GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, we must take these issues of hooliganism seriously. We know now that there are tens of millions of people who are passionate about this sport and that, since the World Cup was won by France, they have been impatiently awaiting Euro 2000. Football has become a sport of the masses and we must think about the safety of our children, our little brothers and the youngsters who frequent the stadiums. We cannot therefore just say that there are risks and there will always be risks. We must try to counter this phenomenon of hooliganism to the best of our ability. I say this because we cannot allow the good image of genuine supporters to be tarnished by the actions of a few violent extremists who use these major gatherings as a pretext for carrying out unacceptable acts. The motion is good in that it indicates that adequate safety measures must be taken. During the last World Cup you will remember that hooligans committed very serious acts of violence. One in particular involved an attack on a police officer who was in a coma for a long time and who is now paralysed for life. All this is not inevitable and we must find the means, for example, of punishing hooligans in the countries of the European Union in which they commit their offences. In this respect I believe there to have been a recent example in France which is very important. For years, under the Nazi banner, French hooligans monopolised a stand at the Parc des Princes in Paris. They took advantage of matches to vent their hatred, chant Nazi slogans and chase blacks and Arabs on leaving the ground. The Paris St. Germain club allowed this to happen and even ended up blocking access to the stand in question for any dark skinned person on the pretext of safety. Following a complaint from the French association, SOS-Racisme, and faced with the threat of prosecution, the club undertook to end this behaviour and to no longer allow the hooligans into the stadium by strictly screening people as they enter. Before every match, right to the end of the season, Paris St. Germain now shows an anti-racist video clip which celebrates the values of friendship and brotherhood and the pleasures of the sport. This proves that action can be taken and that violence is not inevitable. I truly believe that, when you think about what football has become, with tens of thousands of youngsters in these stadia, this shows that we really must try to be careful and not take these matters lightly.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, it is customary for speakers to thank the rapporteur, but I want, today, to break this rule by thanking the petitioner, Mrs Louise McVay, for submitting this petition and thereby drawing attention not only to her own plight but also to the immense difficulties faced by MS sufferers in the EU, and the unequal treatment they receive. Even though the Commission’s initial response has nothing encouraging to say about this petition, I am very glad that the Committee on Petitions has taken the initiative in producing this report and, yet again, taken very seriously something that is of concern to the European public; I am convinced that Mrs Aaltonen’s report will prompt changes that will improve the quality of life for MS sufferers in the European Union. Just how urgently needed that is is demonstrated by the considerable qualitative differences between the responses by the health ministries of the Member States to treatments and therapies for people suffering from MS, which also show that sufferers from MS are not yet treated with the consideration that they urgently need. This report is an initial assessment, and the conclusions to which it comes are important ones, reflecting, among other things, the demands made by the German MS Association, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in November. I see it as being of the utmost importance that the needs of young people with MS should be considered and taken into account, as well as that those affected by it should be enabled, as far as possible and for as long as possible, to work and enjoy equal rights in the sphere of employment. Our rapporteur, Mrs Aaltonen, herself demonstrates that, with the right therapy and treatment, people with MS can lead active lives in the world of work and in society at large. The Group of the , to which I belong, endorses all the amendments tabled by the rapporteur and the report as a whole. The various tragic effects of the disease, which affect the lives of sufferers and their families, compel people with MS to engage in a lifelong struggle against a disease that is still incurable and whose progress is unpredictable. The EU must play a strategic role in improving equal access to therapies and treatments, by calling on the Member States to coordinate their actions, including in research, and by facilitating access to the best practice in treatment and rehabilitation. Sufferers from MS in the future Member States will benefit from this. (Sustained applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, in 1999, eighty-five percent of all executions took place in only five countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States. It is, of course, correct that the European Union does not permit the death penalty within its borders. The death penalty is the cruellest, most inhumane and degrading penalty. It violates the right to life, is irrevocable and can involve innocent people. Furthermore, it has never been proven that it is a better deterrent against crime than any other kind of penalty. It was stated a moment ago that in the United States, there might be a better legal procedure or that very serious crimes are sometimes committed there. But that is exactly the point. We, as government, cannot afford to stoop to the level of the criminals we punish. That is precisely the civilisation which we have achieved here in Europe and that is the civilisation which we must hold on to. We therefore give our warm support to Commissioner Patten’s policy.

Political group: ELDR
Permit me firstly to also congratulate the new Commissioners, but I have a specific question for Mr Prodi. I have the impression that the standing of the European Commission is not particularly high, either among the general public or within the structures of the European Union itself, as a result of the instances where the wishes of Member States have predominated over the Commission’s prescriptions, one example being adherence to the principles of the Stability and Growth Pact. The Commission’s standing has not been helped by the fact that three Commissioners have resigned prematurely to take up posts in their national governments. My question is: ‘How would it be possible to improve the European Commission’s standing?’

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, my group welcomes this report. It sends a clear message to the IGC to be ambitious, to think long-term and not short-term, to think of how a Union with nearly double the number of Member States we have now can actually function effectively and to take this opportunity to change the Treaties, because future IGCs with nearly 30 states around the table will find it even more difficult than it is now to agree on reforms. The report puts forward ambitious proposals, as one would expect of the European Parliament. If adjusted by the amendments by my group, it will be a well-balanced set of proposals, well-balanced notably on the delicate question of the equilibrium between large and smaller Member States. On the size of the Commission, for instance, the formulas that are likely to be adopted tomorrow will refer either to one Commissioner per Member State or to a smaller number, a fixed number of Commissioners. The Commission cannot go on expanding indefinitely. In the second case, it will be a rotating system, so that every Member State, large and small, has equal opportunities of seeing one of its nationals serve in the Commission. On the question of the size of the European Parliament, we have also found a point of equilibrium, based on to a minimum number of Members for each Member State. Every state will, of course, have to make a sacrifice following enlargement, but a minimum number will be guaranteed, with digressive proportionality thereafter. So the report is balanced and I think can be welcomed. It is ambitious. Some people are saying: ‘ The IGC will never agree to this point or to that point’. But we are not in this Parliament trying to guess the outcome of the IGC; we are trying to encourage it to move in a particular direction, in a more ambitious direction, to make sure that we actually have a Union capable of functioning effectively when we enlarge to nearly 30 Member States. That is essential for our future.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, this is an additional amendment which, in our opinion, specifies the role and the help that therapeutical communities can give more clearly. I will read the Italian text out for the Members: “believes that rehabilitating drug addicts constitutes, in the same way as other areas, a fundamental aspect of the fight against drugs, in that action is targeted at demand; to this end, it supports and encourages the important social contribution as regards rehabilitating drug addicts on the part of the therapeutical communities, whose means should be increased”.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I am delighted to see that Commissioner Byrne is here this morning because, as Chairman of the European Parliament's Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals, I was very disappointed to receive a letter from Commissioner Byrne saying he was unable to come and meet our intergroup in the next three, four, five or six months to discuss issues concerning animal welfare, in particular the live transport of animals. I hope the Commissioner will reconsider this and find some space in his obviously very hectic diary.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, if I have understood President Prodi correctly, Europe, by remaining a political dwarf, will eventually lose its status as an economic giant. I personally do not dream of Europe as a great power in world affairs, becoming policeman and teacher to the rest of the world. I dream of a world governed by international law, based on cooperation between all States, large and small. Europe is currently experiencing a few problems. Nonetheless, thanks to Community cooperation, our Europe is certainly the fairest, most egalitarian society in the world. Our ambition should be to eliminate the last inequalities in Europe, enabling every individual to work and live decently. To do so, we need to share: share within the Union, share with the new Member States, share with developing countries. Politically, our Union must be able to speak with one voice. This means that the most original institution of the Union, the Commission, must represent all the Member States. The Commission must remain the driving force, with which each citizen must be able to identify. This politically more united Europe, however, is not a goal in itself. The aim of political action is to satisfy the economic, social, environmental and cultural needs of our citizens. The Convention has devoted far too much attention to the institutional architecture, which will serve no purpose if we do not provide ourselves with the political means to achieve sustainable development and economic growth in order to ensure full employment. Currently, the European Central Bank’s interpretation of Article 105(1) of the Treaty is too restrictive, limited to the sole objective of combating inflation. Although stability is necessary, the fight against deflation and for growth is equally essential. Hence the need to specify the ECB’s mission as follows: ‘the main objective of the European System of Central Banks is to maintain price stability. While combating inflation and deflation, the ESCB should support the other economic and social policies of the Union’. This clarification of the mission of monetary policy is vital if Europe does not want to suffocate in formal stability, which, ultimately, is unproductive. I shall end, Mr President, by thanking Greece for an exceptional presidency. This shows, once again, that the smaller countries generally accomplish a better presidency than the larger, more conceited countries, which, out of personal vanity, want to abolish rotating presidencies. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, it is not my wish to see a problem arise between the Legal Affairs Committee and the Committee on Petitions. The fact is that the basic points made by the Committee on Petitions have already been included in the text of the report I drew up. The reason why we do not agree with your amendments, as Mrs Palacio has explained, is because this is not the place to include them. If you look at the report in detail, you will find that the basic elements of your conclusions have been incorporated.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I want first of all to thank Mr Ruffolo for all the dedicated work he has done on this report. Allow me to remind you that it was also at Mr Ruffolo’s request that a statistical comparison of the Member States’ cultural activities was made. This was a very interesting and relevant document. The Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party has no doubt that culture is a fundamental component of the EU’s identity. Our group believes that respect for, and promotion of, cultural and linguistic diversity and of the common cultural inheritance is an essential factor in integration and the promotion of human individuality. We want to see a European cultural policy which is not in any way aimed at uniformity but which offers the kind of identity that arises in the encounter of differences – a policy which contributes to social cohesion and which is essential to the sense of being a European citizen. Cultural policy is one of the EU’s small policy areas, and that is the way it should be, too. The EU must expend its energies on the key areas: the internal market, economic policy, foreign policy and asylum and immigration policy, and that is why we must also be very cautious about otherwise well-meaning initiatives in the area of cultural policy. Allow me also to remind you that people want decisions to be taken as close to themselves as possible. That was what the President of the Commission, Mr Prodi, emphasised here in the House earlier today. The EU must not be involved in governing Europe in detail. That is best left to the Member States. That is why the Group has tabled amendments designed completely to remove conclusions 8 and 10. We believe that these are conclusions intended to broaden the scope of Article 151 of the treaty, and that is not something we want to be a party to. We also believe that the proposals are contrary to the principle of subsidiarity, something we take very seriously. Finally, we do not consider that the time is ripe for extending the economic framework of the EU’s activities in the area of cultural policy, something to which the proposal also refers. The Group cannot support the report if conclusions 8 and 10, or the compromise amendments to these, are adopted.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, today, on Women’s Day, we have a duty to set out and evaluate certain issues in the field of equality. What we want is equal treatment and equal opportunities in all areas of life, which, let us not forget, should be a fundamental right. As regards the representation of women in politics, for example, the under-representation of women in the political decision-making process constitutes a serious shortcoming, which, unfortunately, is mirrored across all of our European democracies. We must, therefore, persevere in our efforts to build a democratic Europe. This process should be characterised by balanced representation in Parliament, both for women and for men. The governments of Member States and accession countries must evaluate, as soon as possible, the differential impact of electoral systems on the political representation of women in elected bodies and the possibility of adapting or reforming these systems. Appropriate measures must be taken in order to ensure balanced participation. Let us not forget that the aim is to being able at least to maintain a proportion of at least 30% of women among elected members at the forthcoming elections. There is a danger that under-representation in accession countries may reduce this percentage, which we have striven so hard to achieve since the 1979 elections. We must raise awareness among accession countries, so that their governments may take action to combat crimes against women. Yes, some progress has been made, but further resources must be put in place. To conclude, I should also like to express, on a more general level, my solidarity with the struggles of all women around the world, whose rights are routinely trampled underfoot. I refer to all those women subjected to barbaric customs and traditions; women who are victims of war, of Aids, of ill-treatment, of trafficking, and, more broadly, of human stupidity.