GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, just three points, because a great deal has already been said. First: I should like to say to Mr Solana that when, in 1999, we and some of our fellow members tried to find out if depleted uranium was being used in Kosovo, there was a cover-up and Mrs Wallström – I have the Minutes here – said in reply to a question that there was still no confirmation that depleted uranium was used in the conflict. That is what it says in the verbatim report. Secondly: depleted uranium is a dangerous and harmful substance, especially when used in shells because on impact it vaporises, produces uranium oxide and turns into a cloud which can be inhaled and the uranium oxide is readily soluble and can get into the water and food chain. Consequently – and you must know that there is no harmful cause which does not actually cause harm, even in small doses – an ongoing epidemiological study is needed both in the Gulf and in Bosnia and, of course, in Kosovo, although any results there, if they do appear, will not do so until a later date. Thirdly: if we accept, and you Mr Solana accept, that this research is needed, in short, to uncover the truth, should the precautionary principle not apply? If someone says to me, or to anyone for that matter, look, we need to carry out a survey because your house may collapse, am I going to stay indoors while the survey is carried out or am I going to get out and wait for the results? It stands to reason and I do not accept that depleted uranium is the only weapon at NATO's disposal; it has a host of other efficient weapons in its arsenal. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
I wonder whether the Commissioner would agree that the last two questioners who were asking the Commission for action would do better to ask their own party leader, Mr Blair, to get the over-high level of the pound – which has been kept too high by high interest rates in the UK – down to a realistic level; and also try to get Mr Blair to start campaigning to join the euro, when there would be extra transparency. Would that not help?

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, they could not fly for four days after 11 September and now they want to have a monopoly for more than a year. Everything can be blamed on 11 September. Please give us a free economy.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, needless to say, I too would like to thank the rapporteur for his excellent and exquisite work. I would like to make a few minor observations regarding a European campaign which intends to teach Europeans languages from other communities. We are all convinced of the usefulness of this exercise, of course. But the thing that often goes wrong with European campaigns – and fortunately I have not been around long enough as a politician to be unaware how the ordinary citizen reacts to this – is that, very often, they are nothing but an attractive front, pretty to look at but insubstantial. I would therefore like to think that this campaign will offer something different, and that, more importantly, consideration will be given to why it is so hard for people in Europe to learn languages, and at what stages in their lives they are able to learn languages. I come from a bilingual country myself and I have met some people in that country who never learn the other language, despite the fact that they attend language classes, sometimes for twelve years, and are still unable to speak another language. This is a terrible observation to have to make. I therefore hope that in the course of this year of European languages, research will be carried out into the best language teaching methods and, more than anything, how Europeans can be encouraged to learn the language of the other Europeans using a modern and appealing method.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, the amendment to the 1976 directive is a very important move and illustrates the Commission's sensitivity on the question of equal treatment for men and women. For its part, the Committee on Women's Rights, thanks to the sterling efforts of our rapporteur, Mrs Hautala, and other honourable Members, has helped to produce an improved text today which attracts a broader consensus. That is why we expect it to be warmly supported by both the Commission and the Council. The new directive certainly responds to the change in the situation which has taken place over the last twenty-five years as regards women's employment and vocational training and replaces an outdated legislative framework which has done what it can to combat discrimination against women, serious infringements of the principle of equality, higher unemployment rates, the exclusion of women from numerous professions and the general division of the job market along gender lines. I should like to inform the House that the Greek Parliament recently voted almost unanimously to replace a similar article in the Constitution allowing derogations from the principle of sexual equality on the labour market. The Hautala report suggests a new, better, framework and introduces new types of measures, such as measures to prevent and combat sexual harassment in the workplace, efficient protection for workers from unequal treatment related to pregnancy and maternity, judicial protection, positive measures to apply equality in practice, as other Members have pointed out, and sanctions to punish infringements of the directive. However, I feel that the directive could be clearer in defining purely objective selection criteria for all jobs and should not leave loopholes for gender-based exceptions and exclusions.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, implementing the Lisbon strategy with a view to improving the competitiveness of our companies is a key element in terms of relaunching the economy and preserving the European social model. Achieving this objective requires the existence of a broad and dynamic company fabric essentially composed of small and medium-sized enterprises, since these are best suited to the challenges of an environment which is constantly mutating and thereby responding to the concerns of the citizens in relation to employment. In order to guarantee the maintenance of this fabric, it is not sufficient, however, to guarantee the smooth operation, for example, of the internal market, or to implement a commercial policy which ensures the opening up of third country markets in a reciprocal fashion, or to implement an industrial policy which takes account of the specific needs of the different sectors, however important all this may be. In this regard, Commissioner, please allow me to express my satisfaction at your announcement of a forthcoming communication on the textile and clothing sector. As well as all these aspects I have referred to, we must also encourage the entrepreneurial spirit and promote the creation of companies and a favourable climate which allows them to develop and grow; without companies there can be no entrepreneurial fabric. Hence the timeliness of the Commission's Green Paper and the Langen report, which is the subject of this debate, and I would like to congratulate the rapporteur on this excellent work. We must reaffirm the importance and value of small and medium-sized businesses as a basic pillar of the European economy and promote the establishment of an environment which guarantees the appropriate training of entrepreneurs, stimulates the creation of companies, promotes their growth, their competitiveness and eliminates the legislative, administrative and fiscal obstacles which hinder entrepreneurial activity in line with the very appropriate proposals in the Langen report. Otherwise, the Lisbon objectives, which – let us not forget – should lead to the creation, between now and 2010, of 15 million jobs and greater social cohesion, will be reduced to mere wishes that are impossible to achieve.

Political group: PPE-DE
We in the Moderate delegation to the European Parliament are well disposed towards the Commission’s proposal, which is a step towards a common EU immigration policy. Our working principle in relation to labour migration is that someone who has been offered a job should also be able to obtain a work permit. Furthermore, we believe that authorities are never better placed than employers themselves to know who is best suited for a particular post. It is important that third-country nationals issued with work permits be able to guarantee they can support themselves during the period that they are resident in the Community. Because we think it only fair to retain a high level of subsidiarity in immigration policy, we are very keen that the Member States should be able to have rules more generous than those prescribed in the directive. For reasons of subsidiarity, we have also voted in favour of giving the Member States scope to establish quotas and ceilings where labour migration is concerned.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I must first address the proposal from the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party to reject the common position. That is a proposal which we cannot support. We think it would be irresponsible not to take a decision on the Sixth Environment Action Programme. I too should have liked the proposal to have gone much further. The original proposal was extremely weak and also vague. The fact is, however, that some of what Parliament contributed has been incorporated into the joint proposal. We shall therefore have the opportunity tomorrow to introduce a great many of the quantitative objectives and timetables we actually want to see. We must not pass up that opportunity. We must put this proposal in its context. During the period that this environment action programme is to apply, the European Union will be enlarged through the accession of a large number of new countries. There is a danger of this causing a number of problems in terms of environmental work too. There is a danger of the work’s losing momentum, and it may become more difficult to push through new environmental laws. It would not be particularly wise to do without environment action programmes at such a stage. So that environmental work does not lose momentum, it is no doubt desirable to have a programme with timetables and practical objectives to adhere to when enlargement takes place. My group will vote in favour both of the committee’s proposal and of all the compromise amendments we arrived at in these negotiations. We do not think the situation is perfect, but we think it is acceptable. I wish particularly to mention Amendment No 10, which I think is important. This concerns the European Investment Bank. There were quite a lot of MEPs who voted against this amendment in the committee. I find that incomprehensible because it is an amendment which goes to the very heart of integrating environmental considerations into other policy areas, something that the European Investment Bank has not been successful at doing. What is required of the bank, namely that it take account of the environment, ought to be self-evident. That is why it is so important for them to receive the clear message that they too are not exempt from what is required. The same applies to chemicals policy, where we want to see strict wordings.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Madam President, Mr Møller, Commissioner Patten, ladies and gentlemen, I should first like to make two preliminary remarks: firstly, I should like to thank my friend and colleague Arie Oostlander very much for agreeing the motion with the other groups so that tomorrow we will hopefully be able to adopt a broad common position. Secondly, we have got into a bit of a muddle with the timetable here and my group's bureau has been meeting since 5.30 p.m. It is advisable for the group chairman to be in attendance, so I would crave your indulgence if I leave immediately after my speech, something that I have never done before. Why did the international community set up this International Criminal Court? It was set up because the Rome Statute of the Court states that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished. That is precisely our group's position. Our values are human dignity, freedom, democracy and the rule of law and no one has the right, except in self-defence, to kill another person or wound their dignity. This dignity is for everyone, for Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, people of no religious persuasion, people from large and small countries, for all the people on this earth. No individual and no country has the right to escape punishment for crimes which concern the international community as a whole. No one, no person and no State, is above the law. That is why we want the International Criminal Court to be effective and capable of acting, and I very much welcome the clear statements made by both President Møller and Commissioner Patten. We expect all EU Member State governments and parliaments to do all they can to ensure that this International Court is able to work properly and effectively. We call in particular on the accession countries not to enter into any agreements before we have agreed on a common position within the European Union, and I hope very much that on 30 September you will succeed in drafting such a common position. I very much regret the fact that Romania, an accession country, has concluded an agreement without first awaiting the European Union's position. It has not acted in solidarity with the European Union. In conclusion allow me to say this: despite the fact that the motion naturally contains a certain amount of criticism of the United States, this is no reason for us now to adopt an anti-American attitude. This is more an example of a case where our opinions differ, and we should discuss this without by so doing ceasing to be partners and friends of the Americans. In a partnership it is usual for differences of opinion to be expressed and in any case we Europeans should act more in unison. We have more reason to ask ourselves questions than to criticise the Americans. This means that here too European unity is actually already part of the answer. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in general I welcome Mr Brok’s report. I also want to say thank you for all the work that has been done by the Commission, the European Parliament and, especially, the candidate countries in order to make enlargement possible. Today, I nonetheless want to draw attention to the sustainable development strategy adopted by the Gothenburg Summit and also to the UN’s environmental management programme adopted in Johannesburg. The EU has promised to take the lead in implementing this management programme. The trend towards ecologically sustainable development must now show itself in all the EU’s policy areas and in all the plans and programmes aimed at meeting the need both for a change of direction in the EU and for environmental investment in the candidate countries. There must therefore be a considerable increase in the proportion of resources from the structural funds and from the common agricultural policy that are to be set aside for the environment. Up until 2006, approximately 10% of the structural funds are to be set aside for the purposes of environmental infrastructure, for example the cleansing of waste water. It is also necessary for environmental impact assessments to be made of the agricultural and structural policies, something that is also pointed out by the European Parliament. That comes into force in the Member States in 2003 and is absolutely necessary if we are to bring about sustainable development throughout the enlarged EU.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I often receive queries from citizens wishing to carry weapons in Europe. These people are hunters and marksmen travelling to competitions. There are huge discrepancies in the rules here. These are serious complaints and we are being asked why the internal market does not function in this area. Do you intend to take any initiatives here?

Political group: PPE-DE
In 1989, Western Europe considered itself the victor in a long-term conflict. This victory was to be crowned with the annexation of the East. Many people in the East were amenable to this, in the expectation of receiving great financial support and imminent wealth. Now that 2004 is on the horizon, it becomes apparent how difficult the accession of new Member States is. Many of these difficulties are money-related. Our agricultural policy, which promotes the economy of scale and keeps food prices artificially low in order to curb pay claims by the workers, will become unaffordable if the small farmers in Poland are allowed to take part. The lion’s share of our regional funds, which, to a large degree, pump money from the rich Member States via the bureaucracy in Brussels back to the same rich Member States, would, on the basis of the current criteria, be intended for the new Member States, mainly at the expense of areas in Spain, Portugal and Greece which are currently still the poorest countries. The monies reserved for accession are being distributed over far more candidate countries than was originally planned. There will soon not be any money left for circulating around the rich Member States for propaganda purposes. Like the rapporteur, I am quite happy to protect poor Member States from a role as net payers, but simply to exempt newcomers from payments in order to entice them, is taking things too far in my view. - Sommer report (A5-0096/2002)

Political group: GUE-NGL
The UK Labour Members of the PES support the spirit of this Resolution, but have reservations regarding some of its content. We do not support the inclusion of the European Public Prosecutor in this text (paragraph five). The Resolution seeks to give such a body power over Member States’ territories, which is an inappropriate response to the cooperation between nations the Report called for. The legitimacy of such a body to override national judicial rulings would be questionable, and the judicial discretion of Member States’ legal authorities should be preserved. In addition, some parts of the text are potentially ambiguous with areas of legal confusion e.g. paragraph nine on indirect sanctions to be applied to Member States (paragraph nine) and the call to extend the powers of the European Court of Justice in its rulings over instruments decided outside the sphere of the EU. Finally, the UK Labour Members support cooperation in criminal matters, but have reservations concerning the reference to the ‘harmonisation of criminal laws’ in paragraph thirteen, which suggests that Member States should standardise criminal law throughout the EU. Whilst this may be desirable in some areas, cooperation in criminal matters should focus on information sharing, coordination of bodies with some approximation of laws where this is beneficial, but not as a general rule.

Political group: PSE
Commissioner Barnier, you laid great stress in your statement on the importance of dialogue with the citizens of Europe. With reference to the IGC, as you know, under the Helsinki decisions the Portuguese Presidency was given the specific entitlement to add to the agenda of the IGC during the course of the IGC. Clearly, Parliament has its own representatives present, Mr Brok and Mr Tsatsos. But would you, Commissioner, also be in a position to give an undertaking that if and when the agenda is enlarged by the Council you would report this to Parliament so that we could discuss it amongst ourselves and indeed with you, with the intention of continuing that dialogue with the citizens on which you have laid such stress?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I would have been tempted to follow the example of Mr Cox and abstain from the vote on Mrs Stauner’s report, but, in all honesty, I have to say that before I left to come to Strasbourg, some pensioners asked me what I was going to do here. When I told them that my tasks included voting on the postponement of discharge, which we are discussing today, they asked me to remind the President of the House that the pensioners and their party, which I represent, consider that expenditure takes up too great a part of the European Parliament’s budget. They therefore call for expenditure to be halved and the resources freed up in this way used to increase the pension funds of the 15 Member States, which have been in serious difficulties for too long now.

Political group: PPE-DE
This report concentrates mainly on the Eurostat case and the irregularities that have been detected since 1999. Let us not forget that Eurostat has been reaping the consequences of the Commission’s policy of outsourcing services, which has led to irregularities, fraud, nepotism and cronyism. It is also true that services carried out by private firms have been of a lower quality than the Commission’s internal services. We welcome the proposals to keep Eurostat services in-house and to review current contracts. As for relations between Eurostat and National Statistics Services, we must not overlook issues of data protection regarding information passed between administrations. The recent case undermines the credibility of the Commission’s administrative reform and shows the way in which internal information structures become corrupted, in which the prevailing culture of secrecy has given rise to ‘financial envelope systems’ in Eurostat and in which the information and communication systems within the Commission have managed to remain oblique. Consequently, we regret the fact that the President of the Commission did not propose structural changes to relations between Commissioners and directorates-general, that he did not reach any conclusions regarding the Commissioners’ political responsibilities and that he did not condemn Mr Solbes Mira, the Commissioner responsible for Eurostat, for not acting sooner, in the face of mounting evidence of irregular financial management.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Those who organise international trafficking in hard drugs are only concerned with making money on the back of the suffering of others. Proposals not only to lock these criminals up but also to strip them of their profits receive my support. Without these profits, they have no motive for continuing their harmful trade. Unfortunately, Mr Oostlander argues that, within his group, he is not one for splitting hairs in order to fight the thirteen amendments from the . Those amendments focus on organised cross-border crime, national competences and the consideration of therapeutic and personal use. In addition, he makes no secret of the fact that, in his view, the proposals are minimal, and he hopes that they will be further tightened up in future. Some see his proposals as a way of opening the door to ruthlessly combating the production, transport and use of soft drugs. This would lead to the criminalisation of the users, who would then need to make their purchases from criminals who trade in hard drugs. With regard to those amendments, I consider whether they contribute to the discouragement of soft drugs in a way similar to that employed in connection with other harmful, but legal, stimulants, such as alcohol and tobacco. The rejection of the improvements by the necessitates my rejecting the entire package, unfortunately including a few sound proposals made by the rapporteur.

Political group: GUE-NGL