GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I wish at this point to express my disappointment at the Commission’s failure to adopt any position on the revision, assessment and notification of Directive 92/85 on maternity protection as yet. Nevertheless, although I wish to highlight the considerable harm that this omission has caused to mothers, every cloud has a silver lining, and this report, which has been brilliantly drafted by Mrs Damião, is proof of that such silver linings exist. This report will enable the European Parliament to move ahead now. The report clarifies concepts, harmonises legislation at Community level, establishes shared responsibilities, takes account of new risks in the way work is currently organised, looks for incentives to increase the population in an ageing Europe and considers pregnancy to be a natural condition for women, and one which should be respected and protected. It specifically notes the rights of women working independently or as teleworkers, and highlights the growing concern about single parents, who are becoming increasingly common in Europe. The aim of extending maternity leave to twenty weeks is an ambitious one, which is recommended from a technical point of view, and must gradually be implemented. We must therefore prepare ourselves for this in economic terms, by sharing out responsibilities through cooperation between states and employers’ and workers’ organisations. In order to achieve the aims that are being proposed, it is also crucial for us to encourage greater dialogue, collaboration and coordination between specialists in health, hygiene and safety at work, so that a more suitable working environment can be provided for pregnant women. The European Community must strive to gain the support of applicant countries to ensure that awareness is raised as rapidly as possible, so that the measures recommended in this report can be adopted, since there may be greater resistance in those countries, which could be difficult to overcome. Lastly, I wish to sound a warning about point 9 of this report, because measures for protecting new mothers, such as very long maternity leave, may have unwanted effects, as it may become disadvantageous for employers to employ women, and they may consequently prefer to take on men. The Commission must therefore create a system for detecting fraud and for applying harsh penalties to companies practising this kind of discrimination.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, when Turkey joins the European Union the impact and the benefits will be considerable. The EU will then have to adjust, and in a welcoming way. But, in the shorter term, it is Turkey which has to adjust the most, in particular to meet the Copenhagen political criteria. I am glad the Commissioner stressed these. We cannot fulfil our role of critical friend by soft-pedalling on the need for drastic change, particularly with regard to guaranteeing individual freedom and a legitimate right to the Kurds. Indeed the key to reform is ending the war against the Kurds, which gives the pretext for the state of emergency and the repression that goes with it. The Kurds deserve a peaceful settlement involving a degree of political devolution and respect for their cultural and linguistic rights. To say this is not to be anti-Turkish. Will not other Turkish citizens benefit also? The arrest and imprisonment of HADEP leaders like Sakharov prize-winner Leyla Zana and human rights campaigner Akin Birdal is an impediment to Turkey's progress to the EU. To allow the European Parliament to vote for Turkey's accession when the time comes, reformers in Europe and Turkey must work together to lobby for change, as the Commissioner advised.

Political group: ELDR
I support all the articles of this regulation and I voted for the motion, but I must express my great disappointment, as representative of pensioners throughout Europe, at the fact that, with Amendment No 55, which we adopted, we are preserving the total ban on people with disabilities throughout Europe travelling in Europe, travelling outside the borders of their own State and taking up residence in another European State, because, in so doing, they would lose a large part of the allowances on which they depend to live. Some progress has been made, some of the pensions which were not transferable between countries have been abolished, but the majority are still in existence, with the result that, when people with disabilities travel in Europe, they have to leave their pension for their government, which certainly does not need it.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, it is with great regret that I have to trouble you yet again with an issue that I have raised here twice before. I have already told you on a number of occasions that we, on behalf of the Dutch contingency, would like a Dutch television channel. There are now 28 channels here in this Parliament, including two Greek, one Portuguese, one Finnish and one Belgian, but still no Dutch, and as many as seven English, six German and six French. I was promised back in September that there would be a Dutch channel by January. It is now February and we are still waiting. I would ask you once again to work on this. I wonder what kind of mediaeval bureaucracy is at work here preventing a Dutch channel from being transmitted by satellite.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, perhaps you – and those who say that European politics are obscure – would like to take note of the fact that the first vote in the enlarged Europe pitted the against the Right, and that the won it.

Political group: PSE
The production of pigs has been rising sharply for years. Vegetable products that used to be eaten directly by human beings were fed to pigs and the pigs were subsequently eaten by people. The aim was more meat and cheaper meat. Too little attention was paid to animal diseases, animal welfare and human health. If we rear large numbers of animals for slaughter in artificial conditions and pack them together, diseases are give more chance to flourish. Precisely with that overcrowding of sties and the intensive transportation created by trade preventive vaccination offers the only opportunity of limiting outbreaks of disease. Yet this obvious safety measure is not taken. International trade demands meat from non-vaccinated animals. It is short-sighted that the European Commissions continues to cooperate in a non-vaccination policy in advance and mass culling of healthy animals after the event, and that the rapporteur should agree. The approach to swine fever makes trade sacred and animals fair game. This does not promise well for the promised reconsideration of vaccination after the end of the present foot-and-mouth epidemic. As a supporter of preventive vaccination and an opponent of unnecessary slaughter I am unable to agree with the rapporteur’s proposal. * **

Political group: GUE-NGL
So as not to delay the adoption of this controversial directive any further, I voted for the compromise with the Council, albeit with little enthusiasm. My first concern is about the potential for cutting emissions. This text makes no reference to the technical links that exist between the activities of different operators. In the particular case of the iron and steel industry, inclusion of such a reference could have prevented the rights corresponding to blast furnace gases that are sent to electricity companies to be converted into energy that is used by iron and steel plants from being granted to the electricity companies under the national allocation plans when, without them, those companies could replace those energy sources with others such as natural gas. Paradoxically, the iron and steel companies would have to burn off their blast furnace gases, thus increasing CO2 emissions, not to mention the emission rights they will have to buy back from the electricity companies. This extra cost could well jeopardise the European iron and steel industry, which is facing increasing world competition. A more explicit reference to the right for a company to trade internally the rights corresponding to its installations in different countries would have encouraged the creation and development of pan-European companies.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, my intervention concerns the same matter. I appear in both votes as belonging to the Group of Non-attached Members, although I belong to the Group of the . May I ask that the appropriate rectifications be made.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, needless to say, all forms of violence should be denounced, including the outrageous expressions of hooliganism during Euro 2000. Despite this, I am still convinced that the reprehensible incidents were blown out of all proportion, partly by the press and partly by politicians. Because of this, we have been unable to emphasise sufficiently how extraordinarily well-organised Euro 2000 was, indeed the standard of organisation will turn Euro 2000 into an unforgettable experience for millions of people. As representative of one of the host nations, I would like to congratulate everyone who was involved on the organisational side and in the enforcement of law and order. The success of Euro 2000 has shown that small nations are capable of great things and this should not be overshadowed by the wanton behaviour of a minority. All Member States should, in consultation with each other, take appropriate measures. Not only was Euro 2000 a superb festival of football, it was also a festival of solidarity among the citizens of the European Union, whom it brought closer together.