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, I am glad that we are actually ready, and this on my birthday, perfect timing by the Parliament to be sure. It is however already 2003 and tomorrow we are finally approving the report of our colleague Izquierdo Collado on the transport policy White Paper. Better late than never. The White Paper makes plans for 2010. The time for elaborating the whole package of measures is now compressed into seven years. I therefore wish the Commission good luck with its implementation of all of this. The key to very many of the objectives that the Commission is setting itself is the fair price of modes of transport and infrastructures. It is therefore high time for the Commission finally to come forward with the Pricing Directive. The Commission has been talking about it for a long time and there is a loud clamour for this document, not only in this Chamber, from the people who are sympathetic towards the environment and traffic safety, but also in the Member States, who are keen for the real polluter to pay. A discussion that ties in closely with this is the demand for a kerosene tax. The Commission must move in this area. We cannot on the one hand have trans-European railways subsidised and on the other open the door for flights from Brussels to London for the price of a loaf of bread. The White Paper makes it possible to make a powerful response to questions of this kind. It is now up to the Commission to work faster on the proposals that must follow this White Paper. I want finally to repeat what I said in my maiden speech some months ago: the most environmentally friendly kilometre is the kilometre not travelled and this White Paper offers no solution for avoiding transport. This is a missed opportunity.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Commissioner, I thank you for your full reply. I would still like to have a more specific idea of those principles that were decided upon at the Feira meeting. There the concept of flexibility was adopted for the intergovernmental conference. I would ask you whether it is your interpretation that this concept has now been extended to Pillar II issues.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The Danish Social Democrats in the European Parliament welcome, and have voted in favour of, the initiative to improve the Community’s common foreign service. We also support the initiative to give further training to EC officials engaged in external activities. We are opposed, however, to setting up a college of diplomacy for training the staff. It must be possible for such training to take place as, for example, in-service or on the job training. We also make reservations about the Commission’s delegations developing into proper embassies. That would create an unclear picture of which problems are to be solved by the national embassies.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, all administrations need to be reviewed periodically and to be modified and brought up to date. Consequently, our Group supports the Commission’s proposals – the White Paper – promoted by Commissioner Kinnock. Mr Harbour’s report views these proposals positively and we also support that report, which has been approved by the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market. However, while doing so, the Socialist Group considers that the current functioning of the Community’s public administration is reasonably efficient. We must remember that the crisis in the Commission was not caused by any failing in the Community’s administration but by political problems which had little to do with the functioning of the administration, and any desire to link the crisis in the Commission with the malfunctioning of its administration would be arbitrary. We must bear in mind that the Community administration is based on certain principles, which are well established in continental administration, such as the principle of a job for life and stable employment. These principles were established after a previous period in which public appointments resulted from the distribution of influences, from the system of cherry picking and string pulling. In light of this, the system of stable public administration offered a guarantee that political changes would not affect the functioning of the administration. In some countries, such as Spain, where our political life has been through tempestuous times, the administration, at least, has been a guarantee of stability. Therefore, while recognising that it is necessary to modernise the administration, our concern is to guarantee those fundamental principles of Community administration, which is currently occupied by extremely competent officials, who, often at great personal sacrifice, have to move home in order to set up in Brussels and who receive remuneration which is appropriate to the efforts that this entails. We feel sure that the Commission will continue to present concrete proposals. We believe that we will have the opportunity to express our opinions on them and that throughout this time we will be able to help the Commission in developing the Community civil service. However, we feel that we ought to respect two fundamental principles; one, the recognition of situations that are recognised in law; the so-called acquired rights of officials and secondly, the principle of stability, of guarantee, and even the right to union membership, the right to the defence, by officials, of their post, their career and even their professional prestige. With this consideration, we urge the Commission and Mr Kinnock to move ahead with their efforts at reform.

Political group: PSE
I should like to raise the same issue without, however, repeating what has already been said on the matter. Two lads from my constituency are also still in captivity in Greece on account of the same crime: this is evidently the seriousness with which this matter is being dealt with in Greece. I would point out that the next item on the agenda is the European arrest warrant. In relation to what is currently happening in Greece, that is a topic which we, as well as the Council, will have to treat with extreme caution to prevent the situation from causing European distortion in the field of criminal law policy.

Political group: ELDR