GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I also welcome both the Commission communication and the report we have here today. One key message in all this is the need for consistency. The European Union has a number of activities under its umbrella: trade, Lomé agreements, CFSP, external policies and far too often one part is not necessarily consistent with another. Consistency must be our primary objective. Secondly, conflict prevention must be a priority of the European Union. We are now getting the measures in place. We have the High Representative, we have the planning and early warning unit in the Council. They must now emphasise that it is conflict prevention we need to focus on rather than intervening militarily after a conflict has got out of control. In particular, we must give due emphasis to things such as scarcity of water resources as a cause of conflict. Commission policy should be aimed at ensuring that we enhance water supplies, not diminish them as has sometimes been the case. As has been mentioned before, we need to stress the importance of good governance and democracy. That should be a part of conditionality and we should demand of Member States that they do not support politicians for short-term requirements if they do not meet the essential requirements of good governance and democracy. Far too often, we are prepared to support one against another group to the long-term detriment of peace in a particular region. Finally, what we must do of course, is to stem the flow of arms into these regions, not just by actions against small arms. I would like to see, as I outlined in my report last month, action taken against arms brokers throughout the European Union. In many countries, there are no controls over the activities of arms brokers. They are able to trade as they will, and in almost every conflict you will find arms brokers behind the proliferation of arms. It is crucial as part of the EU code of conduct that we license arms brokers and start to control their activities. It is no good governments tidying up exports if we allow private individuals to act in they way they are doing. Similarly, we should also look at licensed manufacturing. It is no good having rules on manufacturing within the EU if EU companies are able to license production outside as a way of getting round the controls. I welcome this report, but would stress that we will not get anywhere unless we are prepared to stem the flow of arms into regions of conflict. That requires much tougher action than we have been prepared to indulge in up to now.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I should like to begin by thanking the President of the Court of Auditors for coming before the House today, and for his presentation. I am glad a number of the Court’s officials are accompanying Mr Fabra Vallés and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them also for the work accomplished. I cannot fail to emphasise once again the pedagogical aspect of the report before us. A conscious effort was made to include initial definitions of each of the areas. There is also an account of previous observations, proposed observations and of the Commission’s responses. Consequently, the document amounts to an encyclopaedia of Community financial management. It should prove most useful to all who have the pleasure of reading and studying it. In my view it should also be stressed that this is a transitional report, insofar as it is part of the ongoing reform of the Commission, which is a significant administrative reform. I welcome the fact that whenever it referred to that reform, the Court of Auditors focused on improvements within the Commission. The Court highlighted plans launched or proposed by the Commission, indicating that the latter is taking reform seriously. It would not actually make sense for the Commission to drag its feet over undertaking its own reform. After all, the initiative for reform came from the Commission itself. Much does certainly remain to be done. Nonetheless, there is movement towards greater cooperation. I therefore believe the observation made by Mr Fabra Vallés concerning the desirability of revising the timetable is most opportune. The estimates may prove overly optimistic. Concerning assurance of the accounts, I should emphasise that the reservations expressed are specific and can be overcome. These are not reservations on the substance, nor are they reservations on the principles. These reservations can therefore be dealt with, despite their significance. Further, some of the issues dealt with in the report, such as under-use, shared management and the reform process will be dealt with in the report on discharge for the financial year 2002.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I am pleased that we finally have European legislation, in the form of a regulation, on anti-personnel landmines and that today we have a good report on the subject by Mrs Bonino. In the previous term of office – as we have heard – the European Parliament approved the commitment by the European Union to fight against one of the cruellest, most lethal, most cowardly weapons in existence. The Committee on Development and Cooperation – as Mr Patten has said – introduced a budget line in 1996 dedicated to de-mining. However, this heading line nonetheless unfortunately decreasing in inverse proportion to the emphasis we are placing on this matter here. Given that we are now approving the budget, I will linger a moment over the figures that worry me. This year the figure was EUR 8,100,000. For the coming year, the Council and the Commission have agreed to reduce the total to EUR 7,400,000 and Parliament proposes an increase of EUR 3 million compared with the year 2000. These figures are not much to solve a problem that affects 110 million people in 64 countries, 26,000 victims of mutilations every year and, vitally, the many children who are described in countries such as El Salvador as the broken children, as these children are maimed, missing their hands, arms or legs. I therefore ask that the importance of increasing this amount be conveyed to the Council, which is not represented here, and to the Commission, given that unfortunately, for each mine that is cleared, between 20 and 50 others are laid. At the current de-mining rate it would – as was mentioned earlier – take well over 100 years to clear the planet of anti-personnel landmines. I therefore ask that, although it is not enough, account be taken of the amount proposed by Parliament and that it should contribute to respecting the Ottawa Convention and I ask those countries that have not signed it or ratified it to do so.

