GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I visited the island for talks last week. The process of EU accession has raised hopes of a solution to the conflict, but many expectations are still unfulfilled, especially among the Greek Cypriots. The fact that negotiations have been taking place in New York and Switzerland has barely been reported to citizens in the towns and villages of Cyprus. The efforts made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan merit great respect, but it is difficult to communicate 9 000 pages of treaty text to both communities on the island within a matter of weeks, and this has clearly failed due to the different political interests at stake. There are different interpretations of the plan even within the governing coalition of the Republic of Cyprus, as the statements made by the President and the coalition partners demonstrate. These different assessments cannot be ignored, Commissioner. For the reasons I have stated, there have been serious calls for the postponement of the referendum in order to gain more time for information and opinion-forming. The governing party, AKEL, which is affiliated to my group, is not opposed to the Annan Plan, but given the situation, it is deeply concerned about the possible failure of the referendum, as has already been discussed here. Now there is a need for clear signals from the EU and the UN again. We should not downplay the situation. The country has undergone a war. Northern Cyprus has been under Turkish occupation for thirty years. In view of the concerns that exist, signals on peace and security must be sent out more clearly, and with these concerns in mind, it must be made clear there are no unilateral advantages for either side. Even with the 100% that you rightly question, there is still a problem, namely that these concerns exist at all. Politics is not about finality and eternal truths – the process of German reunification has taught us that. It is about constantly evolving processes, which can be mapped out to some extent in advance but which require a pro-active and very level-headed approach at every stage. In this critical situation, the EU has an obligation, together with the United Nations, to be a reliable partner for the Republic of Cyprus, but also for the two communities, in resolving the conflict. Not only Cyprus, but Europe as a whole will be the winner if we manage to heal this wound.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we are holding this debate today because of the concern we have for people. Some of these people are the military personnel, our troops, who are there, but we are also concerned about the civilian population, the millions who live in Yugoslavia and in Kosovo. We do not seek to establish here and now whether the war in Kosovo was justified or not. It would be inappropriate to engage in such a debate. What we must do – and I entirely agree here with the High Representative of the CFSP – is to examine with the utmost care and precision whether a link exists between the incidences of illness and the quantities of ammunition with depleted uranium which were fired during the war in Yugoslavia and Kosovo and in Bosnia too. If we intend to do that, we must pledge ourselves to certain important principles, so that we at least, as elected representatives of the peoples of Europe, can restore the credibility which NATO has forfeited through this and similar episodes. Foremost priority attaches to precise and independent tests by international experts with the aid of every possible scientific method. Secondly, we need a radical change in our information policy, and in this respect I must thank the Council, and above all the High Representative of the CFSP, for their undertaking to make all information available to Parliament. Thirdly, and finally, we must demand an immediate moratorium on all arms and ammunition of this type until we have the complete results of the tests we have commissioned, so that we can then take our decisions in a responsible manner.

Political group: PSE
I have a supplementary question concerning the forces which are to make up the EU rapid reaction force. It is a fact that the British forces and others have weapons which employ depleted uranium and that it will also be possible for these weapons to be used by the EU crisis management force. Does the presidency have any views on the appropriateness of this?

