GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, this question highlights the tension between business and consumer interests in the context of the single market – a tension, I have to say, that I have become all too familiar with as rapporteur on the Brussels Convention. The idea of coordination has been mentioned. I want to draw attention to an approach, or perhaps a buzz phrase, if you like, that is much used in the UK at the moment in relation to government. We talk about joined-up thinking or joined-up administration. In other words, bridging gaps between departments. This is also a sign of maturity, graduating, as we do at school, from writing in single letters to joined up writing. The debate on jurisdiction and e-commerce has highlighted this conflict between consumers and web traders. Can a consumer bring an action in his own court if he is entitled to do so? Will this be the death blow to e-commerce? I propose a package of measures central to which is the theme of access to justice, much trumpeted at Tampere. Now if the single market is to function properly – to be fully and confidently exploited both by small businesses and consumers – there must be access to justice in civil matters. There must be small claims procedures and alternative dispute resolution. This is absolutely integral to the single market. But, of course, our Commissioner will say that this is perhaps more the preserve of his colleague, Mr Vitorino, and perhaps also Mr Byrne. This has been my frustration. There are speeches and statements by Mr Byrne and Mr Vitorino in favour of setting up systems to deal with European small claims. We have to bring these statements together. The Commission has to start thinking in a joined-up way – as a joined-up administration. We have a once in a generation opportunity to facilitate the growth of e-commerce. On the secondary theme, we tend to be drawn towards harmonisation as a means of resolving some of these problems – of resolving the tensions we face. But it is often that process of harmonisation, which can depend too much on legislation, that can be rigid and inflexible and then itself turn into a barrier against the single market. There are such allegations concerning the data protection directive, which is an important piece of consumer protection legislation, but in some Member States it seems to have been over-implemented, resulting in a potential barrier within the single market. E-commerce is very much a global market. The solutions we adopt have to allow our citizens and businesses to participate in this wider market. In America, which need not necessarily to be our role model – they have adopted a combination of self-regulation and soft law backed by legislation. We should be prepared to look at this sort of mixture of solutions. One has already been mentioned. One of the possible solutions may lie in the hands of the credit card industry. But to take advantage of these, we must act and the Commission must act together in a joined-up manner.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Commissioner Lamy, ladies and gentlemen, I rise to speak in this debate in order to express my agreement with the entire resolution that has been tabled by various political groups and on which I have worked, to say that, on this matter, the European Parliament has followed developments in political relations between Mexico and the European Union very closely. Parliament did so because it approves and welcomes the conclusion of a global agreement, and I think it is time that the European Union concluded a decent agreement with Mexico, not only on trade issues but also in the fields of cooperation and, most importantly, political concertation. We have maintained good relations with all the non-governmental organisations in Mexico, which is an ally of ours. Obviously, we are paying close attention, as we have always done, to developments in the situation in Chiapas and last year, as chairman of Parliament’s delegation to Central America and Mexico, I myself led a European Parliament delegation that visited Chiapas. We had also hoped to hold a meeting with representatives of the Zapatista movement, which we were not able to do. I wanted to hold this meeting because I feel that, one of the basic principles of this Parliament is to hold dialogue with everyone and, whilst respecting national sovereignty, making our contribution to a positive solution and to an end to disputes. It is in this context that we welcome first of all the attitude of President Fox of Mexico and the way in which he has made himself available. Secondly, I welcome the correctness, the action and the willingness to enter into dialogue demonstrated by the Zapatista movement in the person of Commander Ester in the Mexican Congress. What I particularly want to say for the moment is that we are encouraging and supporting this dialogue, because dialogue undertaken in accordance with the rules of democracy is the only instrument that can help to find a solution to problems. I will say once again that we respect the sovereignty of the Mexican people and that our message is one of support for this dialogue. I shall conclude by saying, with an appeal that I think is important, that talks must continue to persuade the Mexican Congress to support the law on indigenous peoples reached in the San Andrés Agreements. Lastly, Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to say that only yesterday, the delegation which I chair was bound, after deliberation by the Conference of Presidents, to issue an opinion on a possible visit to this Parliament by representatives of the Zapatista movement. Unanimous approval was given, with all the main political groups present, to this Parliament, through its delegation and as a follow-up to what it did last year, restating its willingness to enter into dialogue within the rules of procedure of this Parliament, with all organisations, including the Zapatista movement.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the fragmented society in Sierra Leone, the child soldiers and the fights between warlords make it extremely difficult to do anything of any consequence. We stand here in moral indignation and are, at the same time, filled with a huge sense of powerlessness. Politically speaking, in Europe, Mr Chris Patten and Mr Solana are two people from the European Union whom, in the event of foreign security conflicts, we can call on to use their political resourcefulness to both intervene in the region and to support the UN. With everything which has been said about diamond trafficking and the halting of other dealings which finance the local war, and with everything which has been said about the need to intervene, what we need at the end of the day is a political solution. As Mr Solana occasionally visits the Philippines and Mr Patten is actively involved in the Balkans, I would like to ask them both, on behalf of all of us, to jointly commit their efforts once more, focusing on political support, to reach an active final agreement there with the local regional authorities.

