondly, the totally indiscriminate killing of great ape species will wipe out gorillas and chimpanzees, which in countries such as Rwanda are a major sustainable tourist attraction and source of income that will be lost forever. The devastation of forests will also obliterate an ecology if logging is not urgently brought under control. There is a third even more important point. The illegal exporting of bushmeat to all corners of the globe could have a devastating effect on health that would make SARS look like the common cold. Many gorillas and chimpanzees carry SIV, the animal equivalent of HIV, which can jump to humans – and has done so. That would be bad enough, but if ebola-infected meat reaches the world market, we could see a catastrophe far worse than HIV. Recently, 2 000 monkey noses were found in a suitcase at Amsterdam airport, showing that the illegal trade is thriving. This resolution urges the Commission to adopt a series of measures, which I hope it will. However, making Heads of State in bushmeat countries aware of the situation and getting them, as the Commissioner has said, to take the lead in action to safeguard ecosystems and the wildlife they support would be a major step forward.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, a few hours ago, a Basque journalist, Mr Landaburu, was the victim of an attack. Mr Landaburu is well known for his professional work, his commitment to democracy and his opposition to Francoism. Fortunately, he escaped with his life. Nonetheless, this is a disturbing incident, coming as it does just a few days after elections in the Basque country. Without going into the results, the 80% turnout alone is worth mentioning. It represents a very positive development. Parliament is debating a resolution on freedom of expression this very week. My group will table an amendment on the harassment to which the free and independent media are subjected in the Basque Country. I am confident it will receive the support of the whole House. Madam President, I hope you will agree to send a message of solidarity to Mr Landaburu on Parliament’s behalf.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome the proposed signing of an association agreement between the European Union and Egypt, which will help to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. The European Union attaches great importance to the chapter on fundamental rights and freedoms. We should only sign this agreement on condition that these rights will be respected strictly. Since 1981, Egypt has been subject to an emergency law granting wide powers to the authorities, to the detriment of human rights and democratic freedoms. Today, these so-called freedoms are regulated and are subject to strict control by the authorities. The valuable work undertaken by NGOs has alerted us to this matter. We call upon the government of Egypt to repeal this emergency law, so men and women can enjoy all their rights. This would mean that people would not be criminalised on the grounds of their sexual orientation, their religion or their opinion. We will not remain silent on the decision to take legal action against homosexuals, which constitutes a violation of human rights which goes completely against the values we hold dear. We must not interfere, we must not claim that our values are superior, we must not preach but we must denounce and condemn. Human rights are universal and transcend all borders.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Mr Skinner, Commissioner, it gives me great pleasure to be able to discuss this topic. One of the Dutch newspapers this morning carried the headline, ‘Europe safeguards the window cleaner’s bread and butter’. That was a reference to the concern that it would no longer be possible to use a ladder for work. This directive has finally provided a solution. It means that a ladder can be used for work, provided the work is short-term and it poses a limited risk. That is precisely where the whole problem lies. This news is music to the ears of people in the Netherlands, at least the window cleaners, along with an entire professional sector of self-employed who carry ladders around in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe, such as maintenance people, painters and decorators, and so forth. But they are all getting excited about nothing. For the time being, anyway. For it may well be that, at national level, the measure will at some point be interpreted to mean that ‘short-term’ is not a full working day, in which case the work can, strictly speaking, not be carried out. I am only highlighting this issue. We have not solved the problem. The directive causes problems of enforceability. If we concern ourselves with working conditions in this House, we should do this effectively, and our efforts must be geared towards the relevant categories of people: employees, self-employed with no staff, self-employed with staff, etc. There is room for more clarity in this respect.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Commissioner, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Camisón Asensio, for dealing competently with such a complex subject and, on behalf of my Group, I would like to express my support for the basic line taken by the regulation. It is precisely because we think we should push forward with and put pressure on the processes of the liberalisation of the markets and transport services that we feel that there is room for the States to retain, in a limited number of cases, their right and duty to intervene to ensure that urban development objectives are pursued and that social and environmental requirements are met. Amongst these matters, there is no doubt that the incentive for sustainable mobility is an historic objective that must be pursued now; from this standpoint, therefore, the aid for use of infrastructure by companies, which is intended to compensate for incremental unpaid infrastructure and external costs of competing modes of transport, must also be accepted. We are forced to this point because the forecast contained in Article 4 of the regulation is dictated solely by the absence of a general Community legislation on the definition, assessment and charging of the costs of using the infrastructure, whether they are internal or external. This is a subject upon which Parliament has already expressed its opinion in a report which I had the honour to present on its behalf. This is why, just until the Commission produces its proposal – and I am less sceptical on this point than Mr Jarzembowski because I hope, or rather, I am sure, that the Commission will succeed in producing measures and technical forms that will resolve many of the theoretical problems which are still being raised – I feel that the possibility laid down in Amendments Nos 26, 40 and 48 of an explicit link between State aid and objectives of the effective transfer of freight volumes towards more sustainable modes of transport must be supported. In conclusion, I feel that the 'contract' which we envisage establishing temporarily with those who genuinely undertake to uphold sustainable mobility is something which can be employed until more general rules are introduced.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I am happy to express my satisfaction with Mr Radwan's report concerning the forthcoming Basel II accord. Developing a new framework for capital adequacy will maximise the effectiveness of the capital rules in ensuring overall financial stability, maintaining confidence in financial institutions and protecting consumers' and depositors' interests. This would benefit not only the banking industry but the whole EU economy. However, structured dialogue between supervisors, regulators and bank and investment firm representatives is crucial for creating a viable capital framework. A central element – that of democratic control – has been lacking. Therefore, Mr Radwan's objective to involve the European Parliament in the capital adequacy debate and to add democratising elements to the decision-making process is most welcome. The principle of taking into account corporate risks in loan pricing is a sound one. Risks should be treated the same, regardless of the legal nature and level of complicity of the institution in question. Nevertheless, concerns relating to SME lending, highlighted in the report and by many colleagues, are well-based. For example, in Finland only the larger banks and a dozen companies have external ratings. Therefore the exclusive re-use of external ratings is not a viable solution for us in the short term. Instead internal ratings based on some agreed key ratio criteria could be developed in order to avoid unreasonable costs for SMEs. I am worried about a large number of national options. I fear that there might be divergences in the interpretation and application of the new framework by national supervisors. These national discrepancies could give rise to competitive inequalities in the single market. I should also like to mention mutual recognition with the US. EU banks and investment firms operating in non-EU countries should not be penalised by the potential burden arising from divergent requirements between their home and host supervisory authorities. This is a question of the utmost importance for us, especially in the US delegation of the European Parliament, where we have debated these financial security rules.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I would like to thank the rapporteur for an excellent report and I hope that we can work swiftly on this important problem. I agree with the rapporteur that it is frightening, particularly the effects on generations to come and the effects on unborn children. In recent decades, growing evidence has accumulated on the hormone-like effects of a number of industrial chemicals that have appeared in the environment. These substances have been termed endocrine disrupters. Endocrine disruption is not in itself an adverse outcome but a mechanism, which may have carcinogenic, reproductive, developmental or behavioural effects. Some of these effects can be detected using current testing procedures even though it may not be clear whether the disorder has been brought about through endocrine disruption. The EU Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Eco-Toxity and the Environment has noted that there is a potentially global problem with wildlife. Equally, the Scientific Committee's opinion on human and wildlife health effects – with emphasis on wildlife – said that the health effects on human beings must be investigated because the associations between endocrine disrupting chemicals and human health disturbances need to be verified. In general, scientists are suspicious of organochlorine compounds such as PCBs. The Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy has therefore reached certain conclusions, in particular that all 560-plus suspected endocrine disrupting substances need to be fully evaluated. We need to look at these in the Sixth Framework Programme. We need to focus on both women and men. We refer to the technical term 'oestrogen' as well as 'androgen' so it is not just a male problem.

Political group: Verts-ALE
As an MEP from a border region, I welcome this third INTERREG initiative with great interest. We can never talk enough about the difficulties experienced in the past by maritime and landlocked border regions which have been cut off economically, socially and culturally. Due to the existence of these borders, they have become peripheral areas within the countries to which they belong. This has too often led the national authorities to neglect these regions in national policy. This is why the INTERREG Community Initiative was launched in 1990. This programme was designed to encourage cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation and to promote balanced development of the Community territory in order to enhance economic and social cohesion in the Union. INTERREG serves principally to fund Community schemes to develop SMEs, education and training, cultural exchanges, action to combat health problems, the protection and improvement of the environment, energy, transport and telecommunications networks. I must stress that interregional cooperation significantly encourages the involvement of local and regional authorities in the process of European integration. More active participation by these authorities in Community initiatives should be promoted, bearing in mind that in many cases they have a very limited capacity for cooperation because of the different legal frameworks and different levels of development on either side of the border. In cross-border cooperation, greater emphasis must be placed on improving the conditions for the economic activity of the small and medium-sized undertakings which are the job creators. In the same respect, given that structural unemployment is responsible for 50% of all unemployment, the INTERREG funds made available must be sufficient to supplement national measures promoting employment. Obstacles too often caused by double taxation and social protection are preventing, braking or hindering cross-border mobility. I hope that the projects included within the programmes can help to provide solutions to these problems and to implement in practical terms the principle of free movement of workers which is in a bad way in my region! INTERREG resources must also contribute to the development of a European research area. Finally, and in particular, expectations in the regions about this initiative are high given that small towns not eligible for Objective 2 funding are hoping to obtain compensation through INTERREG! The challenges are therefore immense. The integration of the border regions will be an essential element in the development of a future European regional development policy! I hope everyone, like Mr Decourrière, whom I congratulate, will realise this!

Political group: PSE
Mr President, we are delighted to have confirmation of what we predicted in a recent vote. The European Parliament firmly rejected the election of Mr Fujimori and I am pleased to see honourable Members in the two main groups committing themselves clearly to strong European Parliament support for establishing democracy in Peru. But we are concerned about the fate of Mr Montesinos. The right of asylum cannot be used to protect criminals. The whole world rejoiced when the international resolutions finally began to work against one former dictator, Mr Pinochet. Mr Montesinos cannot be allowed to find refuge in Panama or, as some rumours are beginning to suggest, in Morocco. He should be brought to trial on the grounds of torture, drug-trafficking and the rest by any state where he seeks refuge.

Political group: Verts-ALE
I do not have any objections to the rapporteur’s amendments to the Council common position. In light of the succession of food crises and of factors in food contamination, such as the presence of dioxins, regulatory frameworks must be created to enhance food safety, of which the hygiene of food for human consumption is an essential component. The ‘farm-to-table’ principle should be the central theme of the proposed regulation. A range of measures should be created for the hygiene of all food products in circulation in the Community, including imported goods, along with measures to increase the responsibility of food business operators. While regulations should aim towards equal application across all Member States, there must be some degree of flexibility to take account of local variations. Lastly, I should like to express my agreement with Amendment No 6, which is intended to ensure that the Commission does not have the general power to amend Annexes I and II, adopted under codecision by Parliament and the Council. - Recommendation for second reading: Schnellhardt (A5-0129/2004)

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I am staying here because I have been told that, if one is to hand in explanations of vote, one should be present in the Chamber. I therefore demand that explanations of vote from those who are not present should not be valid.

Political group: PPE-DE
We have recently seen a series of food and livestock crises, such as ‘mad cow disease’ and foot and mouth, which illustrate the need to raise food safety standards. Appropriate legislation must be adopted that encompasses all stages of food production and processing, that ensures that consumers are provided with the information that they need and that sets up official control systems, thereby ensuring compliance with the law and penalties for those who infringe it. Food and animal feed must be safe for human and animal health. Safety must be the overriding consideration, ahead of any commercial aim, be this for pure profit or for trade facilitation. A heady climate of permissiveness has been created in the wake of the abolition of internal borders and the gradual liberalisation of trade, which has, in turn, led to a lack of investment in essential technical resources (such as reference laboratories and research centres) and human resources (such as professional training). This situation must be stopped. This regulation forms part of the same approach as other regulations in the White Paper on food safety, which establishes a series of common aims in the field of food safety and common EU-level sanctions. In other words, it addresses the consequences without calling into question either the underlying production model or liberalisation. The proposals contained in the report fall short of what is required, despite a number of welcome proposals, such as the application of the same ... (Explanation of vote abbreviated in accordance with Rule 137(1) of the Rules of Procedure)

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I should first like to thank Mrs Plooij-van Gorsel for being so very open and receptive to contributions from my group. I must reiterate what a pleasure it has been to work with her on these matters. Likewise, I should like to express our sincere appreciation to Commissioner Busquin for his constant readiness to take our contributions on board. His door is always open, he is increasing his contacts with the groups and we are grateful to him for that. I do not believe it is an exaggeration to venture to say that as regards working with Parliament his conduct has been exemplary This bodes very well for the Sixth Framework Programme. Mr President, the European Union is not the product of constructivist rationalism, of enlightened tyrannical elites who impose themselves on the people. Rather, it arises from the very promising idea of working together. If there is one area where the European Union was in need of stimulus to integrate policies, broaden the area of cooperation, coordination and synergies, it is the area of research, development and technological innovation. Consequently, the European Research Area is one of the key concerns of the present College of Commissioners. Commissioner Busquin is to be credited with launching and developing such an ambitious idea. The European Research Area does in fact introduce new and potentially very beneficial instruments. Examples of these are cooperation and coordination regarding the research policies of Member States, concentrating on a small number of promising priorities, exploiting to the full the concept of added European value, the notion of large scale projects and of networks of excellence. There is no doubt that if proper use were made of these instruments they would all play their part in improving the quality and competitiveness of our system of research, development and innovation. Mr President, our amendments arose out of a number of concerns. To give you some examples: to facilitate the movement of researchers, which we consider essential, to ensure openness and cross-fertilisation amongst the research systems of the Member States, to improve basic research and to establish clearly the criteria which will allow us to set priorities. The European Research Area creates new expectations and is a source of great hope for us all. We wish you success, Commissioner, because your success in this field will be Parliament’s success and the European Union’s success too. Rest assured: as you move forward along the route you have presented so enthusiastically, you will find us marching shoulder to shoulder with you.

Political group: PPE-DE