GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mrs de Palacio, for months now I have sometimes had difficulty following your arguments, and that is still the case as regards your reply on the subject of coal. You say that we should continue opencast mining in Europe because there is a supply problem. There are no shortages on the world coal market. There has been no fluctuation in prices for decades, and there has never been any pressure on Europe, which has no difficulty in obtaining coal. This shows that you do not have any objective criteria. The ‘percentage of imports’ criterion cannot be regarded as a threat to our security of supply. We are much more seriously threatened by, for example, computer viruses. To come back to this particular Spanish case, we have the impression that in the region concerned, Mr Victorino Alonso, who is the boss of the various undertakings, is misusing the money that Europe gives him, because he is using the money to improve the competitiveness of his undertakings, whereas it is money that ought to be used to preserve jobs in the region.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I am in favour of postponing the vote out of respect for the rapporteur, Mr Rocard, who specifically asked this afternoon for the vote to be deferred. I think we can postpone this vote out of respect for him and the work he has done. (Uproar)

Political group: Verts-ALE
I would thank the Commissioner for that answer. I should, however, like just one thing to be clarified in this connection. I interpret the answer as saying that the Commission cannot accept, or considers incompatible with membership of the third stage of EMU, a situation in which large funds are transferred from the Swedish Central Bank’s profits to the Swedish Treasury, as has been done by the Swedish Government. We are talking here about a total of SEK 40 billion over two years. I would ask you to confirm that this is a correct interpretation of what you have just said.

Political group: GUE-NGL
In fact, I am referring back to Mr Cushnahan’s and also to Mr Sandbæk’s questions. Among other things, I asked the Commission if it really does provide the Member States with sufficient legal and technical means to identify goods that are entering illegally. I would like to thank the Commissioner for his suggestion for the next question because it would be interesting to discover which countries, for example, instead of requiring observance of the agreements, are endeavouring to ensure that the agreements and the interests of the European citizens are not respected.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I agree with Mrs Izquierdo that the President-in-Office's answer was not the right answer. He had the questions in good time and could have tried to inform himself so that he could also inform us. Nonetheless, I wish to come back to a more basic problem. Today I heard your Prime Minister, President-in-Office Berlusconi say, in so many words, that he was opposed to the attack on Iraq, that he is opposed to the disdain shown towards the UN and that, at all events, he did what he could to prevent this evil. Today, however, we have an occupation. And it is an illegal occupation, which is continuing despite the vigorous resistance being developed on a daily basis by the Iraqi people. I wish to ask what this Presidency will do, given that it is supposed to be opposed to these developments, even though I have a different opinion about your government's stance, in order to stop this evil? Especially now the pretext put forward about the existence of weapons of mass destruction has proven to be a lie. The American leaders themselves are saying that there are no such weapons. So there were other reasons. What will the Italian Presidency do? Will it act to stop this criminal occupation?