Political group: ELDR
With the proposal to reform Staff Regulations, the European Union is being called on to apply internally the general choices made by big business, as it promotes cutbacks in public services and attacks workers' rights. Efforts to reduce wages and benefits, impose new taxes and drastically reduce pensions and pension rights are all part of the attack on workers' rights. The abolition of services and greater favouritism and dependence are being promoted within a framework of cutbacks in the role of public services and a more vigorous, peculiar sort of patronage which will serve the interests of lobbies, large companies and strong political families. The majority of employees and the trades union of the various institutions of the European Union oppose Mr Kinnock's proposal. But, Mr Kinnock is using the usual tricks, with the connivance of certain trades union leaders, in an effort to strike the European public service a decisive blow and set an example for national public administrations. We support the just demands of the workers and their movement. We consider that the European Parliament should stand by the view that this matter requires the codecision procedure and should not allow the Commission and the Council to take decisions without any form of control on a matter which, moreover, also affects the smooth running of Parliament.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Madam President, I should like to challenge some of the assertions that have been made by Mr Rapkay. Firstly, there is very much more that unites us on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs than you would think from some of the assertions he has just made. We can see that from the report that we are considering. There are 22 paragraphs in this report. Mr Rapkay had only six areas where his report was significantly amended. We have six amendments to consider tomorrow. Let us look at the things that unite us. I certainly do not believe that state aid is the work of the devil. In a sense that was excessive rhetoric on the part of Mr Rapkay. We actually both believe in a competitive Europe. We are in favour of making our economy competition-friendly. Mr Rapkay's excellent report – which I will support in its current form tomorrow – is a consistent report building on the one produced by the committee last year. Of course there will be some differences of emphasis between us. We do not all share the same political outlook. But there is a trend in relation to the views that have been forward by the Economic Committee which are at the core of Mr Rapkay's report and for which I congratulate him. Yes, I certainly believe in the rigorous application of state aid. I congratulate Commissioner Monti for the stance that he has taken in this area. It is something that broadly reflects the position of our Economic Committee. Our committee is committed to taking forward the Lisbon process. Building a competitive Europe must be a part of that, so it is important that we have proper state aid control. Part of that is through the transparency that comes from the State Aid Scoreboard, of which Mr Rapkay has been a keen exponent. He has raised the issue consistently. We are delighted that Commissioner Monti has made progress in this area. There is more work to be done in developing the scoreboard. I am not absolutely sure that the Competition DG competition is at the front of the queue in terms of the Internet-friendly nature of its particular website. I am absolutely confident that more progress will be made. I went on to the Internet the other day to find out about the Competition Day that is coming up. It was not a particularly friendly site to deal with. I should like to mention the Steel Aid Code. I have consistently said to Commissioner Monti that the industry is looking for guidance here. We want the current regime to stay in place in some format. I hope that Commissioner Monti will feel after mature reflection that, given the difficulties with the United States of America, that is something he could support.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, the Commissioner did not answer my third question about the accession of these 10 countries to the European Economic Area. It may be that he has chosen not to answer, but maybe he forgot. I would like an answer.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Group of the wholeheartedly supports the joint resolution that will be put to the vote today. I agree with all the previous speakers. But I also support the massive protests that have been taking place for some time throughout the world in connection with this affair, such as today at 6 p.m. in Brussels in front of the Iranian embassy. Today is a special day, 13 April 2000, the date of the so-called ‘trial’. In 1979, 1993, 1998 and 1999, resolutions were sent from the European Parliament to Iran, but what happened to them? Via Amnesty International, Jewish families and organisations, we learned that, on 8 March 1999, thirteen Iranian Jews and Muslims were arrested and detained. The youngest is sixteen years old and the oldest forty eight. The reason: espionage. Yet again. Requests have been made to send letters, but to no avail. The Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Levy, sent a letter to various ministers, including the Belgian Minister, to point out that these people are in no way guilty of spying. They are Hebrew teachers and perform religious rituals, among other things. Three of the thirteen have been allowed to choose a lawyer and the others have had lawyers forced upon them. I heard today at 11.30 a.m. that the forum of Jewish organisations in Belgium says that there will not be a trial. The Jewish communities are afraid. What is likely to happen? People disappear, they are locked up, but for how long? Either that or they are used for cattle trading. It is very worrying and must be followed up. I hope that Iran will act wisely and responsibly and not with hatred.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mr El Baradei, recently stated that the risk of a nuclear conflict has never been greater than today. While Iraq was brought under control, the rest of the world changed into a kind of supermarket of private proliferation, a supermarket in which all countries and, possibly, even terrorists with nuclear ambitions, can seize their chances. Despite recent successes with regard to Libya and Iran, there is little cause for optimism. The US, Russia and France have all made a start on preparing a new generation of nuclear weapons. As tension mounts between it and the US, Saudi Arabia is now also choosing the nuclear option. For years, the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, who was trained in Europe, passed on nuclear information to dictators and possibly even terrorists. On account of this combination of commercially-minded nuclear experts, immoral businesses and state-owned institutions, the threshold for a nuclear war of destruction has been lowered. Today, everyone is agreed that the monitoring system must be updated and tightened up. The capacity of the International Atomic Energy Agency must, as a matter of urgency, be reinforced if effective control is to be made possible, but the European Union should have the courage to take political, diplomatic and economic action against countries that ignore, or evade, monitoring in the field of nuclear proliferation. Not only do we have to tighten up where monitoring is concerned, we must also be prepared to enforce it collectively. I therefore welcome the Council's and Commission's pledge to commit to the further, full implementation of the NPT and to work for ambitious results during the next Prepcom and the Review Conference in 2005.

