GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are all agreed that the budget should be a reflection of Parliament's political wishes. This is mostly the case, but not always when the so-called special delegates are involved. For example, the EU has one such delegate for the Middle East. Parliament has repeatedly said that it would be desirable to have such a special delegate for the Southern Caucasus or Tibet, for example. We are now facing the problem that the coffers are technically empty for this purpose, for these special delegates fall within the scope of the Council's budget. This is not to our liking, but the agreement is that we are not to touch the Council's budget. It now therefore looks like a widely shared political aspiration is set to wind up in the cogs of Parliament's budget machinery. I should like to draw both the Council's and Commission's attention to this, with the very specific question to the Council whether it would be prepared to make room in its budget for a special deputy for the Southern Caucasus and Tibet and if not, to make this known promptly and clearly so that the Commission can plug this hole. My question to the Commission is whether it is prepared to do that. After all, it is unacceptable for European presence in crisis regions to be restricted simply because a widely shared political aspiration is at risk of falling between all the financial stools.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party, and along with my colleague Mrs Plooij-van Gorsel, we join others in offering our condolences to the victims of the Russian nuclear submarine, and in asking for greater cooperation between the European Union and the Russian authorities in order to prevent a further disaster. Obviously, we believe that the European Union has sufficient arguments to ensure such cooperation. We would also like to express our concern – as other speakers have done – because, unfortunately, the matter that we were to discuss, that of the very serious, terrible and fatal accident of the submarine Kursk has led us to deal with the problem of a nuclear submarine in Mediterranean waters, in European Union territory, in a British colony. This is causing very serious and justified alarm, due to a serious breakdown in the nuclear reactor, and because, among other things, European Union directives are not being complied with. We think that there is a need to take urgent action. The European Union must intervene, and this nuclear submarine needs to be urgently transported to a British base to be repaired under the proper conditions.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union is willing to support the Vietnamese people in progressing towards a society in which democracy and the rule of law are the core principles. Vietnam has already made significant advances along this path which deserve to be recognised. Nonetheless, there are still some very worrying developments. The ASEAN delegation attended the AIPO General Assembly in Hanoi last year and was prepared to visit the Vietnamese authorities and parliamentary colleagues for talks. However, when we were denied access to religious leaders, we felt we had no option but to cut short the visit. That is precisely the point that we want to highlight. There are worrying restrictions on human rights, especially religious freedom. The issue of religious freedom has nothing to do with how Vietnam conducts matters of state. It is wrong to seek to define the exercise of religious freedom as a threat to national security. We are not interfering in Vietnam's internal affairs. Vietnam can decide for itself which path it wants to take. That is not our responsibility. However, there are fundamental and universal rights which are binding for all of us, and they include the right to practise a religion. There are eminent representatives of Vietnam who, for example, have been here in Europe, in the European Union, and now occupy key positions in the Vietnamese parliament. They know exactly what our positions are. They know that we have no desire to interfere in Vietnam's domestic decisions, and they know that we are prepared to provide help. However, we must insist that political and religious prisoners are released. That is what this House demands. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr Prodi, you have just portrayed very colourfully, how the little donkey would rather go thirsty than drink dirty water. I ask you now though, if you can assure us that the little donkey would also say no to watered-down wine.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, listening to the Finnish Presidency, it is evident that European Union policy, which only proliferates and aggravates the problems facing our citizens, will not undergo fundamental change. That is precisely why it is essential for our citizens to step up their fight against the objectives of the European Union. Thus, under the Finnish Presidency, we will see EU militarisation become increasingly subordinate to NATO. Indeed, with the Presidency of a country which is not even a NATO member and which is renowned for its pacifist stance, we will also witness the continuation of the European Union's participation in the escapades of new NATO on a similar or even a much worse scale, as in the imperialist attack against Yugoslavia. We can also expect to see a lot more of the flagrant attacks on workers, in addition to an increase in unemployment and poverty, heightened levels of social and marginal inequality, continuation by the Turkish regime, with the support of the European Union, of the 25 year occupation of 40 % of Cyprus and the genocide of the Kurdish people, regarded by some as terrorists. It is a crying shame that Öçalan has been refused asylum and that he was handed over to the Turkish authorities when it was certain that a death sentence would be imposed. In other words, we are dealing with a combination of imperialistic policies and crass hypocracies, since, amongst other things, the European Union does its utmost for Human Rights and the rights of its citizens.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, this is the third time in the space of the last few days that we find ourselves discussing the significance of the internal market. On Monday, we discussed the fallout from the World Economic Summit in Davos, and today we have already had a debate on the Spring Summit. Circling around the future of the internal market and the Lisbon targets, both debates made clear how important the internal market is to us. Both the Commissioner and the ten-year balance sheet documented and demonstrated the benefits brought by the internal market, in terms of growth, employment and competitiveness, to all our continent's citizens. Yet, despite these manifest advantages, the internal market is not yet complete and still has a large number of weaknesses. Allusion was made to the facts that 50% of the objectives have not yet been achieved, that the progress made is less than what had been aimed for, and that 2.1% of all the directives on the internal market have still not yet been transposed. We therefore call on the Commission and the Council to avail themselves of all the options available, including sanctions, coordination and the initiation of legislation, in order to bring to fruition those things to which we have jointly committed ourselves. The Lisbon targets are ambitious, and we will not achieve them without a successful internal market and without adherence to the Stability and Growth Pact. The internal market and the Stability and Growth Pact are the essential instruments for achieving the Lisbon targets by 2010. Their importance lies in the credibility they give to long-term objectives. They have an essential contribution to make in building confidence in Europe's goals on the part of the public, of enterprises and employees. There is a blatant discrepancy between what is piously promised at summits and what is transposed at home, and so we demand that all the directives on the internal market be transposed into law. We demand that coordination of this process be taken charge of by the Commission, and that its right to initiate legislation be extended. This is no longer a matter of apportioning guilt, but of specifying short-term targets – and responsibilities – on the way to the overall objective. This has to do with fiscal policy, with the various competences involved, which still lead to distortions of competition and to new obstacles. It has to do with studying the effects on small and medium-sized enterprises as we progress towards this great internal market. Of course, it also affects the internal market in financial services, which would alone account for 1.1% – or EUR 130 billion worth – of growth, and it has to do with the creation of the internal services market. There is much for us to do, and, although we see from the balance sheet that we are on the right road, we must not slow down or come to a halt; instead, we have to discover a new dynamism. So I thank the rapporteur for having made us aware of these things in such an impressive way and also for defining new objectives.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, this involves replacing the English sentence ‘that do not reduce’ with the following sentence ‘in order that they do not reduce’. That is all. (The House gave its assent to the tabling of the oral amendment) Before the vote on Amendment No 13

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I, too, would like to start by thanking the rapporteur, Mr Vatanen, for his excellent preparatory work, which aims to ensure the rapid passage of this important business. An efficiently functioning internal market requires smooth working and more standardised practices than previously in the transportation sector. However, the reporting obligations of ships arriving in ports and leaving them vary greatly from one Member State to another. Most Member States have already signed the IMO's Convention on the facilitation of maritime traffic. The proposal for a directive, now under discussion, is a good example of practices which are already internationally recognised as being good ones. In my opinion, besides the safety of shipping, it is important to facilitate practical procedures. By clear, uniform yet flexible procedures, shipping will be made a more attractive alternative mode of transport. There may be a particularly positive impact on local shipping. Improving the effectiveness of port practices will also facilitate the development of important intermodal transportation systems. Since several forms are in use, attention needs to be given, in the future, to how electronic communications can be better utilised. A positive aspect of this proposal is that the directive is intended to pass into law within a rapid timetable. The rapporteur has made good revisions to the proposal for a directive. Our group supports the approval of the report and its rapid passage through the legislative process.

Political group: ELDR
We should remember that coal and steel were part of the original construction of Europe. At the end of the war, the six founder States decided to pool their coal and steel production. Thus it was that, on 18 April 1951, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC Treaty) saw the light of day. The ECSC Treaty was concluded for a period of fifty years, starting from the date of its entry into force. Consequently, it will expire on 23 July 2002. It was planned that, once the Treaty had expired, steel and coal would be treated like any other industrial product, particularly with regard to competition policy. However, it is clear that, in the absence of any financial support measures, most of the European coal industry would be sentenced to disappear in the very short term. In fact, the greater part of Community coal production remains, and would have to remain, non-competitive in relation to third-country imports. The Green Paper on security of energy supply has taken these facts into consideration. It envisages preserving a minimum production capacity, because coal is still an important source of home-produced energy which is available in the long term and is stable and secure. (Speech cut short pursuant to Rule 137(1) of the Rules of Procedure) – Konrad report (A5-0144/2002)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, in October 2000, in Seoul ASEM leaders gave a commitment to support human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as a cornerstone of future Asia/Europe cooperation. However, our own actions rarely live up to our promises. In the past, too many Member States have paid lip-service to the idea, but where there is a choice between trade and defence of human rights, economic self-interest has always taken precedence. Furthermore, where a small country is involved, we have been quick to criticise, but when the offender is a large country, such as China, our response has been much more muted and I very much welcome Commissioner Patten's recent remarks in this regard. Therefore, I support the proposal contained in paragraph 10 of the report which calls for any state to be excluded which clearly fails to respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law from ASEM activities. I also welcome the proposal for the political pillar of ASEM to encourage political dialogue in several areas, including between China and Taiwan. If we want to play a role in this and want to be seen as honest brokers, then all Member States should follow the recommendation of this report and grant visas to the Taiwanese President and members of the government for private visits to the EU. I welcome the reference to resolving the conflict in Sri Lanka given my recent involvement in this area as head of the EU electoral observation mission. Over 70 000 Sri Lankans have died in this conflict since 1973 and any initiative to prevent further loss of life would be very worthwhile. To conclude these brief remarks, I commend the Brok report to the House. IN THE CHAIR: MR DAVID MARTINVice-President

Political group: PPE-DE
Commissioner, I find that answer extraordinarily complacent. We all know that nuclear power plants were not designed to withstand collisions with large aircraft, particularly jumbo jets. You say that it is not that easy to hi-jack an airplane. Only yesterday there was another terrible accident in New York. I hope it was an accident and not an act of terror: at this point in time it is not entirely clear. Let us all pray that it was merely an accident and not something that was designed to kill all the people on board. I am sure we all sympathise with the families. This is a very serious matter. All I am asking is, will the Commission prepare an analysis? Surely you can say 'yes' to that and not just pass it off as the responsibility of the Member States. You have powers under Articles 34 and 35 of the Euratom Treaty. According to a recent European Parliament study you are not exercising your powers under those articles. Could you please comment on that aspect of my question. Have you looked at that study? Have you looked at your powers, and can you at least prepare some kind of an analysis? I am not asking you to disclose the discussions you are having with the Member States. Clearly, that may be inappropriate. But can you not do something?

Political group: Verts-ALE
Madam President, I should briefly like to call your attention to a necessary language correction. In the final clause of Amendment 11, the Dutch translation should be amended. At present it reads: “if the hierarchy were undermined by this”. A correct translation of the English should read: “if this hierarchy were to be undermined”.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of my group, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Bradbourn, for his thorough work. The need to improve the freight transport system in terms of the environment is a vital one, with the amount of traffic continually growing. The enlargement of the EU will also bring with it new challenges as transportation routes get longer. Our group supports the Marco Polo programme and is satisfied with the Committee’s proposal. The EU can bring added value to this area by supporting innovative, new technology projects. No mode of transport should be excluded from the programme. Transport chains that may also involve transportation by road must also be included. If a project, in which road haulage companies are included, is good, it must be possible to apply for aid for it. The aim must be to move from a more polluting mode of transport to more environmentally friendly transport solutions. In my opinion, it is important that we can also lend our support to improving the existing situation. Improvements can often be made by means of a better cost-benefit ratio rather than by starting on an entirely new project. In concentrating only on new projects there is a clear danger of distortions of competition in relation to the old ones. It is right that the regulation should include a separate mention of sea transport and keep the reference to ‘motorways of the seas’. ‘Motorways of the seas’ is also given a separate mention in the White Paper on Transport; it is therefore only natural to include it in this regulation. As the rapporteur said, threshold values for all types of action in the Commission proposal are too high. The threshold values for modal shift projects, catalyst actions and common learning actions must, as the Committee is proposing, be halved. Parliament’s amendments will not radically alter the essentials, but will make certain points in the Commission proposal clearer. We support Amendment No 29 tabled by the Group of the and other amendments which aim to prevent and reduce unnecessary traffic. The programme’s budget is fairly modest and the objectives are very ambitious. We think, however, that it is important to set targets that are as ambitious as possible. In the longer term we hope that Marco Polo will prove worthwhile and attract additional funding. We must in addition investigate the possibility of additional finance for important infrastructure projects that supplement the Europe-wide traffic networks.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I have expressly put a question to Mrs Schreyer about the future financing of Info-Points and Carrefour offices. However, even though she has only one other question to answer, she does not want to have a debate on my question. I have contacted our services to ask them why. They tell me that they have been in touch with the Commission and the reason is that this is not the responsibility of Commissioner Schreyer but of Mr Prodi. The problem is that Mr Prodi never comes here to answer questions, so I will simply receive a written reply. I would really like to question what the Commission says about whose responsibility this is. The Info-Points problem is caused by the new Financial Regulation, which is the responsibility of Mrs Schreyer, and the solution will have to be found in the next budget, which is also the responsibility of Mrs Schreyer. Therefore, it seems to me that this is only a way of avoiding a sensitive debate. That is not acceptable, and I would ask the President of Parliament to look into this. I would be very happy if Mrs Schreyer would comment on this.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I think the last speaker, Mr Santini, made an error which a lot of people make, confusing nationality and citizenship. Even the notion of citizenship is distinct from being a citizen. It is my view that citizenship derives in the first instance from a sense of responsibility which comes from within a moral framework – I am not talking specifically about a religious framework, but a moral framework of how one sees the world and one's place in the world. I regard myself as a citizen of the world. I do not have a piece of paper which tells me so, but there are various conventions and laws and international rights which exist and which protect me as a citizen of the world. It seems to me that there is a lot of work to be done in terms of developing the notion of European citizenship and it is a mistake to reduce it to the notion of political citizenship, although that is an important aspect of it. Turnout in elections is important, but people's identity as citizens is not confined to their political identity. In fact many people, as we can see from the low turnouts, no longer define themselves in political terms and therefore disengage from the political process. Many are far more interested in their identity as, for instance, fans of a football club or a particular pop star. There are a lot of good ideas in this report. One of the most interesting is the simple idea of a national holiday on Europe Day. This would create a connection between Europe and the people of Europe. It would bring home very strongly the idea that there is a benefit to being a European and being part of the European process. As an exercise, I logged onto one of the more popular websites a few minutes before I came down here and I found 1.8 million references to citizenship. At the top of the list were the United States, Canada and then the UK. On the first thirty pages, I was not able to find a single site for the European Union. It seems to me that is a mistake. One of the things that the sites constantly emphasise is education – the education of young people. I would ask people to bear in mind that citizenship is not defined by the passport you hold.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, you are quite right. The College of Quaestors is due to meet this afternoon and a note on the procedures for evacuating the building will be sent to all Members before the next part-session.

Political group: PSE
The Liberal Party’s five Members of the European Parliament support the efforts in this report to give better diplomatic training to those EC officials who work in the Commission’s delegations. We have proposed – and had accepted – an amendment which emphasises that it is simply a question of in-service training and that the courses are to be open to diplomats from the national foreign services. The Liberals do not, however, support the idea of setting up a new institution in the form of an EC College of Diplomacy. Nor do we want the present delegations to develop into EU embassies. Therefore, the Liberals have today voted in favour of the report as a whole but abstained from voting on the above-mentioned points.

Political group: ELDR