Political group: GUE-NGL
While the European Parliament deliberates on a report on employment policy, a report that sings the praises of competition, and claims that the social market economy has proved its worth, this same market economy has recently claimed a further 4 000 victims, 4 000 Moulinex workers who now find themselves jobless. I am citing the example of Moulinex, because the decision has just been taken. I could, however, cite dozens of other businesses scattered throughout Europe, from Philips to Siemens, as well as several airlines. This is a tragedy for many thousands of employees, and a disaster for the regions that are affected. I would like to express my solidarity with the workers of these companies and my indignation at the attitude of their bosses, who have become wealthy on the back of the workers. The latter are made to pay for their bosses’ economic blunders, and they are now jobless, have no wages coming in, sometimes after they have been in employment for many years. These workers have reaped no benefits whatsoever from their companies’ periods of prosperity, and in no way are they responsible for their difficulties. Both governments and the European institutions are helping to prolong this despicable situation, where workers are suffering to enable company owners to safeguard their assets. The money needed to finance jobs must be deducted from the wealth accumulated by shareholders, past and present, and from the resources held by banks. Without this political will, these great promises on employment policy are nothing more than idle talk. So, I warn you, workers will not let themselves be pushed around forever; the greed of their bosses and the policies that favour their employers will eventually cause social upheaval. This is what will require a genuine employment policy, as it is this alone that will force those who have made their fortune on the back of others to shoulder their responsibilities.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, during Commissioner Vitorino’s hearing, I told him that I was pleased to see that he was the only Commissioner who had taken the trouble to mention education as an important element to be incorporated into the third pillar. He replied enthusiastically and even with a degree of passion which struck me as extraordinary. In Spain we are adopting a law on aliens which fully supports integration and the recognition of all rights. But we also need Europe to take a step forward with regard to education because a new wave of illiteracy is appearing, a new group of marginalised people, as a result of the fact that people are unable to understand the language of the country into which they are being integrated. These new illiterates cannot even understand safety instructions at work. They cannot understand road signs. This is a new type of illiteracy, a new kind of basic poverty which is currently becoming part of the social make-up of Europe. This problem is getting out of hand, perhaps through lack of information and research. Would it not be possible to carry out a systematic study of what the conditions and needs really are and where the essential points lie? Because without information it is not possible to draft a policy and without a knowledge of the true state of affairs it is not possible to create proper programmes. We need to lay firm foundations in this field, since nobody is taking responsibility for education.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I should also like to thank Mr Menrad for his report, even if I do not agree with all the proposals it contains. The Commission’s report on the European works councils shows that there is a fair way to go before the law is implemented in practice and all the undertakings concerned have set up works councils. Is it therefore a correct response to require that still more businesses be covered by the directive and to demand tougher sanctions against those companies that do not implement the directive? The Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party cannot support reducing the size of those companies covered by the directive to five hundred employees in one Member State and one hundred in each additional Member State. I am also sceptical about some of the requests for sanctions that have been put forward here in Parliament. They may run counter to national systems which, in actual fact, operate well. Nor can it be reasonable for companies to be penalised differently for the same offence, as will happen if their managements’ actions are rendered invalid or if, by failing to provide enough information and by not consulting sufficiently, they are excluded from public subsidies or public procurement.

Political group: ELDR
I wish to ask a question regarding the agenda. Mr Busquin has just made a statement about cloning. When will the debate on this subject be held?