Political group: ELDR
Madam President, I come from the most deregulated country as far as the postal service sector is concerned. At the same time, it is the country where the highest number of letters are delivered the day after they have been posted. Also, no other country in the European Union has such fast distribution of post from abroad. There is a connection between all of this. Even though the previously dominant national company in Sweden is still by far and away the largest, the growing competition currently from 50 other companies has meant that they have been forced to become considerably more efficient than they were before. It is this kind of future I would also like to see in the other countries within the European Union. Allow me briefly to say a few words regarding the quite obvious hypocrisy also found within this sector. The British Royal Mail and the French La Poste, to name but two, oppose any form of competition in Great Britain and France respectively. This does not prevent both companies from wanting to get in on the act and claim a share of the market in countries where deregulation has taken place. It would, of course, be reasonable for the Commission to examine the legality of companies who refuse other companies access to their markets and yet gladly claim a share of the market in countries where deregulation has taken place. Allow me to conclude by thanking the rapporteur, Mr Ferber, who has made several attempts at reaching a compromise. There should be no reflection on him, but there has been a lack of desire on the part of others. I do not consider the current draft to be a compromise. It would have been a compromise if an end-date for completion of the liberalisation had been set. If this date is set later than, for example, 2007, it will, in my opinion, be completely meaningless. By then, the market will have resolved this issue. There is therefore currently no reason to support such an amendment, and in that case I see no alternative than to vote against the report.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, on Tuesday Mrs Morgan raised the issue of the letter that the Bureau sent to Mr Prodi on reform of the Commission, taking a very different stance from the position taken by the Commission. We have just voted on the report by Mrs Buitenweg and have approved Amendment No 4 by Mr Elles, which reiterates Parliament's wholehearted support for the Commission reforms. Will you now write to Mr Prodi and convey to him the reconfirmed, wholehearted support of this Parliament for radical reforms of the Commission's staff regulations? (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Indeed, I voted in favour of this report on the recognition of professional qualifications because its aim is to have doctors who are European doctors – recognised as such throughout Europe – European lawyers, European accountants, European architects. We Members, Mr President, are we not already European parliamentarians? Do we not demonstrate that we can succeed at being parliamentarians without having to take additional exams in order to be recognised throughout Europe? We are an example, therefore, of how it is possible in practice to have a single European profession. Just as we have succeeded as parliamentarians in carrying out our work effectively, so too may all the professions be able to do likewise. Let us hope that it happens soon!

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Prodi, President of the Commission, thirteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I would like to say well done on taking the penultimate step which will enable Europe to reconcile its history with its geography. You took this step under particular circumstances which will also enable us to reassure our populations thanks to this general safeguard clause. I think that this is a good sign. In taking this step, you also broke down the barrier represented by the financial block. This is wonderful! We shall take note of what has been achieved. We would, however, like to express our concern regarding the impact of this agreement on the much-needed reform of the common agricultural policy. This reform cannot wait until 2007, as it will only increase injustice and encourage the new member countries to adopt an approach based on maximum productivity. This reform is all the more necessary because, as of 2007, the agricultural budget will be reduced. That is why we reaffirm our support for Commissioner Fischler’s proposals and we support the idea of a mid-term review, which can alone enable us to redefine the future prospects for all farmers, and not just for large cereal producers. It is the only way to reform the markets which need these reforms immediately, whether in the milk, sugar or olive oil sectors. This is the only way to encourage the development of the rural pillar that is so badly needed, by means of compulsory modulation. It is the only way to make our common agricultural policy match our ambitions in the area of development aid. I have three further points to make. With regard to Kaliningrad, well done on respecting Lithuania’s sovereignty, although this will mean nothing if the Union fails to use all the resources at its disposal to bring an end to the lawless situation in Kaliningrad, which has been caused by a deterioration of the economic situation. With regard to Romania and Bulgaria, well done on the objective set in terms of a timetable, but do not lower your guard in terms of pre-accession aid for these countries, which need it so badly. Lastly, let us remain consistent: we want a Union that is underpinned by the principle of secularity like a school of democracy and tolerance. Let us be vigilant towards Turkey therefore. Let us demand the Copenhagen criteria, all the criteria, both political and economic, but avoid making the issue of religion a reason for refusing Turkey entry to the Union, on the grounds that this country is mainly Muslim. This Union must be an open and tolerant Union.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I just wanted to say that Mr Hans-Peter Martin has announced the withdrawal of the report on lobbying in industry because of his own personal interest. This is not something that the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy welcomes; it has been done contrary to the intentions of the relevant committee and of the coordinator. I just wanted to have it recorded in the minutes of the House that he personally withdrew this report contrary to the intentions of the relevant committee and contrary to the statement that he made.

Political group: PPE-DE