Political group: PSE
In principle Conservative MEPs welcome the proposal for a regulation on the transfer of cargo and passenger ships between registers within the Community and accept that it will improve cooperation between the administrators of maritime registers in the Member States. Proposals that make it easier for ships from an EU Member State to move in and out of Community ports, thus facilitating the free movement of goods, are to be welcomed. However, Conservative MEPs voted against amendments calling for Member States to display the emblem of the European Union i.e. a circle of 12 gold stars on a square blue background – in the corner of their flags because these amendments will do nothing to improve maritime safety and could even make EU-registered ships potential targets.

Political group: PPE-DE
Jörg Haider’s rise to power, with the inauguration of a conservative right-wing and FPÖ coalition government, is a sign of the terrible revival in Europe of a monster to which liberalism has given birth. The success of the Austrian Freedom Party owes as much to the endorsement of respectability provided by the Austrian right wing and social democrats as to the policy of the latter, whose social disasters paved the way for extreme right-wing populism. The resolution stipulates possible diplomatic means to isolate the new government politically without even mentioning the root causes of the resurgence of Fascism. It can be explained by the feeling of helplessness of the people who are the victims of the ideology of mighty Mammon and by the choice of the ruling classes to promote strong government in order to take their policies of austerity and deregulation ever further. In order to oppose the xenophobic statements of an apprentice dictator who is nostalgic for the Third Reich, we must take every opportunity we can to express our solidarity with the Austrians opposed to Fascism. This is why we are voting in favour of this resolution in spite of its hypocritical references to a ‘European democratic model’ which bears more resemblance to a fortress which tracks downs, expels and imprisons immigrants without the proper papers, when it is not opening files on teenagers.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, in my intervention I would like to stress the fundamental role played by the European Parliament, and in particular, the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities, in, I hope, reaching the point where the final adoption of this programme will be debated. It has already been mentioned in other interventions that, a few years ago, the European Parliament promoted pilot projects supporting non-governmental organisations and local authorities that, for some time, have been endeavouring to use actions to fight violence against women and children. This phenomenon of violence against women and children is, unfortunately, not only very widespread but is increasing, and is gradually taking on new, even more sophisticated forms, which are therefore more difficult to combat. The programme we are debating today is the result of this previous work. A very thorough discussion took place with the Executive Commission, especially with regard to amending the legal basis and therefore making the adjustments implied in the proposal to the original proposal. I do not wish to return to this topic, but I would like, however, to express a certain amount of satisfaction, despite the change to the legal basis, that the Commission and the Council have in any case adopted some elements which are extremely important to us. I am referring to the fact that the common position contains references to health in terms of physical, mental and social well-being, to quality of life and to violence as a violation of human rights, and, in particular, to the fact that this programme also covers victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. I also find it especially significant that there is recognition of the important role played by the NGOs and multidisciplinary networks as well as public bodies who are already carrying out valuable work, in particular with regard to the prevention of violence and the support and protection of victims. To give this programme real added value, we must launch a major awareness campaign involving Parliament and the Commission, but, above all, the Member States, which must take complete responsibility for fighting violence.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, whenever we speak, just about anywhere in our own countries, particularly over the past five years, there is one topic that is always particularly sensitive, which is: how are the finances being managed? Then the general opinion on Brussels is not all that great. This is why it was very much to be welcomed that the Prodi Commission declared that from now on, there would be zero tolerance across the board. We were therefore very shocked to hear the claims made in connection with Eurostat a few months ago. It has to be said that the Commission was quick to react when the news broke, but the big question is: what did the Commission know before that point? In my view, there are clear indications that the Commission, in the years leading up to May 2003, could have had some knowledge of what was happening at Eurostat. The Commission failed to take any action in the light of that information. Although it may talk about the need to improve information, we were told at regular intervals that an enquiry had begun at Eurostat. The big question is: why did the alarm bells not go off sooner in the Commission? When I hear the Commission speak, the main point it is driving home is that it is proud of the results achieved. In fact, the Court of Auditors stated yesterday that there are signs of improvement, and the Commission can be proud of this, with good reason. However, as for the aspects that went clearly wrong, the Commission washes its hands of them. The fault lies with OLAF, or the director-general, or whoever, but not with the Commission. That is wrong. I can only refer to an English politician, maybe a statesman – Mr Kinnock will undoubtedly know him – Lord Carrington. He knew nothing of the Falklands war, he was not sufficiently informed and despite this, he assumed the political responsibility for it. That is a very honourable position in my view. In the political culture from which I come, a minister, a secretary of state or a councillor is always responsible, and that should also be the case for a Commissioner and for the Commission. That is an issue on which we in the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party will be focusing.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, my Group is against a resolution. (Parliament agreed to the request) (The order of business was thus established).(1)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, unfortunately, this is not the first time that we have discussed Equatorial Guinea in Parliament, to condemn the dictatorship that in practice the country is under, and also to regret the ineffectiveness of all the actions that we take. The recent trial, which was a sham, and which was also, according to all of the observers and as confirmed by Amnesty International, riddled with evidence of torture, is an insult to the values that we defend in this Parliament. We therefore have to express our solidarity with all those detained, with all the democratic parties that are doing an incredible job under those conditions in order to move forward in solving these problems through democratic values, and I say incredible because desperation is also appearing among the youth of Equatorial Guinea, and the seeds are appearing of what could be a violent response to so much brutality and dictatorship. I therefore believe that we have to make an extraordinary effort to promote the path of democracy in Equatorial Guinea and not only condemn the dictatorship, but also those Western countries who, either by action or by omission, are in practice supporting the continuance of the dictator. I therefore think that the work of people such as Onbam Ndong and Plácido Mikó should be highlighted, as they are doing important work, the latter as the secretary of the Convergence for Social Democracy party. Like the other parties, we support this resolution demanding that this trial be repealed and voided, that all those detained be freed and that the democratic future of the country be set in motion.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Fine. Thank you, Mr President. I am not satisfied with what the Commissioner had to say.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I want to congratulate Mrs van den Burg for an enormously well done job and the Commissioner for introducing this directive. The kind of detailed work that is involved in this kind of directive is never adequately appreciated outside of this House. Anyone who has watched the way in which Mrs van den Burg has worked on this directive will appreciate the enormous amount of commitment and expertise that had to be brought to it. We are trying to balance flexibility with security for workers who, in many countries, still do not have any security at all. We have been told here that national legislation already exists in Ireland to protect these workers. That is not so. We are told that it is best left to the Member States to deal with these matters. The Irish experience will demonstrate that is not so. There are close to 100 000 agency workers in Ireland. The European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions, based in Dublin, published a study in May showing that there is no guarantee of equal treatment for agency workers in Ireland and that there is virtually no legal protection for agency workers at all in Ireland. That is a study carried out by a foundation funded by the European Union. It also points out that Ireland has failed to implement the 1991 Health and Safety Directive covering agency workers. Incidentally, Ireland has also failed to implement the Part-time Workers Directive and is now seriously out of line with the rest of Europe on these issues. So it is not a good idea to leave these matters in the hands of Member States – and certainly not a good idea to leave it in the hands of the current Irish Government, the ruling party of which Mr Crowley is a member. I would challenge him to back up his statement in this House tonight that there is already adequate protection for Irish workers in this area. There is not adequate protection. There is none.