Political group: PSE
I have always said that the fullest possible integration of persons with disabilities into our society is not merely something demanded by justice and solidarity, but also a tremendous source of human richness for our society and for every one of us. So much is this self-evident that we ought not to need to legislate. Experience proves, though, that legislation is needed and that it has to be binding. This House has therefore proposed that the Convention, when it eventually comes into being, should be required to include certain categories of rights. I am in favour of this and support the demand that the Commission should draw up a precise and rigorous timetable for this.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, although I welcome the Court of Auditors’ report, which is extremely useful and which this Chamber should support, because in so doing, we will be supporting Europe as a whole, I cannot avoid mentioning the unease caused by the fact that some of the media have recently leaked partial and biased versions of the report. Mr Karlsson, this is something that apart from causing our citizens, officials and institutions unnecessary harm, gives the impression that the Court of Auditors is a political body that is accountable to the electors through public opinion. These leaks, Mr Karlsson, do not occur in the great majority of the Courts of Auditors in the Member States or in the European regions. Therefore, it should not be impossible for you to prevent them either. It shows a lack of respect for this House and for yourselves, because it shows that those whose duty it is to monitor are not actually monitoring the process itself. Therefore, Mr Karlsson, if these leaks occur again, my group will demand a reform that goes beyond merely postponing this debate. Secondly, I would like to say that the problem of the irregularities and of the way the budget has been misused is not a geographical problem, but one that cuts across all divisions. Here there is no North, South, East or West. There are no rich countries or poor countries. What we have here is simply a problem of the inadequacy and the misinterpretation of national and Community legislation. I would like the countries who bear the burden of the effort towards internal economic and social cohesion not to use this kind of argument as, of those countries, it is the countries that receive funds from the European Union that have the most to gain from the effectiveness of this effort. Finally, I would like to stress the fact that the Commission still intends – as the report that you have presented to us states – to use the degree of use of the financial credits allocated in the annual budget as the main gauge of the success of their financial management. What the Commission must in fact do is to measure its success by the degree to which it manages to achieve the objectives that it has been given, at the lowest cost. This change of philosophy is what, by supporting the report that you have presented, we demand of the reform that President Prodi promised this Parliament he would carry out.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I can hear a ripple of laughter from the Socialists. I was told that large sections of the Socialist Group were also keen to have this item taken off the agenda, because at the vote in the Conference of Presidents no vote was received from the working group of Members of the Socialist Group responsible for this matter. I do not know whether this information is correct, but the Group would, in any case, be grateful if this item were removed because Parliament has addressed this issue several times already. Decisions have also been adopted against a tax of this kind. That is why my Group moves that this item be taken off the agenda.