GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I come from a country, Sweden, in which there is still quite a lot of scepticism about the EU project. People do, however, rally in large numbers around one issue, namely that of enlargement. One might well wonder why. I believe that the opportunity for transforming the EU into a form of pan-European cooperation lends legitimacy to the enlargement process. The gains are mainly to be found at the political level. It is fantastic that countries on this continent which only ten or so years ago were divided are to make joint decisions on matters of common interest in the near future. This transformation has benefits in terms of democracy and provides the opportunity to create peace and stability in the future. It has to be recognised that it is about joining forces economically, but this can also give rise to major economic gains in the future as our market increases and there is increased growth in Europe. We shall see benefits in terms of the environment. I myself live close to the Baltic, which matters to us all. When we devise common rules which improve the environment, we create better conditions of life for the future. That is our common task. The report states that each country must accede to the EU on its own merits. It is important that this should happen and that a country should be able to become a member of the EU when it is ready to join. We now have two tasks before us: firstly, to encourage the Member States not to abandon their efforts, which is why we need to present a target date soon; and secondly to lead the debate with the people in our own countries so that this project enjoys legitimacy in the future too.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Mrs Patrie's suggestion comes as a huge surprise to me, because not a single new issue was raised during the extensive debate we held here yesterday, both in the morning and in the afternoon, and because Commissioner Bolkestein has also emphatically confirmed that the Green Paper and the draft regulation are completely compatible. Moreover, I should like to draw Parliament's attention to the fact that this report has been approved in the Committee on Legal Affairs by an overwhelming majority, with two votes against and two abstentions, and that normally speaking, this report would not have been discussed in the plenary had we applied the new procedure. What is more, it cannot be the intention, surely, to obstruct the legislative procedure because a group, however important it may be, fails to reach unanimity on this report. It is up to us to assume our responsibility freely; this is quite simply our mandate.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Mrs Jöns has written an excellent report. The point has frequently been made in this debate that breast cancer is the most common cause of death in the European Union in women between 35 and 55. For this reason alone it is a subject deserving all our attention. It might also be worth mentioning, though, that the age group above this one is badly affected as well. One of the key points is that in the Member States there are currently still too many differences in the diagnosis, the quality of the treatment and the care of breast cancer and therefore in the chances of survival. But should it make any difference which country or which area or which hospital you are treated in? The same is true of diseases affecting men and I refer here in particular to prostate cancer. It is therefore time for the European Union to adopt a more active approach in the combating of breast cancer in all countries, including the candidate Member States, in order to lift care to a higher level. The recommendations in the present report give all the relevant starting points. I am also very pleased with what the Commissioner has said, which demonstrates her positive commitment. There are already universal screening programmes in operation in a number of Member States. In the Netherlands there is one such programme for women between 50 and 75. I recently took part in it myself and I have to say that I find it very reassuring to know that early detection increases the chance of cure. Another positive element in the combating of breast cancer is that treatment by multidisciplinary teams leads to substantially better results and it seems to me that more attention here to the psychosocial side of the matter is by no means an excessive luxury. Breast cancer in women is not just a technico-medical matter. Thirdly, the recording of comparable European data concerning the development of breast cancer is needed. Such data may be an extra stimulus for more European research, especially into the causes of breast cancer. Let us be honest: we still know little about the causal factors. In short, a splendid and very specific report deserving of implementation and the sort of report that merits further discussion in this House.

Political group: PSE
I am able to confirm that it is Mr Imbeni’s interpretation which is the correct one. The French, Danish and English versions are correct. The phrase is to be understood as Mr Imbeni said.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I have recently returned from Sri Lanka, where I was continuing my engagement with the peace process at the invitation of those involved. As colleagues may know, the peace talks have been suspended since April. I found it particularly encouraging, during my visit, that the LTTE – or the Tamil Tigers, as they are more popularly known – published their proposals for an interim self-governing administration. This is, indeed, a very significant move on their part. It is the first time that they have submitted comprehensive proposals. What made it all the more noteworthy is that the LTTE's chief spokesman, Mr Tamilchelvan, stated that this interim administration was not a precursor to a separate state. This opened the way for negotiations with the government to start once again, even though there is a wide gulf between the two sides. Unfortunately, over the last 48 hours, President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who belongs to the opposition party, has sacked four key ministers, suspended the Parliament and declared a state of emergency. I believe that this threatens the peace process. Bearing in mind that we in this House support the peace process, and that together with our international partners we have committed four and half billion dollars to underpin it, and also remembering the importance of bi-partisanship in the Irish peace process, I would ask you, Mr President, to urge the two main parties in Sri Lanka, together with the Tamil Tigers, to support the re-opening of negotiations to ensure that permanent peace is brought to that troubled country.

