GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, Commissioner, as you have explained, the issue of Chernobyl is by no means done and dusted. After 14 years, the European Union has a responsibility to take a different course of action, as, in response to this human tragedy, the measures taken still focus largely on the energy technology aspects. The European Commission gave in to blackmail by the Ukrainian authorities by approving the construction of two new nuclear power plants in exchange for closing down Chernobyl. This self-seeking collusion between the political elite and the nuclear lobby rides roughshod over the total disapproval of Ukraine’s citizens and the potential that Ukraine has for renewable energy sources and energy savings. With regard to Belarus, 23% of the territory is affected by radiation and needs to be evacuated immediately. It is essential, therefore, that the second part of the TACIS programme be implemented in Belarus to provide medical and health support, in Belarus and within our own Member States, to the civilian population still living in the contaminated areas and particularly to children. This moral and humanitarian duty must be accomplished with adequate resources and funding which are in line with the extent of the ecological disaster. The autocratic and repressive regime in Belarus, which wants to play down this public health crisis as far as possible and to silence scientists such as Mr Nesterenko and Mr Bandazhevsky, can no longer be used as an alibi by the European Union and pro-nuclear lobbies to hide the reality of Chernobyl and abandon the long-suffering communities of these contaminated regions, to their fate. It is also the responsibility of the WHO, a direct accomplice in this tragedy through an incestuous agreement concluded in 1957 with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which takes, of course, a pro-nuclear stance, and which has since become its legal censor in nuclear matters. It is also the European Union’s responsibility to free the WHO from the control of the IAEA.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Thank you, Commissioner, for your reply and I welcome the proposal to prepare a new regulation. Could you indicate to me when you expect this regulation to become effective? Would you not also agree that, while there is obviously some equipment which may or may not be used for torture, stun gun equipment is made to deliberately inflict pain on the person against whom it is used; that up to 50 000 volts can be delivered to a person by a stun gun or by the stun belts which are also used; and that it is inappropriate for equipment of this kind which is marketed by the manufacturers of these torture weapons to carry an EU quality mark as a sign of EU approval of these particular instruments of torture?

Political group: PSE
Mr President, as Mr Lange has already said, we have made tremendous progress in reducing the emissions from road vehicles, by using better technology, using catalytic converters and lean-burn engines and by supplying better fuel – the ten parts per million diesel which Euro 4 would lay down. At the same time we have the problem of what to do with the residue from the oil refineries, because we are taking the sulphur out of the fuel used in road vehicles, fuel which is 26 000 parts per million sulphur. So of course we export to the third world. The Prestige tanker was carrying high-sulphur heavy oil from Estonia to Singapore, but a lot of the rest is used in shipping, causing pollution at sea which we prevented on land. We have an international agreement under MARPOL Annex VI to reduce the sulphur content in sensitive sea areas to 1.5% in the Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic. Even this small step forward will cost one billion euros per year, a cost which will be ultimately borne by the consumers buying the goods which are delivered by ship. The easy bit is to achieve this, using low-sulphur crude or blending. Stage two as proposed by Mr de Roo will be more expensive and it needs to be carefully costed before we go forward with that. There is of course another approach, and that is not to just look at the fuel, as in cars, but to use abatement technology, so called 'sea-water scrubbers', and I am pleased that the compromise includes provision for trials of this new technology. As we speak two ferries owned by P[amp]O operating on the Dover/Calais route, an important connection between old and new Europe, are undergoing major refits in Germany. One of them, the Pride of Kent is being fitted with the converter, the Eco-Silencer, and its sister ship the Pride of Canterbury is not being fitted, although it has been adapted for fitting at a later date. I am confident these trials will show that the benefits of using this technology go over and above the directive in terms of delivering a 95% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions, as against a 40% reduction which we can achieve through using the fuel. It is a big improvement over MARPOL Annex VI, with the additional benefit of reducing particulates by 80% and a substantial reduction in nitrogen oxide pollution. The environmental concerns that Mrs Thors expressed need to be addressed, particularly the effects of putting this dilute sulphuric acid into the sea in certain port areas and also how we dispose of the sludge on store in an environmentally sensitive way. I would like to thank Mr de Roo and of course Mrs Hautala, who started this report, and the other rapporteurs for the constructive way in which we have managed to negotiate an agreement within Parliament.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, Mrs Dybkjær’s report deals with something of which all of us in this House have very long experience: actual life in the political organisations in which we participate. Commissioner Wallström said that men elect men. Yes, men in political parties, especially, elect men. They elect men to a greater extent than the electorate does, a fact that is very interesting. When women enter politics, the organisation of political work changes, and new issues appear on the political agenda. What is more, women naturally have different political and ideological perceptions. In the course of last year, we saw the composition of the Convention and the way in which issues of equality were manipulated when it came, among other things, to the legal status assigned to equality. We still see, after many years of decisions to use ‘gender mainstreaming’ as a method in decision-making, that this is completely absent from most areas of politics. It is now also proposed to cut back on the areas of competence of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities. This is completely contrary to the trend. It is even a phasing-out of gender equality in politics. It is rather ironic reading the Council recommendation from December 1996, which stresses that the under-representation of women in decision-making posts leaves their experiences unused and undervalued and thus constitutes a loss for society as a whole. I do in fact agree with the Council recommendation but, when the Council’s own composition throughout the years is examined in the form of photographs shown after the Council meetings, it is seen still to hark back to another era.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I should like to take this opportunity of an explanation of vote to thank Mrs Lynne for her outstanding report, but also to thank Mr Karas for mentioning my exhibition and Mrs Petter who was responsible for putting it together. This is a splendid initiative for disabled and traumatised children who are cared for by a children's centre in Munich. This initiative will now be continued in Italy and France by a series of colleagues. Mrs Lynne has spontaneously offered to take it to England too. I am very grateful. This is a good start to our preparatory work for the Year of Disabled People. That is why I should like to thank all of those colleagues who are supporting this magnificent initiative from Bavaria. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, dear Nicole, my Group supported you at the outset. We were proud to do so then and I am proud today after your record in office of two and a half years. You have been an outstanding representative of this House who has earned the thanks and support of everyone here. You took over at a very difficult period when relations had been fractured between the two key institutions of the Union, the Commission and the Parliament. I believe you have succeeded in restoring an effective and substantial working relationship which is so necessary at the heart of a proper functioning Community method. I thank you for doing that. It was a strategic act of considerable European importance, not just European Parliamentary importance. There have been impressive improvements under your Presidency in our work rate with regard to co-legislation and that is due to good management of our agenda. You have been an impressive defender and promoter of the Charter on Fundamental Rights and we salute you for that. You have brought a very special conviction to the fight against terrorism and in doing so you have brought dignity to the democratic purpose of this House. You strongly promoted the case for a Convention. One year ago, 11 months ago, 10 months ago – yours was an isolated voice. Today your voice is the common currency and we salute you for that. There have been controversies during your Presidency and I agree with Enrique Barón Crespo that you indeed had the courage of your convictions. For my part I have always believed that you acted in those controversies without fear or favour. That for me is a measure of the enormous personal integrity and strength which you have brought to your task. Of course as a woman you have brought not just the quality of being female but also femininity to this task. You represented that large section of our community in Europe which is so inadequately represented, not just in electoral politics, but in so many spheres of public administration and public life. Thank you for what you have done for this Parliament. Thank you for the strength and for the élan feminin which you have brought to your High Office and we wish you good luck and good fortune in the future. (Applause)

Political group: ELDR
I would like to ask the Commissioner whether she shares with me a concern that, in Sweden, because television advertising aimed at children is not allowed, there is a noticeable lack of programmes being produced specifically for children in Sweden. Can she assure me that, in the study which she talked about – and I am delighted that she said it was going to be an open-minded study – this aspect will be fully considered and that, as there will be an explosion of television channels and television choice in future, she will look thoroughly at the possible impact of advertising on the generation of funds to produce high-quality programmes for children?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, it obviously makes sense to smooth out the difficulties involved in making two sets of legal systems work together to catch criminals and terrorists. Often in the field of law enforcement and intelligence different agencies are jealous of their patches and prerogatives, reluctant to share information because knowledge is power, and bureaucratic requirements must be examined critically. However, it is another matter altogether to justify brushing aside legal safeguards, defendants' rights and privacy concerns in the name of the war against terrorism. We have objections to these agreements on grounds of both procedure and content. As others have said, the degree of unwarranted secrecy imposed by the Council has been utterly scandalous. I am sorry to see that the Council is not here today. No adequate explanation has been given. The only possible explanation is the wish to avoid accountability to Parliament. The failure to consult the European Parliament formerly is a disgrace, and the justification for this democratic deficit – that the agreements fall under foreign rather than justice policy – is thin in the extreme. I very much hope the new EU Constitution will stop this ever happening again because we will have future agreements of this kind. I wish the European public could understand – and one day they will – that the real threat to their rights comes not from this Parliament or the Commission – the Community institutions – but from the arrogant, executive powers wielded in intergovernmental cabal by the Council. I just hope Commissioner Vitorino is right that the preamble and the text will ensure that no extradited European citizen or resident will face the death penalty, and that no European will end up in Guantánamo Bay without charge or without trial or will face a military tribunal which has the power to impose a death penalty without appeal. I also hope time will prove that the Member States' obligations to the International Court are not compromised, because otherwise there really will be outrage in the European public. We must solve the disgrace of Europeans in Guantánamo Bay before ratifying this agreement. I do not have the confidence in the Council that I have in Commissioner Vitorino. I am sorry the Council is not here today to hear our objections.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Commissioner, I fully agree with what Mr Onesta has just said. For too long now our parliamentary assistants have worked without being protected by a statute. Although the vast majority of Members of Parliament have guaranteed them correct working and salary conditions, it must be acknowledged that the practices of a number of our colleagues has somewhat tarnished the image of the European Parliament. The lack of control and transparency in the management of secretarial allowances paved the way for abuse. And, as Jacques Loyau, President of the Association of Assistants, deplored at the time, in the absence of a safeguard, everything was possible and there were considerable disparities. A survey carried out by the Association of Assistants more than a year ago highlighted a worrying situation. Fourteen per cent did not have a contract of employment; 12% had only external consultant contracts, even though they worked full time, and 53% did not have any social cover or accident insurance. This survey served as the basis for the action taken by the parliamentary assistants and their Association, which our group supported from its beginnings. Some initial results were obtained within the European Parliament with the adoption, by the Bureau, of the amendment to Article 14 of the rules on the costs and allowances of Members of Parliament. As our President, Nicole Fontaine, stressed at the time that the matter of the assistants had made significant and concrete headway and that the transitory measures which had been adopted reflected the will and determination of the European Parliament to move towards greater transparency and fairness in this area.. These measures, which came into force on 1 January this year, have indeed enabled us to strengthen our control over the use of the secretarial allowance and to guarantee each assistant a contract of employment, health insurance and occupation accident insurance. This progress, which has been made thanks to the perseverance of the Association of Assistants and to the efficient work of our Vice-President, Gérard Onesta, served as a base for our negations with the Council. However, as we have heard, for months now, despite our best efforts, this matter seems to have been deadlocked. I am therefore very interested to hear that an agreement has been reached in principle between the Commission and the European Parliament to amend the free movement of workers regulation along the lines the assistants would like to see. I welcome this. It seems that the way is now clear for us to be able to move forwards very soon towards a European statute whereby, in the words Parliament chose in its opinion of 11 March 1999, assistants are treated equally and in accordance with the work they carry out.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, a key aspect of the roll-out of third generation mobile communications is the protection of children. The mobile revolution could greatly increase their vulnerability to predators. We need strong action and strong recommendations from the Commission in this area. The importance of the precautionary principle should not be ignored either, given possible health problems. What are the effects of electromagnetic waves on the human body? Scientific research is continuing in this area. Specialists are asking questions. It is essential that we consult medical organisations on this question. 3G relay masts must be positioned with due regard for the environment. Third generation requires between 4 and 16 times as many masts as second generation. Hence the need for mast-sharing and for the Commission to take full consideration of the environment in its proposals.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe will never be finished, but we must press on with the project for political union with determination and vision, and on a Community basis. If we do not, the public will lose confidence in us. If we do not, we will achieve neither integration nor consolidation. If we do not, we cannot discharge our responsibilities for our continent on the world stage, and mistakes can be made. They can be corrected, and they must be. What has happened, though, is not just a matter of mistakes being made; what I find lamentable is the lack of sufficient political will on the part of the Heads of State or Government who took part and hence the lack of European leaders, indeed of European statesmen. Will, courage, emotion, enthusiasm – all are wanting, and so, therefore, are credibility and confidence. Whenever the future of Europe depends on unanimous approval by the Council rather than on agreement between the Community institutions, crisis is in the air. It happened with the sanctions against Austria, it happened with the Iraq crisis, it happened with the Stability and Growth Pact. More and more frequently, we blame the Community objectives for problems at national level. So let me conclude by saying that the Convention has not failed, the Commission has not stood in the way, Parliament is not putting the brakes on a Europe that is more democratic, more transparent and closer to its citizens. We say a forthright ‘no’ to unanimity and ‘yes’ to a dual majority, which is democratically fair, ‘no’ to the apportionment of blame and ‘yes’ to shared responsibility in Europe, ‘no’ to a more nationalised internal policy and ratification process and ‘yes’ to their becoming more European, ‘no’ to the Intergovernmental Conference method and ‘yes’ to the Convention in which governments and parliaments are represented, ‘yes’ to a European Union of peoples and citizens, ‘no’ to an intergovernmental core Europe, ‘yes’ to shouldering our responsibilities within Europe and around the world, ‘no’ to a reduction of Member States’ contributions. We say ‘yes’ to the idea of summoning the Convention after Christmas in order to discuss the failure of the Intergovernmental Conference and in order to speedily implement all that came out of the Convention, or was agreed at the Intergovernmental Conference, and is feasible on the basis of current law. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, in any case I would like to make it clear that I presented this request three hours ago with my signature and that of the President of the and with the agreement of the President of the Group, although he has not signed it. I would like this to appear accordingly in the Minutes. I would ask you to request that the services show diligence in the processing of this question.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the report wants Parliament to give its support to the Commission’s Internal Market Strategy, which seeks to homogenise the various national markets. What concerns the rapporteur is the gap between the intention of completing the unification of the market at European level and the reluctance of the national States. However, what concerns the working classes of the European Union is certainly not that, but rather the avalanche of collective dismissals. The big companies who are responsible for those dismissals did not need any vote in the European Parliament to homogenise their attitude in this area. These collective dismissals have been carried out by big companies such as Airlib in France or big multinationals such as Daewoo, ACT, Arcelor, Pechiney or Fiat, which operate in several countries in Europe, and whose shareholders, both past and present, are well able to afford to preserve the jobs of all those people whom they are rendering unemployed. If big companies wish to restructure, that is their affair, but what is inadmissible and revolting is that they should do it by condemning their workers to unemployment and poverty. It is the shareholders who should pay, and not the workers. The profits of the companies and the capital of their shareholders should be used, as a matter of priority, to guarantee the jobs and wages of the workers.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The recognition of language diversity within the EU is no folklore. There are currently 40 million EU citizens who speak a language other than the official national language, and next year they will total 46 million. For the children and grandchildren of migrants, the language of the environment will become their first spoken language. This does not apply to stateless peoples or to people who live in pockets of society on the other side of the state border that separates them from those who speak the same language. Within Europe, there has been a long-term battle for education, administration and work in the citizens' own national language. People without this opportunity end up in the position of second-class citizens. The first-class citizens are those who speak the prevailing language at home or who have completely adapted to it. Within the EU, a stark contrast is starting to emerge between peoples who now have their own Member State and peoples who are treated as minorities within states that predominantly speak a different language. The language of this latter group is still not being recognised within the EU, unless it happens to be the same of that of the neighbouring country. For example, the ten million Catalan-speakers will continue to wonder why their language counts for less than the much smaller languages of the Danes, Finns, Baltic peoples and Slovenians. We will soon face major conflicts unless a solution is found in good time.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The report before us poses such a vast array of questions that it would be impossible to cover everything in this short explanation of vote. Nonetheless, while I do not agree with the thrust of some premises and proposals contained therein, the report deserves praise for the criticisms it makes of the current repression of rights and of safeguards of privacy and the protection of personal data – as a consequence of measures adopted in certain countries under the pretext of the ‘fight against terrorism’ – which are undermining fundamental rights and freedoms. I should like to highlight criticism in the report of the agreement being negotiated between the EU and the USA concerning the transfer of transatlantic passengers’ personal data, which it deems illegal. The report also criticises the attitude of the Commission and of some Member States ‘to connive at this violation of the law and the principle of legality’. As a result, personal data are, without informing and obtaining the consent of the data subject, transferred or accessed directly or systematically by a third party. I should also like to point out the need for effective monitoring of Europol and Eurojust, the concern with strengthening SIS and with projects to extend the capacities and competences to SIS II and the anxiety regarding the development of the use of personal biometric data. - Report: Turco (A5-0094/2004)

Political group: GUE-NGL