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, can I say we have made enormous progress over the last three years in terms of relations with the DPRK. We have now had three interparliamentary delegation meetings and the resolution calls for the Koreans to come here again to continue the dialogue. We have seen the European Commission move from not talking to the North Koreans to having an ECHO representative in Pyongyang and we have now moved from five Member States with diplomatic relations to, I understand, thirteen in the process of establishing diplomatic relations with the DPRK. I would like very much to see the European Community also establish diplomatic relations with the DPRK. We give money to the KEDO project as Mr Patten has said, we give humanitarian and food aid and are hoping to give other structural assistance, a total of EUR 275 m. It is crazy to be doing that without having the ability to have a political dialogue. We need a dialogue on human rights, we need a dialogue on weapon sales, we need a dialogue on economic development. The reality is that with the collapse of the Soviet empire, the failure to make the transition from the Stakhanovite heavy industries of the past to the new light industries and a series of natural disasters, the economy is in complete crisis. Observers are estimating that the resulting food crisis has led to the premature deaths of 3 million North Koreans, one in eight of the population. Today their only exports are raw materials and military hardware. If we can find a solution, we can help the people of the DPRK to help themselves with food aid and assistance in restarting and rebuilding agriculture, mining and non-nuclear energy projects. And if we involve ourselves in removing the imperative to export military material then we may force the incoming Bush administration to reconsider its apparent blind commitment to national missile defence with the threat to world peace and stability that poses. I would like to congratulate President Kim Dae-Jung of the Republic of Korea on his commitment to the sunshine policy which will allow the normalisation of inter-Korean relations and welcome Kim Jong Il's positive response. Dialogue is the way forward. Europe should pursue this not only because it is currently the policy of the Republic of Korea but because it is the right way to go. Our advantage is that we are not Japan or the United States and we can act as honest brokers in this most dangerous area of the world.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, competition is exactly what we need. We need competition if there is the least unemployment, for a smooth-running healthcare system, for social justice, for high social standards, and, of course, we also need – these are competition criteria to do with the economy – business management competition so as to achieve highest-quality products, equal market access conditions for all enterprises, and environmentally-friendly products. In other words, we must succeed in linking the competition criteria that are necessary to the economy with those relating to managerial economics. I often have the impression, unlike the country I come from – former East Germany – where economic competitiveness is prized above all else and competitiveness relating to managerial economics is disregarded, that very often the reverse is the case; society thinks almost exclusively in terms of managerial economics. I say that as an entrepreneur who has a vested interest in this. But a system cannot function in this way: it will only work if the two aspects go hand in hand. I will give you an example: the European Union was right to support the Grönitz steelworks in Brandenburg, although out of 5 000 jobs only 700 remained. But these are competitive jobs, for this steelworks is now the number two tool steel manufacturer in the Federal Republic of Germany. Anyone who would jeopardise production at this steelworks on principle, by demanding the return of the aid that was granted at the time, would not just place the steelworks itself in jeopardy but also one of the region’s employers that small and medium-sized enterprises are, of course, dependent on too. It goes without saying that that is not what the European Union’s competition policy is designed to achieve. If we want there to be competition then we must establish this link between the requirements of the national economy and the pre-requisites of managerial economics. Indeed that is the only way to build up regional economic circulation in the under-developed regions that will protect people’s social welfare and boost purchasing power. To that end, we must also make it our business to take more account of demand-orientated economic policy as opposed to one focusing heavily on supply. IN THE CHAIR: MR IMBENIVice-President

Political group: GUE-NGL
The trade agreements advocating deregulation and the liberalisation of international trade mean that an increasing number of areas of public services are being handed over to the market, to competition, in other words, to satisfy the appetites of private interests. This is a disastrous development for the vast majority of society. It is a real attack on the working classes. It should be emphasised, however, that this is taking place with the agreement of the governments, and even at their instigation, even when they pretend to stand apart from the WTO or other similar bodies. The problem is not only the preservation of cultural diversity, even though it can legitimately be stated that culture should not be a commodity. How can we accept, however, that health care and education, which are essential social areas, should be placed in the hands of stupid market and competition laws? How can we accept this for water, electricity, postal or rail services and other socially important sectors? We want to speak out against this entire development and we oppose any opening up of public services to competition and the quest for profit. We oppose any attack on employees in these sectors and any job losses.

Political group: GUE-NGL
draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs – The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs regrets that the Treaty of Nice made far fewer specific changes in the area of employment and social policy than those that it had sought. It hopes that these issues will be addressed by the second report from the Constitutional Affairs Committee and by the next IGC. On the broader institutional issues, presently under discussion, we welcome the report's call for a convention to prepare for the next IGC and for a debate involving the active participation of the European citizenry as a whole. We would ask that the convention engage closely in the course of its discussions with the social partners and with civil society. In particular, we would seek consultation, both within the Member States and with the applicant countries on the issue of the provision of a legal base for the involvement of civil society in the decision-making processes of the European Union. We would also like to see Member States being encouraged to establish fora where citizens can interact with their own Parliament's on the future of Europe. We believe too that up to and beyond the next IGC, there would be merit in joint annual meetings of delegations of committees on employment and social affairs from the European Parliament, from within Member States and the applicant countries and from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. We hope that a means will be found for supporting such meetings. Finally, we trust that the Charter of Fundamental Rights will be incorporated in the Treaties in a legally binding manner and we look forward in future to wide and active participation in the discussion on the future of the Union.

Political group: ELDR
If the title is going to be changed, then let us do it properly. It should read 'the lesser-used languages in the European Union'. European languages, not any old languages! (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, I offer you my sincere thanks for your direct answer. I should like, however, to inform you that precisely on the eve of a mission to Iran by EU experts in October, a series of five public executions took place in Iran, which were reported in the world’s press. I hope, incidentally, that the President-in-Office of the Council is not going to say that he was unaware of what was being said in the press. Such actions clearly demonstrate the position of the Iranian authorities, which is not to budge one inch in their approach to human rights. The number of executions reported in Iran has trebled in the last three years and, given these circumstances, the question is this: is the European Union going to conclude a trade agreement with Iran in the wake of these systematic breaches of human rights or not? This is what I wished to find out from you.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Mrs Angelilli’s report recommends – and I support this – providing compensation to crime victims. I personally and the Pensioners Party which I represent, not least because many pensioners and elderly people are the victims of crimes, albeit minor crimes such as bag-snatching and burglary, believe that it is right that the state should provide compensation for the victims of crimes. Indeed, it is not just the authors of the crimes who are guilty: the State which ought to be carrying out scrutinies and monitoring and guaranteeing that these crimes do not happen, preventing them, and which ought to be educating its citizens to respect the law, is guilty too. I therefore call for this initiative to provide compensation for the victims of crimes to proceed and for public officials who do not do their job properly, especially the most influential, high-level politicians and administrators in our States, to receive heavy fines.

Political group: PPE-DE
I should like to ask a very brief supplementary question to Mrs Kinnock's question. One aspect of her campaigning – which is increasingly affecting Member States, including the United Kingdom and possibly Ireland as well – is that with the escalation of violence an increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers are coming to the European Union. What is the Irish presidency's view of this, given the increase in numbers and that these people clearly have asylum claims and are in distress, but are also arriving in great numbers? Does the President-in-Office have a view on this, given the new presidency, the escalation of violence and the inevitable increase in numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from Zimbabwe to EU Member States?

Political group: PSE
Commissioner, thank you very much for your reply. In fact, I am in a position to verify what the Greek Presidency has said on the issue, but, given that the Commission will have to evaluate the project, I would like to warn you of the following: Firstly, that perhaps the way in which the Ulysses Project was implemented – a first phase in the Mediterranean and then another phase in the Atlantic – meant that during the Mediterranean phase immigration was diverted towards the Atlantic and during the Atlantic phase it was diverted towards the Mediterranean, and therefore in practice the effect was minimal. It would appear, furthermore, that, at least in the first part, there were understanding problems between the different operations. We are now talking about a second project, the Neptune Project, for the central and eastern Mediterranean – I imagine the Commissioner will be up—to-date with this issue – and the question I would put is whether, as a consequence of this second project, by focussing on one area – the central and eastern Mediterranean – there will be a danger of increasing the pressure on the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic. In other words, to what extent the second project can produce that result because it appears that the total flow is always the same: if one side is closed off, immigration is diverted towards the other.

Political group: PSE
As representatives of the Swedish , who view enlargement towards the East as being clearly the most important issue for the EU, I wish to make the following remarks before the Heads of Government and State discuss the European Union’s powers and forms of decision making at the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference. 1)

Political group: PPE-DE