Political group: PPE-DE
I am grateful for your explanations, but I wanted to stress the urgency of the issue. Specifically, this summer thirty or forty people, that we know of, have drowned as a result of the operation of these illegal immigration networks. It is calculated that last year four or five thousand people drowned trying to cross the stretch which separates Morocco from Spain. I would therefore like to repeat the question, Commissioner, of whether there is any possibility that, without waiting for the result of the Barcelona process and the broader renegotiations on association, we can reach a very practical agreement in terms of policing and control so that the Moroccan authorities may prevent these deaths, which are reaching frightening proportions.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, to get legal clarity on tendering rules in the EU, unfortunately the committee voted to delete most of the specific exemptions in favour of one very wide one, Amendment No 61. But it is open to legal and political challenge to simply cite democratic decision-making as a justification for exemption from EU legal rules for the internal market. I therefore commend the specific amendments from the Group – Amendments Nos 110 to 112. These would mean that authorities would be justified in not tendering metro and tram services if there were good reasons of cost, safety or risk of creating a permanent private monopoly rather than competition. Any claim for exemption would have to be justified to the European Commission. In addition, there are provisions for direct award of contracts in the absence of tenders or in emergencies. I appeal in particular to the left of this House. You take a big risk if you rely only on Amendments Nos 61 and 62. They may not survive the course and as an insurance policy we need specific provisions to protect large complex metro systems like London's from being split up for tendering or risking becoming a private monopoly.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, at a time when the World Trade Organization is meeting in Geneva, I wish to draw attention to the need to revise current policies for liberalising trade, in order to promote fair and equitable trading systems that are geared towards genuinely enabling each country to develop its true potential, towards solving the problems of poverty, towards promoting better living conditions, without imposing relationships of dominance and dependence. Mr President, it is important that this Parliament discusses the current Commission mandate, given the failure of the WTO Ministerial Summit in Cancún to conclude any agreements, and that we make the appropriate proposals for the future which take account of these concerns. On the very day that this meeting is taking place in Geneva, the Commission must take account of these concerns.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, the report being debated, while recognising many of the problems faced by Turkey and its people in all sectors and quoting specific examples of blatant violations of fundamental rights, curiously finds at the same time, as Messrs Oostlander and Verheugen have repeated again today, that important, encouraging steps have been made. That is how it describes certain individual amendments to the legislative framework, which are not even applied in practice, despite the intentions expressed from time to time by those in government. The report even finds that the present government is acutely keen to make revolutionary reforms in all sectors. However, these findings are a surprise, given that it is not the first time that the Turkish government of the day has expressed such intentions, which are blatantly refuted in daily practice. Indeed, persecutions, arbitrary arrests and torture to the death for political reasons continue. The gaols are full of thousands of political prisoners, including Leyla Zana and three members of parliament of Kurdish extraction who, after ten years in prison, are to undergo another fixed trial. The Constitutional Court has upheld the ban on the communist party. The Dehap is threatened with a new ban, while its leaders are being tried and defenders of human rights are being persecuted and murdered. Grass-roots movements campaigning for peace, democracy and workers' rights are being hounded and the army continues to rule in the political and social life of the country. As if that were not enough, the report calls for Turkey to receive greater backing in its fight against terrorism, ignoring the fact that it is the prime terrorist in its area. As far as the Cyprus problem is concerned, the report considers it constructive that Turkey aims to safeguard as acquis the results of the barbaric invasion and occupation, about which the report says not a word. On the contrary, it supports the Annan plan which, in essence, tramples over the UN resolutions and international law in general, legalising the results of the invasion and occupation. The report calls coercively on the Cyprus Government to accept it, as did Messrs Oostlander, Verheugen and others today, proving how hypocritical their proclamations are about respect for international law. The report is driven by a spirit of imposing the sovereignty of the European Union in all sectors and a spirit of serving its big business. That is why we MEPs of the Communist Party of Greece shall be voting against the report, taking account of the experience of the Greek people, with feelings of solidarity with the people of Turkey, and considering that the negative elements of the integration procedure and integration itself will far outweigh any individual benefits to them.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, the reports by Mrs Grossetête and Mrs Müller which we are discussing today share an implicit but fundamental premise: medicinal products are products like no other, which affect health, and health is non-negotiable. I do not know if it is a divine right, as has been said, but it is, in any case, an unassailable right. That said, the rapporteurs have – virtually – achieved the impossible. In other words, first of all, they have reconciled the interests of the patient in terms of independent information, safety and rapid access to generic products, even though, in my view, we could certainly have gone much further. That said, the compromises in this area are still acceptable. Next, they have helped to control the budget of insurance companies and health insurers, because, although health is non-negotiable, it comes at a price which is rocketing, due to the progress being made in medicine, the army of pharmaceutical products available and the ageing population. Last, but by no means least, they have managed to preserve the interests of the pharmaceutical firms whose concerns over data exclusivity and financial resources invested in research have been taken on board. I do not believe their competitiveness will suffer as a result, because I know that, through competition, we are also protecting the jobs that these firms provide. The compromises reached in the Committee on the Environment actually manage to reflect the specific nature of the European social model, which attempts to ally social issues with competition. I am particularly pleased by the rejection of all advertising of prescription-only medicines, which acknowledges their unique character and prevents a dramatic rise in their use. There are still two contentious points, but these merit our attention as they are more scientific in nature. The first concerns the renewal of the five-yearly revision of the marketing authorisation of the medicinal product, which is yet to be resolved. Too many previous examples, however, such as thalidomide, show us that the side effects of a medicinal product can last for much longer than five years and, in addition, developments in medicine happen so quickly that treatment for the same condition can swiftly change. This problem cannot always be prevented by pharmacovigilance, even though it is very important. The second point is the idea of added therapeutic value for a new medicinal product. This simple idea, very different from the cost-benefit ratio, should however be understood by researchers within the pharmaceutical industry. Since, what use is an innovation if it cannot demonstrate its therapeutic advantage? If we agree to allow pharmaceutical companies to recoup their investment in research through the cost of the product, we have a right to expect that they will do this by adapting to the most widely-used scientific criteria.

Political group: PSE
Despite its title, the von Wogau report does not analyse the EU’s economic and social situation. Instead, it limits itself to repeating generalisations and to focusing on the sole objective of monetary policy, price stability and keeping inflation below the 2% limit set by the European Central Bank, without taking account of considerations concerning the real economy, particularly employment. The report insists on the need to speed up the liberalisation of telecommunications, postal services, energy and transport, regardless of the consequences for employment, regional cohesion, working conditions and a high-quality universal public service. It continues to predict a healthy economic situation, despite signs that the EU’s economy is slowing down, as the rapporteur himself states, when we should be thinking about the slowdown of the US economy, the economic recession in Japan and the effects of these trends on the European economy. The report insists on the need for greater flexibility in the labour market, at a time when there are more than 14 million people unemployed in the EU and around 65 million living in poverty. There are striking inequalities in income and employment is becoming increasingly insecure, with the majority of new jobs created being temporary or part time. The report continues to insist on moving towards the euro without creating the mechanisms necessary to minimise the economic and social risks. This is all being done in the name of the inviolable principle of competitiveness and the abstract concept of the social economy of the market. I have therefore voted against the report. The economic and monetary policy of the EU and its Member States should be directed towards continued improvements to the quality of their citizens’ lives and meeting their needs to an increasing degree.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, for the sake of clarity, this is what we have just voted on: ‘calls on the Commission to recommend to Member States that in their bilateral practices they have regard to the complications generated by the mismatches between taxation and social security systems in the case of frontier workers.’ So long as that is the original text. (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Draft resolution (B5-0038/2001), on behalf of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, on the satisfactory implementation of environment directives (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0357/2000) by Mr Parish, on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, on the situation and perspectives of young farmers in the European Union [2000/ 2011(INI)] (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0365/2000) by Mr Varela Suanzes-Carpegna, on behalf of the Committee on Fisheries, on the common fisheries policy and the challenge of economic globalisation [2000/2027(INI)] (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0333/2000) by Mr Gallagher, on behalf of the Committee on Fisheries, on the Commission report to the Council and the European Parliament on the application of the Community system for fisheries and aquaculture in 1996-1998 [COM(2000) 15 – C5-0109/2000 – 2000/2069(COS)] (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0332/2000) by Mr Poignant, on behalf of the Committee on Fisheries, on the Commission report on the regional meetings arranged by the Commission in 1998-1999 on the common fisheries policy after 2002 [COM(2000) 14 – C5-0110/2000 – 2000/2070(COS)] (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Joint motion for a resolution ((1)) on depleted uranium in Bosnia and Kosovo

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I have already had the opportunity in a committee meeting to express my disappointment to Commissioner Lamy with the Commission’s new proposals and, ultimately, with the Council’s position confirming these. Given his robust remarks the day after the talks collapsed in Cancún, I was actually expecting the Commission to be thinking more along the lines of proposing a thorough overhaul of the international trading system rather than adopting a new tactical position. In fact, it is not strategic change that we are discussing today but rather a tactical repositioning. As regards the Singapore issues in particular, Commissioner Lamy is reporting greater flexibility on the part of the Commission, the kind of flexibility that emerged right at the end of the Cancún process, too late in the day in my opinion. But is flexibility still the issue today? All the same, I must remind you that the Doha Declaration required a unanimous and explicit agreement on the negotiating arrangements for these issues. In fact we know that, as things currently stand, there is no chance of such an agreement. The G90 countries, which are the poorest, have restated their opposition to opening negotiations on the Singapore issues. I think it is clear that these countries have nothing to gain for their development from such negotiations: their priorities lie elsewhere, which is understandable. Both technically and in terms of human resources, these countries are ill-equipped to play an effective role in such negotiations, which would only place greater strain on a timetable that everyone recognises is already very tight. I think that by abandoning the Singapore issues for the time being, or at least putting them on the backburner, the European Union would send out a powerful and meaningful signal to the G90, showing them that we are sensitive to their concerns. This attitude might even be a smart strategic move because it would put the European Union in a more positive position on agriculture: we would have more room for manoeuvre. As for the rest, on agriculture, the World Trade Organisation is not, in my opinion, an appropriate forum in which to deal with everyone’s rights and obligations. I think it is essential and urgent to relaunch a process of dialogue within a body like the FAO, where we can have a calm discussion on food safety and the protection and development of rural areas. In particular, I think that an urgent file like the cotton one, which was tabled in Cancún, should be given top priority by the European Union, and I would be grateful if the Commissioners could take this into account.

Political group: Verts-ALE
We believe it is vital to develop measures which help to reduce, recycle and reuse urban and industrial waste by means of rational, integrated solutions. Packaging is a particularly important aspect of this process, as are incentives to use biodegradable materials. Defining and implementing such measures, however, will have to take into account the particular circumstances and interests of each country. It is, therefore, hard to understand why EU rules would be loosely transposed into national legislation when they do not take account of the variations existing between countries. While I share some of the concerns expressed in this report, then, especially those on developing preventive measures, I am bound to wonder about the feasibility of the deadlines and targets proposed for the recycling of products. I repeat that the effectiveness of any environmental policy depends on the will and commitment of national institutions: these are responsible for planning and mobilising resources, for holding industry directly responsible for reducing packaging waste. The public in each country, however, also has a role to play in protecting and caring for the environment. Ceaseless efforts are thus required to educate people, to raise their awareness and to engage them in the existing problems and in the means of overcoming them.

Political group: GUE-NGL