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, why are human rights so far behind human progress? Science, technology and communication have broadened man’s knowledge and expertise and abilities beyond belief. Yet, the world is still being plagued by human rights violations on a massive scale, mainly due to war, poverty and misuse of power. We should therefore concentrate all our efforts on these human rights. But cultural value patterns underlie these violations too. Mrs Malmström was therefore right in asking, in her special report, that the position of the woman be given special attention. In a great many societies, the woman is still suffering at the hands of men as a result of institutionalised and sometimes legalised misuse of power. Not collective habits but the effects on the individual must be the overriding factor in our judgement. This means, for example, that we should not respect female circumcision as an old tradition but should fight it with all civilised means. European foreign policy is too easily thrown off course by purely economic interests. It is high time that human rights were given the priority they deserve, not only in theory but also in practice. In this way, Europe can make a substantial contribution to progress, progress of civilisation.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I was deeply disappointed that the initiative to launch a parliamentary committee of inquiry into the allegations of misuse of EU funds by the Palestinian Authority was not even discussed at the meeting of the Conference of Presidents last Thursday. Over one quarter of the Members of this House signed a petition to this effect and this controversial issue, which generated a lot of press attention and outside interest by our constituents, deserves better than to be swept under the carpet with no democratic debate being allowed. Surely the intention of Rule 151 is not to give the political groups the right to decide that the matter should not even be discussed in plenary when across the House so many Members regard this as a very serious matter. I would appreciate your ruling on the correct procedures under Rule 151(3), as in my view the very democratic credibility of this House is now at stake.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, first of all I should like to join with other speakers in commending the excellent work of the rapporteur, my colleague Mr Brok. Any analysis of the evolution of the CFSP would regrettably have to conclude that the Maastricht Treaty sacrificed political integration to ensure economic integration and, as a consequence, undermine the EU's potential to be a major foreign policy player on the world stage. Nowhere was this more apparent than during the Bosnian crisis when there was significant disunity among Member States. Our mediation efforts were dogged by bad luck. It is also true to say we were ineffective peace-makers. We finished up as the United States' junior partner instead of an equal one. It seemed for a while that we had learned from this grim experience and there was a determined effort in the Treaty of Amsterdam to ensure more coherence in our common foreign and security policy approach. Although the end-result of the Treaty negotiations represented a step forward, they did not go far enough. However, I suppose we must be thankful that considerable progress was made at the Cologne, Faro and Helsinki Summits. Whatever institutional and other changes take place, there will never be real progress unless and until all Member States act and speak as one. The current situation in the wake of 11 September underlines this point. The EU had an opportunity to be an equal partner with the United States in responding to this crisis. Regrettably, the solo run by British Prime Minister Tony Blair has seriously undermined the EU's influence and our foreign policy strategy. This problem was further compounded by the decision of the UK, Germany and France to hold a mini-summit prior to the Ghent Council. If actions like this continue, either on the part of an individual Member State or a group of them, the EU's common foreign and security policy will be in tatters, despite the best efforts of Commissioner Patten and Mr Solana.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, the Northern Dimension is the northern equivalent of the European Union-Mediterranean Partnership. Although we speak of the north, it also refers to the EU’s eastern external dimension. There are two seas in the north, which have to be protected from catastrophe. The Baltic Sea, which will soon be virtually an internal sea of the EU, is the world’s most polluted sea. As we speak it is frozen over, which illustrates how problematic the natural conditions are there. An oil disaster on the scale of the Prestige wreck would be devastating. The Barents Sea, on the other hand, is threatened by nuclear waste and the exploitation of natural resources on the seabed. As a gas pipeline is being built from the Barents Sea to Germany we will also need investment from Member States to prevent environmental damage resulting from gas production. Our group is pleased with the resolution the political groups have together agreed upon here. It sets forth the key issues that the Commission must take account of when it drafts the action plan for the period 2004–2006. Unfortunately, the countries to hold the presidency this year have not included a mention of the development of the Northern Dimension in the Council’s action programme. Greece and Italy, both countries in the Mediterranean region, are failing in their duty, as countries to hold the presidency, to represent the interests of the EU as a whole. Something that is of strategic importance is cooperation on energy. The EU is dependent for energy on gas imported from the east. The intention is to meet the entire increase in the EU’s energy needs over the next few decades with gas from the east. Investment in the energy sector will improve the reliability of the supply of gas and ensure there is shared responsibility for the sustainable exploitation of energy resources. Important areas of cooperation also include western investment in environmental protection, nuclear safety and transport infrastructure. Some pilot projects have been set up in order to solve Russia’s environmental problems. These are positive steps in the right direction in a situation in which we are being called upon to compensate for Russian capitalism’s lack of responsibility for nature and people. The Northern Dimension is furthermore concerned with the fight against poverty in the EU’s neighbouring regions. Civil society has been acting independently and we must ensure it is more involved in EU projects. NGOs are weapons in the struggle against bureaucracy both in the EU and in Russia. The Northern Dimension motorcar today is being driven in too low a gear. The car is not an automatic, and Greece and Italy must therefore now change up to a higher gear. I agree with the criticism expressed here by Mr Suominen: the representative of the Greek Presidency should have been present here while we are speaking about the Northern Dimension. The area of responsibility of the country holding the presidency is not only the Mediterranean but also the other seas in the EU.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I am one of a group of Members who have tabled questions to the Council. I can state that one question – which for me personally is extremely important – on the conflict that I believe exists between the Commission and the Council with regard to legislation on maritime traffic, tabled on 30 January, according to the document currently before us, is being answered much later than questions tabled in February. We naturally attempt to receive answers here in plenary and we fail to understand what criterion is used. Should we not be told the political criterion so that we can act accordingly?

Political group: Verts-ALE
We are a small House because it is a Friday morning but it needs to be noticed and recognised that this is an all-party issue and an all-Union issue. Members of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market from all over the Union and from all the parties have come together to say that it is no use talking about rights, advocating charters of rights if you do not, in real cases when people's rights are denied, take effective action to get them recognised and to get them enforced, and that is the problem in this case. I was sorry to see, for example, one of the amendments taking out the reference not only to an appeal to the Ombudsman but the fact that the Ombudsman answered it affirmatively. That is a critical point because the Ombudsman said that the Commission acted wrongly in failing to communicate with the language lettori the fact that they were changing pleadings on an important and significant article, and the article on which the Commission changed its pleadings is the very point that Commissioner Busquin mentioned. The point is that the lettori claim the right to continue as teachers, not to be changed into something else. Nobody disputes that the Italian Republic is fully within its entitlement, in 1995 or at any other time, to say for the future we will not hire people as lettori, we will bring in people for a new kind of appointment. They can say that to anybody who applies in the future, but they cannot in respect of the past change the rights of people whose rights have upheld by the Court. I remind the Commission that I hope it will reply to the point that in the Allué case the ruling of the Court is as follows: 'Hereby rules, it is contrary to Article 48(2) of the EEC Treaty for the legislation of a Member State to limit the duration of employment contracts of foreign-language assistants in any event to one year, with the possibility of renewal where in principle no such limit exists with regard to other teachers.' If that is so, then the people whose representatives are in the gallery today, are entitled to be recognised as teachers in Italian universities of similar standing to those holding ten-year appointments in the university. We do not say they should be made Italian civil servants. We say Italy should make its law conform with the decision of the Court and give these teachers the right to be such.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, the European Parliament is now establishing a policy, that is to say a drugs policy, which has emerged in fits and starts over a period of many years. It is a firm drugs policy. Thanks are due to all who have contributed to formulating it including, naturally enough on this particular day, the rapporteur Mrs Giannakou-Koutsikou, but also Sir Jack Stewart-Clark who has worked with these questions in previous years. May I perhaps emphasise that it is rather striking that I in particular, as a Swede, am very impressed indeed by this Parliament’s ability to produce what I consider to be a firm drugs policy. In fact, we Swedes have a fairly definite view of these questions. I think we can now count upon seeing good results in the field of drugs policy. I am particularly pleased that it is the Group of the European People’s Party’s drugs programme which in fact forms the basis of the present compromise. There are features which will mean that we embark upon a common road towards fewer drugs and with the goal of leading both society and individuals away from drugs and towards the long-term goal of a society without drugs. Once these measures which are now being proposed have taken effect, I believe that there will emerge in the Member States a greater sympathetic understanding of the differences between their respective policies. It is therefore important that it should be precisely that policy which is the best policy which should stand as an example. I should therefore like to urge the Commission to ensure in particular that the new Member States also have the opportunity to be present when the project is devised. In my own country, many people, it is true, feel rather discriminated against in this area. If we are bad at carrying out projects, we should like to improve. We should, however, also like to be present when assessments of on-going projects are carried out so that we might see which road the European Union will continue to go down. It is also important that we should comply with the laws of the different countries. We cannot, in this European Union, step into some kind of grey area of a community governed by law and not comply with our legislation. If we do not want to comply with our legislation, we must change our legislation and not pursue some kind of policy which does not follow the rules of a State governed by law. I should like to thank you for the efforts which have been made and urge us all to be very much more committed in the future. We are not there yet by any means. Rather, there is a very great deal of work which remains to be done. Unfortunately, many of the amendments on the table here in this Chamber place obstacles in the way, so I hope that many of them will be rejected.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we all know what the consequences of anti-personnel mines are, even if there may often be important military justifications for them in individual cases. They result in immeasurable suffering, especially among civilians and children. But they also often destroy countries' long-term development potential by contaminating entire regions. For this reason it is extremely positive that the Commission and the European Union are tackling this subject as a whole and wish to ensure that a coordinated policy is adopted in this area. Our question to the Commission is intended to encourage it to continue down this path and to strengthen this initiative still further. I say this because we do indeed need coordination between the efforts of Europe and other international players, areas benefiting from development funds or actions directly administered by the Commission. Proper mine-clearance equipment therefore needs to be arranged and we need to finance research work on detection and clearance, and on equipment that is simple to use on the ground, which is particularly helpful for developing countries. There is also great potential for coordination in relation to personnel deployment, by which I mean both military personnel and civilians. My committee also suggests that you should consider seeking special deployment arrangements in cooperation with Eurocorps, making it possible for Europe to take the lead here. We also certainly need to designate priority areas for mine clearance so as to create special focal points. Not all countries have yet signed the international conventions, nor have they been ratified by all countries, for a wide variety of reasons. I believe that we therefore need to wage a campaign to make those in positions of political responsibility weigh up what the military benefit of mines is and what the consequences are for the people and the region. By weighing things up in this way they will realise that arms of this kind should no longer be used and that we should help these countries to find political alternatives to using such mines. I also believe that there must be a proper political framework in these regions so as to give such governments the political power to escape from this vicious circle, which means that, ostensibly, in trying to provide protection for themselves they ultimately harm their own population in the long term. I must therefore encourage the Commission to regard this not just as a technical starting point for providing some kind of financial support, but also as an important opportunity to create a political framework with a view to securing an improvement here.

Political group: PPE-DE