GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, Commissioner, and the few honourable Members who are present, I am going to be very brief and I would like to begin by congratulating our rapporteur, Mrs Figueiredo, on her report. The uniform application of the CFP in all the Member States is an important challenge, undoubtedly, and we must therefore also congratulate the European Commission on its proposal. There can be no sound fisheries policy without real and effective control in which the fisheries sector itself also participates. New technologies allow for better and greater control, and they must be used to improve compliance with the common fisheries policy. This control must not relate exclusively to fishing itself, but it must also, and this is very important, be extended to the other phases of the process, in other words, to the chain of marketing, transport, sales and so forth, also including controls in catering establishments. We therefore all agree that more homogeneity, more rationality, more resources and more budget are required. I will dedicate the rest of the time available to me to a few brief comments on the report by Mrs McKenna since, although our group had requested a joint debate on these reports, this has not been the case. I congratulate the rapporteur and I am pleased that, both in the annual report by the Commission and in the report by Parliament, it is stressed that just four Member States have complied 100% with the requirements for the corresponding boxes in all segments of the fleet. These States are: Finland, Denmark, Spain and Portugal. In other words, there are 11 States which are not complying with them, and that is the most important thing in my view, together with the clear fact – and allow me to point this out as a Spanish person – that Spain is one of them. In this way I hope to counter, and I would like to make this clear, certain attempts to slander and discredit the Spanish fisheries sector. Spain, however, is one of only four States, I repeat, which comply with the fleet-reduction plans, and I believe it is necessary to stress this here, in the presence of other States and therefore of other representatives of other Member States which are non-compliant.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to express my broad support for Mr Mulder’s own-initiative report on the reform of the clearance of accounts that has been approved by the Committee on Budgetary Control. I am also of the opinion that it is still too early to deliver an opinion on the validity of the new system, because its complexity and the limited capacity of response of the Community’s administrative institutions make it impossible for a definitive assessment to be given. It is noteworthy, however, that the European Parliament, political body par excellence, is concerned, on its own initiative and in line with the specific rules for studying proposals, with the way in which resources common to all of Europe are allocated and with the outcome of this allocation. The reform we are now studying must be developed, to enable information facilitating multiannual comparisons to be made available to the monitoring bodies in good time. This responsibility falls to the Commission, something that the rapporteur, Mr Jan Mulder, does well to point out, setting this in appropriate terms. I also share the concern and the recommendations of the rapporteur when he examines the strengths and weaknesses of the accreditation mechanisms, the implementation of financial corrections, the control of expenditure allocated to rural development and the new problems that will inevitably arise with the functioning of the Union under enlargement to twenty- five countries. We must also remember that the policy’s primary focus must always be the allocation of financial resources, especially when dealing with less highly-developed countries. It is crucial that the management systems of the applicant countries are defined and integrated, promoting and developing both the delegation of powers to the Sapard agencies, and shortening the chain for implementing aid instruments. We cannot overlook the fact that the CAP is currently a potential source of equality and absorbs 47% of the Community budget, which requires the use of specific auditing and regulatory procedures. Lastly, I believe that, regardless of the current quantitative results of the conciliation process, this process must continue to be used and extended, because it is precisely by implementing it that all the advantages and disadvantages of a political consideration and decision on the implementation of Community funds can be exploited and validated, reserving for the judicial system the exclusive right to act on the fraudulent use of funds made available to Member States.

Political group: PSE
Farm animals bred for human consumption have become the victim of the introduction of cheap, long-distance lorry transport. Before fattening or slaughtering, injured, starving and dehydrated animals are transported from one country to another. For years, such abuses were hardly open for discussion in this Parliament, despite the petitions that have been submitted about them. It is a step forward that a regulation is now being accepted in which requirements are stipulated for the means of transport, duration of transport and treatment. An upper limit of eight hours or 500 kilometres is backed as a standard by tens of thousands of signatures in the Netherlands, but, to many in North-Western Europe, myself included, it does not go far enough. There are, however, organisations of those with economic interests that consider such standards to create too much work and expense. This opinion is held not only by those on the Right, but also, unfortunately, those on the , in southern Europe, where national public opinion is not yet geared towards priority to better animal welfare. Animal welfare organisations have a long way to go in order to convince the public and politicians over there. My party, the Dutch Party, takes the view that economic benefit should be secondary to more important things, such as the decent treatment of animals. I support all amendments which provide for the most far-reaching protection, even if today, regrettably, they do not yet receive a majority.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The Commission will no doubt have realised, from the shared language of these three questions, that they originate outside this House, and indeed Amnesty International has been pressing us on this point. I need not underline the significance and weight that attaches to representations by Amnesty International. I am very grateful indeed to the Commissioner for his assurance in response to the third part of the question about the steps that are being taken to try to bring this matter under reasonable control. It is a kind of irony, is it not, that the original idea of the CE marking was to give assurances about safety. Well, if I am at the wrong end of a safe piece of torture equipment, it is not a good place to be. Can you give us any indication of a timetable for the progress you hope to make on this?

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I wish to start by thanking the rapporteur for the work he has done, which has enabled us to make out a good basis for the years to come. I would also like – and I think this might be permitted me – to say a word in praise of our own group, whose discussions, which were highly intensive and also sometimes rigorously conducted, produced uniform outcomes, something I consider to be very important in this area. I want to deal with those essentials that are of significance to us. The first point I wish to make, Commissioner, is that we join with you in rejecting the renationalisation of regional policy. That is for us of primary importance. Efforts are being made in certain Member States to reclaim this policy for the national level. We here are quite united in repudiating this. Cohesion policy makes clear European solidarity, which we do not want to lose, but rather to emphasise in the future. On this we, Parliament and Commission, stand shoulder to shoulder. My second point is that we seek greater coherence – between regional policy on the one hand and, in particular, the common agricultural policy on the other. We could perhaps engage in a dialogue, even with Commissioner Fischler, on how we might manage this, without which our goals for rural areas, and the agricultural policy's goals for rural areas, will not always be found in the same direction, and this is something we must work on. It is also beyond dispute that going below the 0.45% level imperils the cohesion objectives, so we just have to become more efficient, as has also been made abundantly clear by Mr Pohjamo's report, which we were discussing earlier. Now to my final point. We need to achieve a balance between the candidate countries and the regions we have supported to date. I think it is not at issue that we must make enormous efforts for the candidate countries, that there must also be a cohesion instrument to help them, and this was also mentioned in the interim report you presented last week. We must also, though, give thought to the need to continue to bring the regions we used to support up to the EU average. If we manage this balancing act, I believe we will gain Europe greater acceptance. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I would like to thank Mrs Sörensen for her report, which contains many proposals, and for the emphasis placed on the fact that trafficking in women and children is a violation of human rights. The body and the human person are not commodities. Even though many women choose to become prostitutes as an easy way of making a living, I would make no distinction between voluntary and forced prostitution: all prostitution is exploitation. I would like to stress three points: firstly, trafficking and immigration. A closed border policy prompts immigrants to turn to criminal organisations in order to procure visas or enter the country concerned illegally. The Member States must develop a more united, responsible policy. Thirdly: the victims’ rights. It was proposed that the European Union issue temporary residence permits to victims which would be conditional upon the victims giving evidence against the traffickers, but, as yet, Italy is the only State to issue permits which are not conditional upon the giving of evidence. I would like to finish by raising the question of clients. Commissioner Vitorino repeatedly stated the need to take into account the demand of this market, that is the clients. But who are the clients? They could be our fathers, our sons or ourselves. It is our duty to do our part to bring about a radical change in the mentality and culture of our society. This means promoting policies which support women.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, we all know that the consequences of the tragic flood disaster in Mozambique would have been less serious if the more developed countries, and especially the countries of the European Union, which has a special responsibility for the former Portuguese colony, had reacted immediately by sending the necessary resources, especially helicopters, to help the population. For days there were only seven helicopters trying to bring those people the aid they need, while governments remained silent and the whole world looked on, anguished and appalled. The European Union must never behave like this again. To make what amends it can, it must now provide Mozambique with all the aid necessary to combat disease, feed the people and reconstruct the country materially, if necessary, going beyond the restrictive and anti-European limits laid down in the selfish budget agreements of Agenda 2000. In particular the Member States must cancel their share of Mozambique’s external debt. (Applause)

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I would firstly like to express my support for this joint motion for a resolution for the European Union to favour the recuperation and promotion of democracy in the Balkans, specifically in Yugoslavia. It seems to us important that we are promoting a political amnesty in Yugoslavia for that recuperation I mentioned, but it also seems to us very important that we roundly condemn the recurrence of incursions and terrorist activities on the borders between Serbia, Albania and Kosovo, because that is a worrying reminder of what happened during the Kosovo conflict, where Western powers held responsibilities. It is therefore important that this condemnation be accompanied by a promotion of democratic and economic consolidation in Yugoslavia, with regard to which the European Union has much to do and much to say.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the recent dioxin and mad cow scandals have amply demonstrated, if indeed there was any need, that consumers now want to have every possible guarantee as to the quality of their food. In this respect, the Lannoye report provides one more classic example. The rapporteur rightly wonders if the additives added to our foodstuffs are really necessary and, more especially, if they are really harmless. What are we discussing here? The total of 307 additives authorised by the European Union, only 163 of which are completely harmless, as Paul Lannoye has just pointed out. Who stands to gain from the inclusion of additives, of chemicals, in our meals? Certainly not the consumers, who are now increasingly looking to find 100% healthy food for themselves and for their children. In this respect, without going into the technical details, I should like to go back over the three criteria highlighted in the report. On the one hand, do the additives meet a technological need? The least that can be said is that consumer interests are not always in line with the interests of manufacturing firms. On the other hand, are the additives useful to the consumer? On this subject, the rapporteur highlights at least one case where this mistaken conclusion may be drawn; is stopping an ageing grated carrot going soft and losing colour – as it ought to – not, in the final analysis, a form of deception? The question answers itself. Finally, is it certain that the additive is harmless? Once again our thinking must be guided by the precautionary principle, since selecting a carrot which has had the E401 face-lift treatment also involves – and this is something the customer is not aware of, or not generally at least – running the risk of potentially unpleasant side-effects which cannot be ignored or played down. In conclusion, the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party will support the Lannoye report because it makes a practical contribution to improving consumers’ quality of life and, moreover, guaranteeing honesty with regard to what is on our plates. That is the prime consideration.

Political group: ELDR
I want to thank the Council of Ministers for this answer. It is, in fact, a most excellent initiative by the Finnish Presidency to arrange for greater openness in the work of the Council. This is something which is really positive and timely. It is indeed a fundamental democratic right to be able to have insight into the actual processes of legislation and, in that way, to be able to insist upon political accountability. My question following on from this is about whether it has ever happened that whole Council meetings, from start to finish, have been open to the public. Or has it only been specified points on the agenda that have been debated in public? Have you ever, during your Presidency, been presented with objections which, in one meeting or another of the Council of Ministers, have prevented you from having as much openness as you would have wished for?

