GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I too should like to start by thanking the rapporteurs, particularly Mr Costa Neves. It is, in my experience, the first time that the rapporteur has not tampered with the financial perspectives. I welcome this, especially since we have ended up with a budget surplus of some EUR 11 billion. I should like to make some observations concerning the different headings. I will start with the first heading. I am in favour of the reserve for foot-and-mouth disease. I do not know what other disasters could be heading in our direction, but I believe that the end is not yet in sight. I repeat once again, but I have said it so often: in my opinion, the Commission should not stop thinking about possible alternative ways of funding the fight against crises of this type. We can look into insurance systems. We can put all kinds of restrictions in place, but I do not think that we can rely on the fact that, in the years to come, there will be an annual surplus of one to two billion in the agricultural budget. I should particularly like to recommend the amendments on further foot and mouth research, tabled by the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, to the Council of Ministers. Can we develop marker vaccines, or new testing methods? Can we examine whether a vaccinated animal is still infectious? With regard to heading 2, I endorse the gist of the rapporteur’s policy designed to achieve an improved expenditure and commitment policy. I am thus in favour of the amendments which he has tabled in this connection, with only one exception: the increase in payment appropriations is rather extreme in my opinion. Along with the Commission, I fail to see how this can be spent in a reasonable manner. Consequently, I will in this connection vote differently from the way in which many of you will probably vote. Concerning the proposals to use the flexibility instrument in order to restructure the fishing fleet in Spain and Portugal, I am anxiously awaiting the Commission’s proposals. On a final note, I think we ought to bolster Eastern Europe. The SAPARD payment periods must be extended to 2003. The fact that the payment bodies have not yet been approved should not put those countries at a disadvantage.

Political group: ELDR
Madam President, Mr Solana, Commissioner, I take part in this debate with certain reservations because I do not want this Parliament giving the impression that it is sitting in judgment, casting anathema on this or that person when, after such great hopes were raised here only a month ago, we face the dramatic consequences of this new explosion of violence in the Middle East. I have agreed to be spokesperson for the Group of the European People’s Party because, like my colleagues in the group, I think it is essential to ask the Council, the Commission and you, Mr Solana, to spare no effort – you have just committed yourself to that – to help restart negotiations to secure the peace so long awaited throughout the world, in Europe, but especially there, on the spot. I know from experience that it is a lot more difficult for an army to win peace than a war. I know that the transition from fighting to peacekeeping requires troops who are capable, not of unleashing violence from their weapons in the conquest of an objective, but of controlling that violence. That requires special training, standard now for soldiers in European Union armies, because we are lucky enough to be at peace. The forces of Israel and Palestine are not so lucky. It is up to us to take our place beside the United Nations and the United States of America and, in close cooperation with them, to continue tirelessly supporting all those who have the determination to succeed at the price of the necessary concessions. And I have one question, Mr Solana: surely the time has come for an intelligent and courageous initiative by the European Union on the status of Jerusalem? We all know that is the crux of the matter and we have not forgotten the interesting proposals we have heard on this subject in this very Chamber, which deserve our support.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, legislating in criminal matters is often countered, wrongly, with arguments of individual freedom and security. Is one secure when freedoms are no longer guaranteed? Is one free when security is no longer assured? Modern criminal law revolves around the quest for a balance, a dialogue between security and freedom. And this dialogue is open-ended; it adapts to the demands of the day. Nowadays, certain forms of crime are cross-border crimes and it is, of course, in the interests of the Member States to improve cooperation so that they can crack down on them. But the Council’s draft leaves a lot to be desired and attracts criticism on several counts. First, the form: the draft convention is vague in the extreme, and this is totally incompatible with the objective of legal certainty in a modern society. It is not just a question of style. We are taking about criminal law here and criminal law has to be interpreted by the letter. Then the content: the Council draft fudges the obvious difficulty caused by widely differing legal systems, varying practices and a total lack of legal public service standards in certain Member States of the Union. It makes provision in article 9 for prisoners held in custody to be transferred from one state to another despite the fact that guarantees differ. I should like to stress this point because it is paramount. We must not forget that several tens of thousands of people are currently held in custody in the European Union without having stood trial and that, in some states, custody is abused and used as a means of extorting confessions. It is nothing less than legal torture. Other European countries, on the other hand, do not accept confession as sufficient proof of guilt. It is this diversity in our criminal policies which we have to address and legislating properly means looking for genuine legal convergence criteria and facing up to the reality of prisons in Europe, which are often overcrowded places outside the law which are a disgrace to the conception we have of ourselves. Mr President, as you know, all of our countries abolished the death penalty years ago, but with nearly a thousand suicides a year in our prisons, they have not really abolished it?

Political group: PSE
Rapporteur, ladies and gentlemen, last March I already had occasion to say that as a Frenchman, I was and still am in favour of a highly voluntarist policy on energy. We must, as far as possible, move beyond the mere declarations of intent which have been heard so many times over the last decade, and find strong concrete applications if we want to achieve this target, a very modest one by the way, of 12%. It is only on this condition that the European Union will be able to provide itself with an energy policy which is durable, balanced and fully secure. It is of course the European Commission’s task to work towards this. To this end, two strategies have been developed through two multiannual programmes: SAVE II and ALTENER II. What must be done today, at their second reading is, of course, to renew both of these programmes, but also to improve them, with the help of the opportunities given to us by the Treaty of Amsterdam and by codecision. As far as the Langen report is concerned, and this is really what my intervention is about, as well as sources of renewable energy, everyone knows how important these energies are in reducing pollution and in preserving natural resources. We are also aware of the difficulties preventing these sources of energy from entering a free market in which more traditional energy resources are often much cheaper, not to mention the absence of measures designed to promote the taking up of new energies on a voluntarist basis. This is, of course, why I approve of the amendments tabled by Mr Langen which demand that the Commission plays a more active role in encouraging a strategy of coordinated promotion within the Member States as well as developing Europe’s potential for exporting technologies connected with renewable energy. It is true that this will entail additional costs. We must bear these costs because they are actually quite modest compared to what is at stake: around EUR 7 million. I also approve, of course, of the call for a charter on renewable energy. In conclusion, I shall say that the vote for these two reports represents a pledge to the citizens of Europe, showing the European Union’s will to protect the environment whilst reducing our dependence on energy. This is also a statement and a measure against the dictatorship of the market and of out-and-out liberalism. More specifically, on the threshold of the next world conference on climate change which is to be held in Bonn, this sends out a positive sign of our Kyoto commitment to reduce CO2 emissions.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I recently wanted to fly to China. In order to do this, I had to apply for a visa and provide a whole array of highly personal details. As well as flying from Frankfurt to Peking, I was planning to take a connecting flight with a Chinese airline from Peking to Guilin, and this involved some of the data being transferred from one airline to another, a process that enables the Chinese state to get its hands on a plethora of personal data. I have to tell Mrs Lambert that I am unaware of there being any sort of data protection law in China, nor can I ask who there is storing my data, or which data are stored for any particular purpose; I cannot ask for it to be corrected, contact the Chinese data protection supervisor or take the government to court. Despite that, we are not banning flights to China or demanding general agreements. Now there is, I know, a great difference involved here, in that, when you fly to the United States, their system can directly access or ‘pull’ your data, rather than it being ‘pushed’ over to them, so that the United States have direct access to our systems; they are not limited to the data that we forward to them. Let me add, Commissioner, that the demands we are making now bear no relation to some sort of wish list; this is European data protection legislation, in black and white. The obligation is now on you to switch over to a ‘push’ system. What I would like is a response from you, and right now. Failing that, I appeal for more calm. The fact that different standards of data protection prevail does not mean that citizens’ rights are under threat. The United States has a legitimate interest in this instance, that being in the defence of their country. I doubt whether other countries could claim the same, even though they disregard our data protection legislation. I might add, ladies and gentlemen, that I never got to China, because I had not submitted my visa information in good time. Unfortunately, I had no legal remedy against that either.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Madam Vice-President of the Commission, both the Commission’s communication and the rapporteur’s report, which is magnificent, are in line with the European Council of Lisbon, which asked the Commission for a series of specific proposals as soon as possible. It is now for the Council to take the necessary and urgent political decisions which will allow the single aviation market to be supplemented with a single air traffic control system. The growth in demand currently stands at between 5% and 7% and it seems that it will follow the same trend over the next few years. This makes it even more difficult for the European air management systems to do their work, since they have shown themselves to be incapable of dealing with this development and they are the cause of 50% of delays, although it is true that there are other causes, such as the limitations of the airports and flight schedules which do not take account of the limitations of the infrastructures. Another cause which makes the current system ineffective is the different organisation of the civil system and the military system, as well as the different standards of technical equipment on the ground. The airspace must be accessible under the same conditions for general, commercial and military aviation, which does not mean that we should not give priority, or indeed exclusive access, to the military in the event of crises. However, the mere fact that a crisis may occur does not mean that certain Member States can justify maintaining the conditions which prevailed during the cold war. It is necessary for the civil and military controllers in the control centres to work in close cooperation. There is a clear need to achieve more effective cooperation between the different users of the airspace, and I believe that that cooperation and a joint approach should be sought at European level. I congratulate the rapporteur and the Vice-President of the Commission for the opinions they share on an issue which is so important and so sensitive in the daily lives of our citizens. Mr Atkins’ report is detailed and balanced, and it presents the current and correct position of this House. Lastly, Madam Vice-President, please take note that we are aware of your efforts and we will support you in the line you have taken. IN THE CHAIR: MR PUERTAVice-President

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, it will only become apparent in the distant future as to whether genetic modification is a blessing to humanity or a curse. It was human beings that brought a plague of rabbits to America and Australian muskrats that undermine the Dutch dykes. Subsequently, human beings saddled the world with chemical waste dumps and dumping sites for radioactive waste. Recently, we have let an AIDS epidemic run riot and we have allowed mad cow disease to develop. This has all come about owing to a combination of ignorance, impatience, laziness and pursuit of profit. If we had known then what we know now, I am sure we would have done things differently. If, before long, people start getting ill from consuming new products, existing plants and animals are supplanted by other species, and existing living beings are no longer resistant to new diseases, then we will know that we have made another big mistake. So we have every reason to restrict our activities to scientific research for the time being, and to isolate all new products that emerge from this. Unfortunately, we are now giving way to the pressure exerted by industry to permit commercial applications. This is undoubtedly highly lucrative for these companies, but it will cost society as a whole enormously in the longer term. It seems that the choice with regard to genetic modification is now between maintaining the old regulation, which is poor, but which does at least include a moratorium, and a new regulation, which is somewhat better but will abolish the moratorium. I have noted that the actual choice cannot be made on the basis of this document.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the West, or the European Union, became actively involved in Bosnia-Herzegovina because it wanted to promote peaceful relations between the different social, religious and ethnic groups. We did not want to accept that in today's and tomorrow's Europe, conflict and war could be caused by ethnicity or religion. Dayton was the result, and led – as we believed – to the founding of a new state. This was and probably remains the only option to bring peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina at this time. Many of us here in this House are not satisfied with Dayton, but as I said, it was a chance to end the war. What we cannot accept, however, is that we are now retreating from Dayton again. There are some forces which actively support this development and want to create new or restore old ethnic divisions within Bosnia-Herzegovina. First, there were the Croat extremists who, having lost Zagreb's support, have attempted to join forces and create their own new Croat (mini-) state in Bosnia. Then there are the Serb extremists, who can undoubtedly count on continued support from Belgrade and perhaps even from President Kostunica on occasion, and who also believe that the time has come to settle old scores and prevent some elements of life in a multi-ethnic community from being restored, like the mosque where these incidents took place when the foundation stone was to be laid. This development has undoubtedly been caused by the fact that refugee return and thus the ‘mix’ of the various ethnic groups have not taken place on the scale demanded by the international community, and especially by this House. Moreover, the hindering of refugee return at various levels has undoubtedly also fuelled hopes that the mono-ethnic orientation and focus of the individual entities, especially the Republika Srpska, can be preserved. We cannot be deterred now, however. We must call upon everyone in a position of responsibility in this region, and of course in Bosnia-Herzegovina in particular, to ensure that Dayton at least – which is the very minimum we can or should achieve at this time – and multi-ethnicity are restored on the scale or in the direction which formerly existed. To this end, it is essential that Croatia also takes measures with regard to its property laws, but also conditions at local level, to encourage refugees to return. Above all, however, it is vital that Republika Srpska plays its part. There is the agreement between the Croatian Foreign Minister and the former Prime Minister or President of the Republika Srpska. The President is no longer in office, but even during his incumbency, little was done to comply with the provisions of this Treaty or these agreements. This House must call on all sides and groupings in Bosnia finally to fulfil their commitments, and the commitments which were adopted on their behalf by the international community, because we – after all – were the ones who helped them end this dreadful war and the dying. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I would like to draw attention to a deplorable state of affairs at the European School I in Brussels. Thousands of children and young people – most of whom are the offspring of our officials – have not had any lessons since the end of June. They have, as yet, been unable to start the first term of the new school year. It was originally scheduled for 7 September. Several days previous to that, it was postponed until today, and now the parents have been informed once again that the term cannot begin because some major building work has yet to be completed. The renovation work has been going on for years at this school, and the asbestos problems are a familiar tale too. Yet no alternative arrangements were made for the children. I urge the President of our Parliament, in conjunction with the Commission, to ensure that this disgraceful state of affairs is not resolved at the children’s expense. I cannot believe what is going on! School attendance is compulsory and yet the children are unable to fulfil this requirement.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, like other Members, I would firstly like to thank and congratulate the Commissioner and the rapporteur, Mr Mantovani, because I believe it has really been an excellent idea to produce a communication on the needs relating to healthcare and the care of elderly people. Commissioner, holding this debate is consistent with all this House’s concerns about the needs of elderly people, and it is very helpful that Mr Mantovani’s report has achieved such a broad consensus on certain very important ideas. I am one of those people who believe that the dignity of a society is basically measured by the dignity with which it treats its elderly people; I also believe that issues relating to health, rather than being commercial goods, are a matter of rights. Fortunately, Mr Mantovani’s report and the amendments which I hope we will approve tomorrow and others which we will reject – I hope – will highlight these elements, which are fundamental to the future of Europe. I am pleased that it moves in this direction, that it stresses the coordination elements which the Commissioner has mentioned, that it maintains the open coordination method, and I hope that this is the beginning of a broader consideration, so that it may also reach other elements of our society. As the Commission has said in some of its documents, Europe – despite its great progress and despite having increased its standard of living and life expectancy over recent decades – still has problems such as the fact that one in every five citizens dies prematurely; the new risks; inequalities and differences on health issues, ... These problems are not exclusive to elderly people, but they are problems and issues for all European citizens, who are appealing to us, to the politicians, to the European Convention, to finally treat Europe as an area in which there can be competition but also cooperation and solidarity. The European citizens are asking for it for essential elements of their lives such as health. I therefore hope that this method of open coordination, this detailed and exhaustive approximation of health needs – but also social needs and the humanisation of the lives of the elderly – and of these problems, is extended in future communications. I hope that we will have new instruments so that Europe is not just a market, but also a collection of rights and a source of hope, which is what the public are asking us for.

Political group: PSE
I have been waiting about six months for an answer on this. There is a whole raft of questions and answers and we are becoming schizophrenic over the substance and content of the answers. What is hiding behind all that? Either the services are not doing their job properly and are giving you wrong information, or there is something rotten in the Kingdom of Denmark and there are many who say that there is something peculiar about Mr Kouchner’s administration. My question is this: if the services are not doing their job properly, what are you going to do when they leave you high and dry? If Mr Kouchner is not doing his job properly, what are you going to do about it? And the third question: how can it be that the citizens of the European Union are being called upon to pay for the Stability Pact even though European undertakings established there cannot be protected by the European Union? That does not happen anywhere, it is unreasonable. We should therefore see things as they are, because my impression is that Mr Kouchner is not playing his part properly there. That is where the problem lies and that is what we should all realise, as European citizens and people interested in developments in the Balkans.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and the seven other Palestinians was a clear breach of international law. I totally condemn all terrorism, whatever its source, and I also call on Palestinians not to respond violently to this most recent provocation. If we are to begin to bring an end to this spiral of violence, then someone has to take the first leap. I abhor in particular the use of children as proxy bombers and the targeting of civilians by Palestinian terror groups. The government of Ariel Sharon has once again adopted bully-boy tactics which can only block the peace process and obstruct any chance for constructive negotiations. The continuing occupation of Palestinian territory and the construction of the so-called security wall, mostly on Palestinian territory, is ghettoising Palestinians, destroying their livelihoods, imprisoning and impoverishing them and driving them to despair. The European Union, on the other hand, has all carrot and no stick. It is not that the European Union does not have a stick, it simply refuses to even wave the stick, never mind use it. I would call on the Commission and the Council to demand that Israel take immediate steps to comply with the human rights obligations it entered into in the association agreement. It is not doing so and unless we take action to insist that they do, we will reap a terrible harvest in the future.

Political group: PSE