GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, the European Union played a very active part in the democratisation of Afghanistan, for which particular thanks are due to the Commission and most especially its staff on the ground. It was as early as the International Women's Day in 1998 that European women started the ‘Flower for the Women of Kabul’ campaign, and deplored the human rights violations that excluded women in particular from education, medical treatment, work and political involvement. Another six years of the Taliban's despotic rule had gone by before things began to look up for democracy. The international anti-terror alliance then laid the spectre of the Taliban to rest. Democracy movements were launched at once, and the EU again played an active part in this on the Petersberg in Bonn. At the same time, albeit attracting almost no attention, the first Afghan Women's Summit was meeting in Brussels at the invitation of European women. It was there, for the first time and after two decades without political involvement, that it was possible for Afghan women, whether living in exile or in Afghanistan itself, to have their own forum and find themselves. International pressure made it possible for women to be first admitted to the Loya Jirga and subsequently to participate in the new transitional government. In the meantime, we saw to it that the Budget included funds to help the women make up a great deal of lost ground, and that it was again possible for self-help organisations such as the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) to receive support from Budget funds. It is with consternation that we now hear it reported that the first schools for girls are being closed down again, that fundamentalists again want to force women out of public life, and that the political influence of women ministers is being curbed. All the political influence at our disposal must now be brought to bear in order to prevent the situation of women worsening still further and above all to ensure that aid reaches rural areas and is passed on to women. Jointly with the women on the European Council, we had taken the initiative of setting up a multinational group of women observers to ensure that women get the aid they need. Believing as I do that this fire must be kept alight, I now urgently call upon the Commission to continue to focus on the situation of women, and urge that we combat the principal evil, which is poverty and illiteracy among women. Even if world public opinion concentrates on other issues, I do think that we should continue to focus on Afghanistan and that we have to maintain a local presence there. My group, the Group of Social Democrats, will be sending a delegation to Afghanistan, and I look to the Commission to provide support for it in the shape of logistical aid. The threat of war in Iraq would destroy much that has been achieved, and so all our efforts are needed to help make peace in the region. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, President-in-Office of the Council, we knew, and we warned, that the damage done to women by Taliban fundamentalism was going to be very difficult to repair. The current situation now shows that a great deal of sustained effort and programmes specifically designed for women will be needed in order to re-establish the minimum right to personal autonomy. There are, however, many practical actions that the European Union can establish. We propose, for example, a project offering women the chance to exchange their burkas for driving licences, so that women can exercise their right to free movement and, if they so wish, exchange this item of clothing – which incapacitates them – for cars and driving licences. The Commission should set in motion a cooperation project allowing Afghan women to make this change: burkas for driving licences, with cars included. Commissioner, this morning you spoke of the importance and achievements of the groups working over there. I encourage you to include this very imaginative, innovative project: burkas for cars for Afghan women.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, we have reached yet another crossroads in the peace process. A great deal will depend on the forthcoming elections in Israel. Whatever the outcome, we must call for the new government – whoever the winner may be – to continue the peace negotiations without delay and to do so with renewed energy and, if possible, intensify these negotiations. It is a unique moment for the European Union to gain influence and importance during these talks, given the current situation in the United States, where the new administration has probably not been fully established. It is our duty as the European Union to reinforce our position in the peace talks, in view of the exceptional interests – mainly humanitarian – which are at stake, in view of our geo-strategic position vis-à-vis that region and in view of our important mutual trade relations. The most recent wave of violence and terror must be condemned in any event. The demand for repatriation of the 3.7 million migrants will definitely not make the peace talks easier, nor will the distribution by the Palestinian authorities of schoolbooks which, instead of preaching the language of reconciliation, preach the language of hatred and animosity, or Arafat’s tough stance in Davos, for that matter. Despite this, I would express the hope that peace and stability in that region can as yet be achieved in the relatively short term, but I would add at the same time that it would be extremely regrettable if the European Union had not contributed to this in a major way. It is a test of our credibility at international level.

Political group: ELDR
I think that my colleague Mr Alavanos will be giving all these particulars to the Commissioner so that he may be aware of them, because this really is propaganda and not just some way of promoting Community programmes. However, turning to the substance, I should like to ask the Commissioner to bear in mind the following: that for all national and regional programmes, Greece is regarded as a region which expresses itself – at the level of its partnership relations with the European Union – via its central administration, its central government. From that point of view, neither local governments and much less non-governmental organisations, for example the farming cooperatives which would be interested in further development of the farming sector, have any involvement in the formulation of proposals for the third Community Support Framework, nor have they had any involvement in the previous CSFs. What can the Commission do about that?

Political group: GUE-NGL
Madam President, the objective of this important report is to produce an asylum system that is fair: fair on asylum seekers, but fair on taxpayers too. This report is not about who you should accept as a refugee, and I remind Mr Schmitt of that, but about how you decide which claims are valid. It is a great fallacy to assume that if you give asylum seekers less help in making their claims, they will somehow disappear and cost less time and money. Governments in search of populist headlines about the number of applications rejected from so-called bogus asylum seekers should tell the truth. The truth is that cutting corners early on in the procedure ends up costing a lot more in administration, court time, lawyers and the cost of food and shelter. I fear that Mr Schmitt did not understand this truth and has somehow misled Members of his group. I appeal therefore to those moderate Members of the Conservative/Christian Democrat Group to join the majority in this Parliament in strengthening the guarantees in the asylum procedure, because investment in high quality initial decisions including such matters as assistance with interpretation, legal advice, proper interviews and reasonable time limits, is a good bargain. Then on the question of fair treatment I would like to stress in particular the use of the safe third country concept. My group accepts the use of this concept as a guidance, but it must be one which is capable of being rebutted in an individual case. It is perfectly fair that an asylum seeker from, say, Canada, will have a greater job convincing the authorities that asylum is justified, compared to someone coming for example from Iraq. But it should be possible to make that case through individual assessment, not with a blanket dismissal of the claim.

Political group: ELDR
The European Parliamentary Labour Party abstained on Amendments Nos 5, 7 and 8 to the Smet report on the Working Time Directive. Although the EPLP is committed to the extension of the WTD to the excluded sectors, it understands the need for this to be done in a rational way. We are committed to reducing the working hours of junior doctors, but it is essential that this is done in a planned and structured way which does not undermine patient care. This directive will require an adequate transposition period with staged reductions in working time. The fishing industry required flexibility. This amendment does not recognise the reality of the needs of the fishing industry and will adversely effect it.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I have an oral amendment which will further detail Paragraph 40, particularly at the beginning, where it refers to the UCK. The oral amendment reads “from the UCK and armed groups associated with it”. I hope it is clear that this renders the text more specific.

Political group: PPE-DE
Tomorrow’s agenda includes the topic of human cloning. It is important for Members of the House, as they prepare for that debate, to be aware that the scientists who work behind the research which led to the patent have given a categorical assurance that their project has nothing to do with cloning and it has not at any point been directed in that direction. This does not affect any of the central questions in the debate about the conduct of the Patent Office but since it relates to the reputation of individuals I think it fair and proper that this should be noted by Members of the House. I should also mention an interest of my own since I am a professor of the University on unpaid leave of absence from that institution which is also involved.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, the political violence in Colombia is a crucial obstacle to peace and development in the country. No other country in the world has as many murders of active trade unionists as Colombia. The Colombian has been, and continues to be, subject to a terror campaign without parallel. Unfortunately, there is a clear risk that the violence will be further stepped up ahead of the presidential election. The resolution criticises both the guerrillas and the paramilitaries for the violence. Criticism can fairly be levelled at the guerrillas for kidnappings and violence against the native population. However, it is quite clear that the paramilitaries are responsible for the majority of the political violence. At least 90 percent of the political murders are carried out by the paramilitaries or the military. The paramilitaries would not be able to conduct their campaign of terror without indirect support from, and acceptance by, the regular police and military. Therefore, Colombia’s government also has direct responsibility for stopping the paramilitaries’ campaign of terror in the country. The EU’s role must be to uphold human rights, support the peace process and oppose the military escalation of the conflict inherent in Plan Colombia. The demilitarised zone must therefore, also continue as an important precondition for dialogue between the government and the FARC guerrillas. Colombia can only achieve peace and real democracy if human rights are respected. If it is not possible for Colombia’s to operate openly and legally, without having its representatives murdered, the guerrillas will not lay down their weapons. It is therefore crucial that the terror campaign against the Colombian is recognised and combated. This applies especially to the Unión Patriótica, to which the murdered Member of Parliament Octavio Sarmiento belonged. The Unión Patriótica has had at least 4 000 of its members shot by the paramilitaries. Criticism of this could have been expressed even more clearly in this resolution which we are about to adopt. Despite this, we in the Confederal Group of the believe that the text of this resolution is sound, and it is vital that, in the future, we carefully monitor and react to developments in Colombia.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, the report is a positive response from Parliament to the Commission’s outline of relations between the EU and the United Nations. We support this, although we would like to underline a number of specific aspects. First of all, and certainly not in contravention of the report, we should like to emphasise the institutional reforms that are necessary. We must be able to reform the Security Council. It must be possible for Africa, Asia and Latin America to be permanent members. After all, it is not acceptable that only the rich and the rich countries in the world should have the final word, while two thirds of the world population live in poverty. Secondly, the veto system must be reviewed and may only be used when peace is under threat – under real threat – and in the event of aggression. Thirdly, the European Union must acquire full membership in the Security Council and in the General Assembly. It is because we would like to see effective multilateralism that we believe it necessary that the United Nations be effectively organised and enabled to take decisions effectively. This has not always been the case in the past, and the global repercussions are tragic. I would remind you of the ineffective mandates that are sometimes given to soldiers who have to act on behalf of the United Nations in peace operations. Their mandate is so inflexible that it renders them non-operational. I would remind you of the tragedy in Rwanda, of which Kofi Annan recently reminded us. Fortunately, things went more smoothly in Congo, but we hope that the United Nations will, in future, work more transparently and, above all, more democratically.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I too would like to thank the President-in-Office of the Council and Commissioner Patten for what they have told us today. I too, like other fellow Members, recently went to Afghanistan with a European Parliament delegation and I can bear witness to the truth of the things reported by Commissioner Patten. Let us not forget that we found a country ravaged by 23 years of war and years of drought. The progress made in one year since the first Bonn Conference is truly remarkable, and likewise we should applaud the determination, selflessness and competence of our Commission officials in Kabul. All this is true: schools have been opened, they have started to rebuild some health facilities; valuable work is being done, particularly in terms of supporting the administration. In this connection, I would like to urge Commissioner Patten not to abandon the aspect of specific personnel training, including for customs officers, which is fundamental. It is also true, however – and the last Bonn Conference showed this to some degree – that the most committed donor countries are asking the Karzai Government to show more determination. There has been some criticism: reforms announced by the Karzai Government itself have been delayed; even though a commission has been appointed to draw up the new Constitution, it is being obstructed by religious issues, by minorities, whereas it needs to go ahead, especially with a specific acknowledgement of women’s rights too; security is still a serious problem; there is no judicial system and there is no national defence force; an operative police force is still lacking. All this is true. The European Union, which has done a great deal, must therefore persevere on these issues. Lastly – a final word on women’s rights – I would like to refer here, to the European Parliament, to the appeal which the Minister, Mrs Sarabi, made to us: each donor country has chosen a specific area of intervention; however, no one has chosen the specific issue of women’s rights. This is an urgent appeal that I am making to the European Union and to us all lest we forget this: there is no chance of making progress or finding a way out of this situation unless women are directly involved in this process.

Political group: PSE
I was the rapporteur in this House for the common organisation of the raw tobacco market over 30 years ago. In the enthusiasm of youth, I hoped then to convince my 141 fellow members not to introduce a market organisation for raw tobacco which would give us mountains of unmarketable raw tobacco to deal with. Had I been listened to then, we would not now be crying over the billions spent on raw tobacco subsidies. However, I am not trying here to come to terms with the past. Things are as they are and we shall have to live with them, because tobacco farmers cannot reasonably be expected to be left standing out in the rain after 30 years’ common organisation of the raw tobacco market. We have got them used to subsidies and that has, to all intents and purposes, destroyed our chances of restructuring the cultivation of raw tobacco. Now the health missionaries in the House want to stamp out the cultivation of raw tobacco in the European Union altogether; this will naturally benefit imported tobacco – which they cannot and do not want to stop – without, of course, making chain smokers give up smoking. There is no question that a lot of people in the EU and everywhere else in the world die from lung cancer, which hits far more smokers than non-smokers. But the sort of bans imposing unreasonable demands on the European tobacco industry which the Committee on the Environment has cobbled together with no regard for job losses, especially for women, will not make the citizens of the European Union give up smoking, as the current drastic measures in relation to advertising and labelling have already proven. The suggestion that EU manufacturers should be required to comply with the same regulations as regards tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields for cigarettes intended for export to third countries is perverse in the extreme. Wanting to accept a sense of responsibility for the health of smokers in third countries is obviously well meant, but when this sense of missionary purpose results in the tobacco industry relocating production intended for export to third countries outside the EU, then all we will have managed to achieve are job losses. Measures such as this would result in the relocation of 12% of cigarette production in the tiny principality of Luxembourg alone. What is being produced here now is out of proportion and unfair to tobacco farmers and discriminates against the European tobacco industry. One cannot shake off the impression that certain people in the health lobby would prefer to exile smokers altogether. I am in favour of warnings on packets, but not in favour of a skull which takes up 60% of the surface area. I am in favour of a targeted information campaign, especially for young people, in order to make them aware of the dangers of smoking to their health. But I am against all the exaggerations contained in this report and am therefore unable to vote in favour of the report as it stands.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, once again the European Parliament must express its opinion on the Commission communication on the construction of the internal market, in this case, a new version of it. A proportion of its content affects the competences of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. It is these points which I wish to discuss specifically. Firstly, I would like to say that, in general, one of the criticisms levelled at previous versions of this documents no longer applies. The European Parliament’s resolution of 4 November 1999 said that the document was rather unspecific, that it did not contain specific actions. This new version does contain specific measures and proposals. Let us then analyse the content of these proposals, albeit in general terms. With regard to taxation, the opinion of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs is that the Communication is not ambitious enough, especially when compared to previous documents. We are aware of the stumbling blocks encountered in relation to the tax package and that some of its chapters have been blocked, but in situations such as this large doses of political courage are necessary to push proposals forward. We notice a lack of such political courage in this document since the chapter on tax simply reproduces previous Commission commitments, and even leaves aside some of the European Parliament’s proposals. Secondly, in relation to the rules on competition, the Communication opts for deepening the process of reform underway, and this deserves our support. Finally, in the chapter on financial services, it should be highlighted that up to now important progress has been made but, as indicated in the recent single market scoreboard, there is still a lot to be done.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I will not excuse the Italian government or the Italian courts for condemning many pensioners to a low pension, but in this case I voted against the report because I consider the judgments of the Court of Justice to be erroneous. The root of the issue is that it is impossible to grant a language assistant, a person who is well versed in English and comes to an Italian medical university to explain to the students what the Italian terms are for heart disease, operation, liver disease, and so forth, to have the same rights, on the basis of their having the same status, as someone who teaches medicine. Mr President, would you go for treatment to somebody who knows all the surgical terms in Italian, English, French and German, or would you go to a surgeon?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, like everyone else, I am deeply concerned about the situation we have landed up in. I find it disagreeable to have taken part in the votes we have had when there are so few of us. In actual fact, I abstained from voting in all our votes this afternoon because I did not think that I wanted to be involved and participate in making decisions which are as illegitimate as I believe they must be when there are so few of us. I support the protest action which has been taken here today. I am a new Member and therefore a little shocked when I hear that the unsatisfactory state of affairs which prevails on Fridays has been going on for years, unchanged. If that is the case, vigorous protests are certainly needed so that we can bring about a change, for matters cannot continue like this. We shall be a laughing stock throughout Europe. I notice that, today, we are concluding this sitting with approximately fewer than 40 Members here to make decisions. It is disgraceful.

Political group: GUE-NGL