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, we now have a result from the Conciliation Committee concerning transit through Austria. I am speaking on behalf of my group, the Confederal Group of the . The group is opposed to this compromise because it would mean a general deterioration of the environment. As I myself read the proposal, however, it is a useful compromise in which Parliament has had a very large proportion of its wishes met. An acceptable balance has been found between consideration for the environment and respect for the free exchange of goods. The proposal means that the ecopoint system can continue throughout 2004, with the option of extending it both in 2005 and 2006. By that time, we shall hopefully at long last have achieved an overall system of road tolls for the whole of the EU. Before we reach that point, however, there are still a number of problems of which both opponents and supporters of the compromise are required to take account with regard to Austria. If we are finally to get to grips with the problem of pollution, we have to think along different, and new, lines. We must move transported goods off the roads and onto the railways. As matters appear right now, there is not much to indicate that there is sufficient will to increase capacity but, as with everything else in the world, you do not get something for nothing. This means that the Austrians are obliged to concentrate upon railway capacity through Austria. As I say, the Confederal Group of the is opposed to the proposal by the Conciliation Committee, but I personally shall vote in favour of it. I should also like to say to the fellow MEP of mine who put on a demonstration in this House that I think it splendid that he has already begun his election campaign, but he would do better to conduct his demonstration at home in Austria instead of here in Parliament, in which case he and his vacuous demonstration would not, of course, be photographed, however.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The sinking of the Tricolor and the Prestige are cruel reminders of how urgent and necessary it is to make maritime safety a major priority, and of how important it is to guarantee a high level of training for seafarers on European vessels, equally so when the sailors are nationals of third countries. The European fleet has a genuine interest in the possibility of having seafarers from third countries come to the EU. Of the approximately 140 000 sailors serving on vessels flying a European Union flag, around one third (that is 47 000) come from third countries. Furthermore, in many Member States, shipowners have difficulty in finding crew trained at national level. This proposal, which aims – with the help of the European Maritime Safety Agency- to replace the current procedure for recognition of certificates of competency according to Member State with a recognition procedure at Commission level is therefore an important step in the right direction for guaranteeing the highest level of safety possible. During the vote, I will pay particular attention to the amendments insisting on the competency of seafarers, access to training, the evaluation report and the fight against fraudulent practices.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, I am rather surprised by your answer, because it is of course all a matter of juggling with figures. All I know is that these food distribution organisations are manned by people who are highly committed, very socially aware, and also well disposed towards Europe. In any event they have told us, in response to an earlier question, that problems had already been reported and I asked a question about this together with Mrs van Lancker, Mrs Maes and I believe Mrs van Brempt as well. In response you said that just as much food is being distributed as before and then we have the disconcerting assessment that in fact 750 tonnes less are being distributed. I repeat my question: can you confirm here that in terms of quantities – I am not talking about figures or about values – just as much food was made available in 2002 as in the years before? Have I understood that properly? If I have indeed understood that properly, then I shall be putting further questions to the Belgian Government through the federal advisory committee for European affairs in the Chamber and Senate and with fellow Members of the European Parliament.

Political group: Verts-ALE
In America, large computer companies have been trying for years to protect their software inventions against free use by individual users and small companies. They build in technical restrictions, tie buyers to restricting contracts, try to collect enormous damages and demand legal protection by the authorities. It is young, resourceful users in particular who are faced with ever more restrictions and run the risk of ending up in prison. In Europe too, such companies are trying more effective ways of protecting their monopoly against the public. In departing from Article 52 of the European Patent Convention, according to which software is subject to copyright rather than to patenting, the European Patent Bureau in Munich is trying to extend its remit along the lines of the American system. It has managed to do this by granting 30 000 patents to date. The European Commission and part of this Parliament want to justify this extended remit with the argument that nothing actually changes in comparison to the present situation. This course of action is meeting with much opposition, and with good reason, from those who are hindered in their inventions, their education, their work or their leisure activities. I support this opposition to the commercial interests of large monopolies and have enjoyed working on counter arguments prior to this vote.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The proposals for the milk sector perpetuate the unequal treatment of countries such as Greece by keeping quotas at unacceptably low levels, exacerbating their dependency in dairy products and ruining producers with huge coresponsibility levies, due to the unacceptably low quotas allocated to them. The ΕU prefers to strengthen intervention, by withdrawing excess dairy products from oversaturated markets, mainly in the northern countries, than to direct the sums which will be spent on intervention to covering the needs of countries, such as Greece, which cannot meet even half their domestic demand. It is infuriating that the quota granted in compensation for the reduction in target prices is increased by a larger percentage in the developed and a smaller percentage in the less developed countries. For example, the proposals make provision for Greece for an increase in the quota of 6 000 – 14 000 tonnes and for 335 000 – 110 000 for Holland. The country's livestock farming is being condemned to stagnation and the Greeks are obliged to consume imported pasteurised products because fresh milk does not reach the country in time, despite the fact that there is the potential to increase production and meet its requirements. We call for a fair redistribution of quotas, on the basis of population criteria, consumption requirements and production potential, which is why we shall vote against the reports, which move in a diametrically opposed direction.

Political group: GUE-NGL