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I do not want there to be any misunderstandings about this. Commissioner, I am obliged to you for your statement. I was certainly not aware that you had entrusted this Commission official with the task of producing a conclusive report by 31 August, but I then learned of this, not from the Commission, but from other sources. Do you, though, not think it a matter of trustful cooperation or proper administrative procedure that you should at least inform the rapporteur when a report completing the evaluation of a particular stage of an action programme is coming out? It is at Leonardo that new accusations are levelled in this report. I practically have to assume that you wanted to have your innocence certified by Parliament, and then, when perhaps in about another six months' time, it came out that yet more scandalous things had been going on, it would be easy for you to say: ‘Oh please, Parliament sanctioned what we did!’ Please stick to the rules of fair play. If there is to be a general report, I will not be able tell whether there is perhaps something about Leonardo I in it.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, my compliments to Mrs Lienemann on her excellent work on the Water Directive. I should like to remind you that the very serious environmental problems facing us today in the shape of climate change, the depletion of primeval forests and overfishing, constantly affect our common and vital but, in some ways, unowned resources. We should also recognise that, in Europe, our fresh water sources may be said to be on the borderline between being owned by everyone and by no-one. It is therefore strategically important that responsibility for water is established. It is also important for the different watercourses to be kept together and managed as the totality they in fact are, irrespective of who owns one section or another of a common watercourse.

Political group: ELDR
-military and non-dual use trade and investments, while maintaining the arms embargo. Passed in order to ameliorate the humanitarian crisis in basic needs. Urges the United Nations to tighten controls on Iraq's ability to import weapons and weapons-related goods and to remove all other related remaining sanctions;'

Political group: PSE
Mr President, on this report the British Conservatives will abstain. Within the delegation there is deep disagreement. Some believe that what is proposed is a step in the direction of a European superstate. Some, after considerable reflection, really do not know; and some believe this is a proposal that will create an entrenched bulwark against a superstate, and so are in favour. These views are individually deeply and honestly held, as indeed are my personal and private ones. In these circumstances, trying to compel one's colleagues to vote against their views on this kind of topic, in these kind of circumstances, is not only unlikely to work, it will not change their views either. All it does is cause trouble. While the subject matter of many of the non-legislative resolutions of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs is very important, Parliament's resolutions themselves are, in the world of real politics, some of the less important items we vote on; it is therefore folly, it seems to me, and shows lack of judgement, to engage in civil war about things which do not matter all that much. Hence we are approaching this and other similar topics here within the framework of a broad church, which has the overriding advantage of being sensible, which I am not sure can be said about any other course of action open to us in the circumstances.

Political group: PPE-DE
I mistakenly voted against Amendment No 38, tabled by the Group. I am, however, in favour of rejecting the common position on the grounds that it is completely unsatisfactory. - Joint resolution on GATS (B5-0159/2003)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the forthcoming Water Framework Directive is based on the justified principle that citizens of the European Community are entitled to use drinking water on a daily basis. This should be provided for by law. A simple, uniform and coordinated Community law on the protection of water and groundwater is to be welcomed. Important directives such as those on protecting the food we eat, on municipal sewage disposal, on plant protection and on nitrates are being revised and redefined on the basis both of ecological criteria and criteria of origin. The tasks are therefore broadly defined. As a farmer, I advocate the closer involvement of those who represent the interests of professional groups and serious consideration of their criticisms. Farming, forestry, fisheries and, in particular, the horticultural industry should also be involved in the decision-making process so that the required combination of voluntary restraint and state regulation is achieved. The calls for zero limit values can hardly be met by means of legislation alone. Transposing the directive presents a genuine challenge for the Member States of the European Community. I agree with the rapporteur: it is only through cooperation that success can be achieved.

Political group: GUE-NGL