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I wish to raise another matter, although I leave it to your wise judgement as to whether, if it gains majority support in this House, it should be dealt with on Wednesday or during the short sitting on Thursday. I refer to the need for information from the Commission concerning the events surrounding Eurostat. These cases of fraud – which I will describe as matters of suspicion – have not yet been considered by the Members of this House, although they are receiving blanket coverage in Europe’s media. Our group requests that we should have a communication from the Commission, on the basis of which we could discuss the Eurostat problem, either on Wednesday, or during the short sitting on Thursday. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, I should like to echo the positive words about the Greek Presidency. I should immediately like to follow this up with the comment that this is yet another example of how small countries often make better presidents than large ones, and that we should not be so quick to give large countries priority. Greece is a case in point. You have dealt with a number of very heavy dossiers, and the finalisation of the accession dossiers on the Acropolis on 16 June gave us a stunning picture, also for those who were only able to follow the proceedings on television. I do not think we could have imagined a more beautiful spot and a more beautiful image. It was, of course, coincidental that these dossiers happened to be finalised during the Greek Presidency, but it was a very happy coincidence. The Convention’s work has also been guided in a very positive manner. Greece assumed a hands-off approach and gave latitude to the Convention itself. I myself was – indeed, I still am – a member of that Convention, and I can vouch for the fact that the result that is now before us is mainly due to the way in which the MPs and MEPs have joined forces. The MEPs and members of the national parliaments worked together much more effectively than some government representatives. There is, therefore, the risk that the governments are going to put a spanner in the works. An amazing amount has been achieved: values and standards have been established, the Charter has been adopted, the pillars have disappeared, decisions will be taken by qualified majority more often, democratisation has moved on by quite a long way, parliamentary control has been stepped up, transparency enhanced and the institutional structure improved, the only discordant note being that we are now, after all, getting a President, something that many did not actually want. Unanimity in foreign policy is, in my view, a major disadvantage, and it really should not have been adopted. During the Iraq crisis, we saw what became of Europe if everything is to be decided unanimously. If any changes are yet to be made, therefore, then this aspect is a definite contender. I also share Mr Prodi’s view that it is odd that half of the Commissioners are entitled to vote and the other half are not – this is somewhat out of order. We should, however, change as little as possible to this proposal and try to guide it through the process as well as we can. If we manage to do this during the coming six months under the Italian Presidency, then Europe will have taken another big step and we will have a bright future ahead of us with those 25 countries. You have helped to make this happen.

Political group: PPE-DE
Minister, I too am personally in favour of closer relations between Greece and Turkey, but subject to certain specific conditions. And I must say in this respect that I am truly surprised by what you said at the beginning, to the effect that the Greek government has not even informed the Council of Turkey’s challenge of Greece’s sovereign rights. Obviously it sees it as an unnecessary luxury. It feels that Turkey can proceed unimpeded on its path towards the European Union, violating Greek sovereignty all the while. But that is a matter for the Greek government. I should like to ask you, the diplomatic language of your reply notwithstanding, whether or not you consider that Turkey should make moves in order to meet the requirements of the Helsinki resolutions and what you think these moves might be.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, one in five people in the world has no access to basic social provisions. Europe is a super power in economic terms and so it is absolutely right that we should be having this discussion subsequent to the debate on the White Paper. It was an excellent idea of Mrs Sauquillo’s to include the part on external relations in the section on internal training, thereby making it an item on the agenda. We have big problems. The Commissioner has also referred to this in his texts: a huge backlog, lack of objectives, a culture of fear in the departments dealing with payments, and at the same time, far too low a level of project proposals, a great deal of time wasted and little in the way of efficient spending. We want to work towards a culture of greater accountability. We want to see ex-post control. We want to see increased accountability for the public service and we want to see decentralisation. We want to see a European development fund become integral to Parliament. We want clearer objectives. Parliament foresaw all this in terms of its role in the draft budget for 2001. We will come back to that later because that in itself constitutes a sound framework. We have our doubts about the technical mould in which the reforms are now being cast. We think it is more important to have a clear distribution of political tasks: a Parliament with clear objectives, a Commission with a clear idea of what it wants, a Commissioner – and I fully support Mrs Sauquillo in this – who has hundred per cent responsibility for the whole world when it comes to development policy, and who is given full responsibility for this within the Commission, and also the human resources they need, because without these human resources it is of course absolutely impossible to implement this policy. To briefly sum up: let us put an end to this culture of fear, also amongst the officials. Let us build trust between our Parliament, the departments and the Commissioner so that Europe can deliver a different kind of message in a world of poverty. Feyenoord was known as the football club of ‘deeds, not words’. May the Commissioner take this motto to heart.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, in the context of Johannesburg and the commitments to sustainability by the EU, it should not be too much to ask this Parliament to give concrete expression to sustainability, particularly in requiring that the principle of producer responsibility and the internalisation of external costs be enshrined in the current review. We have already agreed this in the case of the electronic and electrical waste directive. I am particularly concerned that my own Member State, Ireland, is seeking derogations yet again. Why should this be agreed in view of the recent economic expansion there? My colleague has already mentioned this. Irish industry is currently paying a levy to Repak to meet commitments that are not being met. Minimum targets are being met, for example by the recycling of paper offcuts which have traditionally been reused, so there is more perception of progress than actual progress and a lot of smoke and mirrors around the meeting of minimum targets. I am also very concerned about monopolies and cartels in the paper industry, particularly in Ireland.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, you, Mr President of the Council, concluded your remarks with a brief discussion of European defence policy. You observed that the agreement between NATO and the European Union has now come into being, thus leaving the way open for the next European defence policy measures, which we can expect to be taken in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is an eventuality to which particular attention must be drawn, as the European Union will then, for the first time, be taking on responsibilities in defence in a visible way. This leads me to put two questions, the first of which has to do with how this defence policy is to develop in future. Do you share the view that the constitutional treaty currently under negotiation should include an article stipulating a mutual defence commitment, comparable to the corresponding article in the treaty on the Western European Union? That would be an expression of confidence when we take joint action. Secondly, you also, very briefly, addressed the area of armaments policy, alluding to the way in which the countries of the European Union spend EUR 150 billion on defence, whereas we are always being told that the excessive duplication resulting from this means that efficiency is minimal. Do you share the view that a common market in defence needs to be created? What definite steps will the Greeks take during their presidency of the Council? (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, in recent years criminal organisations within and outside Europe have set up powerful international networks which make huge profits from, for example, trafficking in women or drugs. The amounts which change hands in the process run into billions. The fight against money laundering is also in Europe's interests. The excellent report by my colleague, Mr Lehne, seeks to improve the existing directive on preventing money laundering. Institutions, such as banks, and also individuals with similar responsibilities, such as notaries and lawyers, are to be involved in resolving crimes of money laundering. We must, however, prevent possible new loopholes from opening up. Our aim will be to develop a pan-European information system to counter money laundering as quickly as possible. If we do not establish a collaborative network to monitor and combat money laundering then one day we will no longer have an overall picture of money-laundering activities. It must not come to that!

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President-in-Office of the Council, as an Italian Member of the European Parliament from the Movement of European Republicans in the Group and for Mr Martelli’s Liberal Socialists, I can only hope that these six months will prove an assured success for Europe and for Italy. To solve the difficult tasks that lay ahead of you – from major infrastructure to pensions and illegal immigration – you will not be needing sensationalist television formats but intelligent, creative work of political mediation, in order to honour the commitment you have made before this Parliament. The profile of your actions must therefore be very high and focused on the major international options, most of all the new Constitution for the Twenty-Five, under which every step forward will be welcomed but no step backward will be allowed at all. Rebuilding a real partnership with the United States must start with a direct relationship with the European Union, with Europe gradually taking on responsibility and leadership in NATO, with a moderate, rather than antagonistic or subservient view of the relations. Therefore, Mr President-in-Office, we believe it is essential to encourage the United Kingdom to join monetary union so as to strengthen Europe at an international level. The other difficult test lying ahead of you is the solution to the Middle East problem, bearing in mind that the roadmap requires a highly impartial attitude, and therefore European intervention must not be directed to just one side. These are major challenges, Mr President-in-Office, for which, on behalf of myself and also our country, I wish you every success.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, very much in the same tone as Mr Gil-Robles I voted against referral back and for the amendment which, sadly, was rejected. I have to say that a section of the EPP Group were playing games on this issue. There is a valid need to draw a distinction between staff matters, which are a Bureau responsibility, and Members’ matters which are a plenary responsibility. That would have been dealt with by Amendment No 2 had we reached that amendment. I was disappointed because the , as well as the Socialists, had put their names to Amendment No 2 and so it would have been carried and the matter would have been covered. As Mr Gil-Robles has said, and as I said earlier, we are now in a position where the interinstitutional agreement as regards OLAF applies to the Commission, to the Council and to the staff of this institution but it does not apply to the Members of this institution. Given that we are the institution that, quite rightly, has made great play of tackling fraud in European Community institutions, how are the citizens of Europe going to understand that the only people with whom OLAF has not reached an agreement in terms of internal investigations are Members of the European Parliament? It puts us in an intolerable position.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, without a doubt these six months of the Greek Presidency have been some of the most dramatic in the recent history of the European Union, and I think that we can compliment the Greek Presidency on doing its job with great sensitivity, consistency and energy. Three major issues have dominated this period as they do this debate: enlargement; the war in Iraq and the significance that it has had for Europe and will also continue to have in the future, and the Convention. Enlargement – the great historic project of our generation – is well on the way to being completed successfully. For us enlargement already has a human face, in the shape of the colleagues who are already working here as observers. As an aside, I should like to mention that we in Germany were interested to note that after Parliament's decision on enlargement the Czech Government for example issued a statement on the injustice of expulsion, which is along the right lines and gives us hope that here too the process of reconciliation may reach a successful conclusion. The war in Iraq made it clear where Europe's borders lie and showed where we need even more Community: primarily in the field of foreign and security policy. So far Europe has played no role at all here or at best a pitiful one. It really should strike people that where Europe uses the Community method, such as on internal market issues, we operate on an equal footing with for example the United States of America, but that where we work on an intergovernmental basis, we play no part at all. This has to change in the future and the Convention needs to make a contribution to achieving this. I hope that it will still succeed in doing so before 10 July of this year.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, a man who had slit his wife's throat in the presence of their three children made headline news in Belgium this morning. I found this a poignant start to International Women's Day, which is also the effect intended by this report. One of our ministers, Laurette Onckelinckx, subsequently stated that in Belgium, 70 women are killed by their partners every year. This is hardly an example of equal opportunities ... In my view, to start with, the integrity of life should come first where equal opportunities are concerned. Equal opportunities also mean that women should have opportunities for education, but also that they should be able to apply their education in their professional lives. It is a structural failing in our society that women should have to sacrifice more to have children than men. When a man wants children, this does not have the same impact on his career. Accordingly, despite the fact that more women attend university, they always end up being disadvantaged in their jobs. We can see the glass ceiling which they hit at our universities, in industry and in politics alike. Women have to fight to get to the top, but they have to fight even harder to stay there, because there is such a thing as the woman on duty. No longer the token woman of yesteryear, but the young woman who does well in the media, but who expires very quickly. I think that we should offer women the solidarity of the kind that can be offered by a movement. In the past, feminism was a matter for women as a movement. More and more women who reach the top nowadays must give up that movement, which is not a good thing, for the media turn them into casualties too soon; they use them and spit them out. In order for women to be able to blossom, they need to be able to compete and succeed in the same way as men. We should accommodate the cultural differences by working in our own cultures on the removal of specific obstacles which this culture creates against women's emancipation in practice. Equality exists in law but there should be far more of it in practice.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, we have heard on the news that a Russian commercial airliner has crashed into the Black Sea. It is not clear whether it was an explosion or whether the aeroplane was accidentally shot down by the Ukrainian army. I think that before the start of this vote – regardless of what caused this tragic accident – we should briefly remember those who have lost their lives in this tragedy.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I voted for the recommendation, which sets limit values for benzene and carbon monoxide in the ambient air. Of course I am in favour of this, in that whenever there is a danger, pensioners and the elderly are always among the first to be affected, for, understandably, their lungs are often in bad shape. Apart from this, I would like to call strongly for there to be focus in the future not only on the air inhaled by the citizens, but also on the air inhaled by those who work with dangerous substances such as benzene and carbon monoxide. It would be appropriate for us to concern ourselves with this matter and reduce the working hours of those who work with dangerous substances to less than those of the other workers, to enable them to enjoy an average life span. I feel that the European Union should concern itself, in particular, with the conditions and working hours of the citizens who inhale those dangerous substances against which we rightly protect pedestrians. Workers should receive even greater protection. - Recommendation for second reading: Jackson (A5-0164/2000)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I do not want to get involved in controversy, but I feel that I really must mention the fact that, on a day when we have kept a minute’s silence to mark another murder by ETA, there is somebody in this House who wishes to defend dialogue with the very people who murdered Mr Lluch. I think it is disgraceful – as Mrs Díez has said – that the memory of Ernest Lluch should be used in this way. I think that this House now knows perfectly well what it can expect from Mr Gorostiaga, from the group he represents and from his terrorist friends. However, I would like to ask Mr Gorostiaga whether he still has a sufficient trace of personal dignity, of dignity as a man, for us to ask him to respect human life. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE