GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, this report is not only an attack on the principle of subsidiarity and the complex process of enlargement, it also contradicts the fundamental and founding principles of the European Union. Abortion is damaging to children, women and humankind as a whole! It is damaging to children because it kills unborn children; it is damaging to women because it degrades women even more to objects of male manipulation – something that is often forgotten – and it is damaging to humankind because it calls into question the beginning, the end and the overall dignity of human life, the dignity of the individual from their conception to their natural death. That is why it contradicts the fundamental principles laid down by Adenauer, Schuman and de Gasperi, fundamental principles which have made this EU of ours what it is today and what it ought to remain. To all those who will criticise Parliament today I should like to say: do not criticise Parliament, criticise that narrow majority that railroaded this report through, and make sure that the next Parliament has a different majority!

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, we support the passing of this resolution condemning the repression employed by the Central African Army following the attempted coup d’état of 28 May and the ethnic-based nature of this repression. From its first recital, however, the resolution is concerned with the non-repayment of debt to the World Bank by one of the poorest countries on earth and by its population, which is dying of hunger. The resolution condemns the presence of foreign armed forces, which happen to be Libyan. How can we ignore the fact, though, that the foreign armed force that remained longest in the country, which sealed its fate, was the French army? It was the French army that enforced colonial domination and it was the French army that installed one of its junior officers, Bokassa, as the head of the Central African State once it gained its independence, without asking the opinion of the population. How can we forget the protection given for years to the dictator Bokassa and his escapades, the presence of French ministers and of the President himself at the farce that was Bokassa’s self-coronation as emperor? Therefore, whilst we condemn the leaders of the Central African Republic and their army, we would like point out the infinitely greater responsibility of the French state and we shall abstain from voting on the resolution.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Mr Blokland has carried out an enormous task. This subject is incredibly involved. Moreover, the lobbyists have been something else. I should never have believed that there were so many of them concerned about waste in Europe. You might have thought it was gold rather than waste they were talking about. One never knows, but it perhaps bodes well for the future that a recycling industry is developing which possesses such competence and power in terms of financial resources and personnel. Obviously, the EU must create a sustainable system for protecting air, land and water. This is a common commitment and a common responsibility. It clearly ought, too, to be regulated at European Union level. But is this the right level at which to produce such very detailed technical descriptions as this Directive is attempting to produce? Ought it not, rather, to be the case that decisions should be made on permitted emission levels for various substances, on the measurement systems and on how the measurements are to be carried out and that, subsequently, the principle of subsidiarity should be applied? It is true that, when it comes to the ways in which waste is dealt with and is co-incinerated using large quantities of biomass fuels, there are really quite enormous differences between northern Scandinavia (where the transport routes are also long) and the densely populated areas of Central Europe where the problem is, quite literally, more one of waste incineration and of refuse collection and disposal than of, for example, generating combined power and heat. I should like us at some point, but not now, to debate the opportunities for creating framework legislation in this area.

Political group: ELDR
I should like to draw your and Parliament’s attention to a man-made disaster with which we shall be confronted in the course of the next few days. Last week, I and two of my colleagues, Feleknas Uca and Konstantinos Alyssandrakis, were on a visit to Istanbul where we met former prisoners, their families and their lawyers, together with human rights campaigners in Turkey. A large number of prisoners in Turkish jails are on hunger strike, with some of them prepared to die because of the Turkish Government’s policy towards prisoners. I should like to call upon you, Madam President, to make contact with the Turkish authorities and press for a new dialogue to be embarked upon between the Turkish Government, on the one hand, and prisoners’ organisations and the human rights organisations, on the other. Otherwise, we shall see a succession of fatalities next week, for the hunger strike has been going on for months.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, to visitors from afar, the sea crossing to the Scottish islands is the stuff of romance, and indeed the beauty never fails to move both native and visitor. But for those who live and make their living there, the island shipping services are both an essential lifeline and a costly hurdle to be overcome for their economic and social well-being. The costs that impede are not only the fares, difficult as those often are, but also the inconvenience of pre-booking, of waiting in queues, of fitting in with timetables which provide low and variable frequencies; and then there are the risks of delays and cancellation due to weather or mechanical breakdown, or strikes which hold the islands to ransom from time to time. There is considerable concern on the Scottish islands at the moment that the EU's competition policy, which requires putting these services out to competitive tender, will undermine these lifeline services even at their present level and add a further upward ratchet to the cost of living and of doing business. We need to reassure those who live and work on these vulnerable islands and remote peninsulas that they have nothing to fear from bringing a measure of competition into the process for awarding these contracts. Can I ask the Commission to do what it can to reassure the Scottish islands, the Scottish executive that is struggling with this situation at the moment and the Scottish Parliament, that it stands ready to make sure that this process works well, that it does not undermine but improves the shipping services in the Scottish islands. Perhaps through Commission Verheugen I can pass an invitation to the Transport Commissioner, his colleague, Mrs de Palacio, to accompany me on a romantic trip to the Scottish islands.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, there has been mention of what the task of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs may be. I must point out that the Committee is to meet tomorrow afternoon, firstly to try to really get to grips with what the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Conference were. We shall have the chance to address the representative of the Commission in order to obtain information on the draft text of the Treaty, which we do not have as yet. We have only just discovered that this text is not available, at least for the time being, but it might be in the next few hours. Of course, I give no opinion on the political assessments, and the group Chairmen will be able to make their opinions known through resolutions in time. We will also need to agree on what we mean by political assessments. It seems no easy task. With regard to the assessments in question, I will give just one example. The President, herself, knows that until yesterday evening, there were different views on a fundamental issue, that is, the extension of qualified majority voting and the matter of recognising Parliament’s power in the codecision procedure. They continued working on these texts during the night, just as they continued working through the night on figures relating to the division of votes in the Council and of seats in Parliament. At least as far as the Commission is concerned, we feel that more awareness and thought are necessary.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, the situation in the Congo is tragic. Millions of citizens are living in appalling conditions. Famine and AIDS are the daily lot of men and women in the grip of an interminable conflict, stirred up by the presence of so-called elite networks who are taking advantage of a chaotic situation in order to make a profit. The top political leaders, regional and foreign companies and the armed forces have established what appears to be a real war economy. They are stirring up, under the cover of political or ethnic opposition, a conflict whose only goal has become to simply plunder the natural resources of the DRC, to the detriment of the local populations. The United Nations report that we presented to the Committee on Development and Cooperation is, in our opinion, a significant opportunity to put an end to this human tragedy. The list of people involved in this damaging trafficking should be the spearhead for us to launch genuine and forceful action. Ladies and gentlemen, we now need to put pressure on our own companies to stop taking advantage of confused situations or even creating them in order to make a fraudulent profit. We should not delude ourselves any longer. The responsibility of companies is now closely linked to that of our governments. If we do not promptly give a strong political signal by taking restrictive action against them and stressing our support for the principles of the OECD, they will continue to violate the law and human rights without batting an eyelid. We can no longer turn a blind eye to what is nothing more and nothing less than neo-colonial plundering in disguise. By forcing European companies in foreign countries to make their accounts public, we will enable greater transparency and will also limit the illegal misappropriation of which the Congolese people are the prime victims. It is clear that establishing the rule of law and democratic institutions will be essential. But prior coordinated action among Member States aimed at putting an end to their own companies' activities has become essential. It is high time that the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo benefited fully and directly from their land’s resources and achieved the level of development that their mining resources would allow if they were not constantly being illegally exploited by foreign powers.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Commissioner, I would like to ask you two things. You quoted a figure of 2.6% for Portugal. Could you give us the figures for Spain and Greece? My second question is this: besides the Cohesion Fund, there are also the Community Support Framework, the Structural Fund, regional programmes, etc. From which countries have you received definitive projects, and which programmes from which countries have you already approved?

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, on a point of order further to those that have already been raised, I would also like to ask the Presidency of Parliament to consider exactly what the rules are – and how they are enforced – as to the use of cameras filming Members going about their duties. In every legislative body or Council with which I have been associated, there are firm rules about what can be done and what cannot be done. The evidence we have shows that a lot of things have been going on that should not have happened, and they ought to be stopped. Can we have the assurance that will happen? (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, Commissioner, a great deal of work has been done. A report has been drawn up. That too took up a lot of time. However, a whole host of arguments are being put forward, with which – let there be no mistake – I entirely disagree. The wrong arguments are being used in order to sell a project. Let me start with the technology. Some people claim that superior technology is being used here. That is absolutely not the case. GPS is a similar system. Our system is slightly better because it uses ground stations. As a result, it is slightly more reliable and communication is possible. But the subsequent generations of GPS II – did you think the Americans were mad? – and GPS III are just as capable. No problem whatsoever. If we consider the levels concerned, the first level is an open access system, which is free. It is similar to GPS with matching criteria: same height, same accuracy in terms of horizontality, etc. The subsequent systems CAS I and CAS II are commercial and intended for the government, while the latter system is also used for military purposes. To quote another point on which people appear to be misinformed: it is also possible for CAS II to be switched off at regional level if it is used for military purposes. You may not have been aware of this, but that is the case. All in all: GALILEO is not more accurate, and it cannot be switched off. In summary, all those technological features which have been listed, also for transport, are also very much part of the current system. Where military use is concerned, we are agreed that we do not want this in any event. I will not enter into the detail of the arguments, but at this moment in time, in the light of 11 September, I do not find it necessary to highlight the need of such a system once again. It is somewhat inappropriate, in my opinion. It is clear that the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy has agreed to the wording for civil use, and the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism has not. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings when the amendments are tabled. As for the funding, the Council has launched an enquiry. It appears that there are actually no business partners. One and a half billion must be coughed up. Two hundred million is being freed up indirectly and it is suggested that that funding is now available. The problem in this connection is that it is the same people who have freed up tens of billions for UMTS. When I listen to Mrs Langenhagen’s opening words, I have a feeling that GALILEO will be laid to rest in the not too distant future.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, for years, the boss of Parmalat had to use the same language to his 36 000 employees, scattered among thirty countries, as all bosses use to their workers. They had to be told that it was impossible to increase their salaries, that staff numbers had to be reduced and that this was required in the interests of the competitiveness needed. Well, the workers of this company have seen how crude these lies were. They see they have been duped. How many salaries could have been increased with the EUR 14 billion that their boss embezzled? How many supposedly necessary redundancies could have been avoided? The last straw is that all those who have been complicit in these instances of embezzlement – the banks and administrations – will continue as before, while the company’s 36 000 workers are in danger of losing their livelihoods, and thousands of small dairy farmers are affected. Among the companies you claim are in the majority in behaving ethically and honestly, how many other Parmalats are there, however, that have still not been unmasked? How, moreover, is it possible to find out? How might people distinguish bosses on the make from those who claim not to be and, alongside the open gangster-style practices of the Parmalat bosses and of very many others, is it not, in reality, all large companies that engage in the hoodlum-like practice – legal in this case – of closing a factory by throwing the workers out on their ear, simply in order to make additional capital gains on the stock exchange? Your laws give bosses and boards of directors dictatorial power over their companies. We are in favour of workers, consumers and the population being able to control companies, their accounts, the ways in which they realise their profits and the ways in which they use them. The community needs to be able to monitor companies on an ongoing basis and prohibit decisions that are clearly contrary to its interests. Tax havens do not exist only in the Bahamas. To abolish them here in Europe, banking and commercial secrecy needs to be abolished.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I should like to endorse the rapporteur's positive appraisal of the Commission's proposal for a regulation. It is precisely because the private economy is failing to live up to its responsibility and create secure jobs that we need more aid to promote employment in the European Union. You only have to think about current mass unemployment and the different situations in the regions to realise that this regulation is crucial, because it creates greater transparency, cuts red tape, provides legal security and improves comparability and, with it, we shall soon be in a position to judge how effective aid is. It is interesting to note that national employment policies in the European Union have changed, gearing towards the common objectives of the employment strategy, with action plans being used as levers. But what struck us in this context is that the current employment guidelines make no reference to growth or to the desirable or undesirable effects of employment aid. We need to call for finishing touches to be put to the employment guidelines in the interests of mainstreaming and the coherence of European employment policies. We need to clarify that the contribution of both sides – employment policy and competition policy – to the European employment strategy can be guaranteed. I think that, in the proposal before us, the Commission rightly recognises the need to allow state measures in the form of employment incentives for companies, especially for certain disadvantaged groups. This is not just a logical consequence of the objectives set in Lisbon. Full employment is and always will be one of the most important objectives of the Lisbon strategy, Barcelona confirmed that. Which is why we must call for finishing touches in the form of a more flexible definition of which groups are to benefit. I think that the age limit of 25 should be raised to 30 and that the age limit for older employees should be dropped from 55 to 50, because society relies on both, young people entering employment and older people remaining in employment. I should also like to call for special care to be taken to ensure that the differentiation which the Commission rightly makes in its proposal between small and medium-sized enterprises and large companies does in fact apply when this proposal is implemented.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, today we are debating the implementation of Council Directive 92/85/EEC of 19 October 1992, which is one of the most important directives in the field of the technical and health protection of workers. I well remember its genesis and the problems that were discussed at the time. A positive aspect is that at that time, irrespective of the dispute about the legal basis, its importance to women workers in the single market was recognised and a first step was taken towards establishing minimum standards for the protection of pregnant workers and new mothers. The Commission report before us continues to show up weaknesses in the implementation of the directive, which means we must increase our efforts to establish the protection of women during a special period of their life in law and in practice. Really it is very sad for a society to find we have to pay much greater attention to this area in particular. So I support the call to revise the directive as soon as possible. However, we will not manage it by the end of the year 2000. Some of the demands that will have to be incorporated in a proposal for a revision of the directive are set out in the draft amendments before us, and the PPE Group can therefore support at least some of them. First and foremost, they include the call for a strict prohibition on dismissal during pregnancy and maternity leave, safeguards to ensure that on expiry of their leave the women will be reinstated in their job or given a comparable one and effective penalties for those who infringe that prohibition. For women who want to or have to reconcile working life and motherhood, anything else would mean penalising or unjustifiably discriminating against them in their occupational and private life. Seen in these terms, the effective protection of pregnant workers and new mothers is one of the most important contributions to an active family policy. With a view to eastward enlargement and protection in those countries, let me also point out that the single market must not lead to discrimination against pregnant women and new mothers.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, let me join in with Members across the House in expressing deep regret for the deaths on all sides in recent attacks in the Middle East. It is now more than 1000 days into the Intifada and 3000 people have lost their lives. It is time for the killing to stop. Terrorism is inexcusable and the Palestinians' legitimate national aspirations cannot be achieved through violence. European and worldwide support for their cause is weakened with every suicide bombing. Equally, Israel must meet her obligations by freezing settlement activity, restoring Palestinian freedom of movement, ending targeted assassinations and ensuring that the security fence does not encroach on Palestinian land. In this European Parliament, more than anywhere else, we understand the prospect for generation after generation of division and fear which this new Berlin wall represents. I strongly support Mr Solana's reiteration this morning that the fight against terrorism must take place within international law. I call on him to press the undoubted case that Israel's treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories is illegal under the fourth Geneva Convention. I welcome the agreement reached by EU foreign ministers to freeze the assets of Hamas, but regret their delay in coming to this decision. Commissioner, I am proud that the EU's single biggest external aid programme is its contribution to the Palestinian authority. Yesterday, however, I spoke to friends and colleagues in the NGO UNA International Service, which is active in the region. They tell me that all EU-funded development projects have had to be halted because of the emergency in the Middle East. The UK's department for international development is on record as saying that development there is dependent on the relaxation of Israeli curfews, closures and checkpoints, and eventual withdrawal. We should roundly condemn the fact that Israeli defence force attacks since 2001 have effectively destroyed EUR 25 million of EU development projects. I do not believe those who accuse the EU of unconsciously subsidising the occupation, but Israel should be forced to pay more than one piece of compensation to the European Union for this unjustified destruction.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I quite understand that you want to avoid a long debate now, but I do not think it was clear when we decided on this this morning that the urgencies would simply go by the board. If that had been the case, some Members might have voted differently. This House should certainly not get into the habit of letting subjects which have been on the agenda since the beginning of the week go by the board. We were going to discuss Guatemala. MPs from Guatemala have been with us the whole week, and we are trying to convince them to improve their democracy and their respect for human rights. I do not think we will be setting a very good example if we then fail to even discuss this issue! (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE