Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, I would also like to start by thanking most sincerely the three rapporteurs, Mrs Buitenweg, Mr Costa Neves and Mr Seppänen, for the work they have put in. Anyone who follows the process as intensively as the coordinators sometimes do, can see how much work is actually involved. Hence my special and wholehearted thanks on behalf of all my group. I am glad that the President-in-Office of the Council is still here, as I think every year's Budget process must bring with it the opportunity to point out one thing: this Budget process is not complete. Its ability to contribute notwithstanding, this Parliament is not yet in full and complete possession of the power that citizens' Parliamentary representatives must have when the budget for the coming year is at issue. I have hinted that I will say that over and over again. I will do as Cato the Elder did to the ancient Romans – he was the one who wanted to see Carthage destroyed – but perhaps I will not go quite that far. I desire only the destruction of an undemocratic process and I will always be reminding you of that. This Budget process, even as regards the agricultural budget, is complete only when it has got us well and truly on board, and when we have complete responsibility for receipts and outgoings. I know that I am not meeting with much resistance on your part, but of course we have to develop this further in discussion and argument. Only then will the citizens of the European Union be able to decide by their votes whether we, this Parliament, have done well or not. (Applause) The Council and the Commission must of course have a part in this process in future. We will accord them high honour for it. I believe, though, that Parliament, being composed of elected representatives, is the primary partner in dialogue. We will in future continue to point to the need for further developments here. We are working on Budget matters in a very restricted framework, which itself is prescribed by the Financial Perspective, to which we adhere, even though we see that additional demands are made on us which were not recognisable as such at the time the Financial Perspective was adopted. We must adapt to this and facilitate further developments within our Budget framework. At present that is surely still possible, for we see from the backdraughts at the end of every year that there is still enough air. So, either there is not proper implementation – a fault which will have to be tackled – or the items really were estimated too high. Even there it is still possible to let some air out. I will tell you though, Mr President-in-Office of the Council and Commissioner, that we will in the foreseeable future – in other words by the expiry date of this Financial Perspective at the latest – have to talk about further developments. When it comes to the further development of the Financial Perspective, we will have to do some thinking about much more intensive and definite ways of meeting new challenges. Up until then, we will have been letting air out all over the place. We will be back on the launch pad, and will have to discuss what appropriate terms for this House's budget and the Budget as a whole might look like. We will be ready to energetically dispute over further developments with you. On the road to this destination, we will give the Commission the support it needs when it comes to modernising its administrative procedures. We will be at its disposal when needed staff are to be taken on. But, on the contrary, we will also be making quite massive demands. We will be demanding a great deal so that our programmes, which we cast in numerical form in the Budget, actually come into being in the course of the year. No longer will we stand by and watch payment arrears being built up. Progress is being made – I will admit that here and now. I certainly would not claim that we are where we were two or three years ago. But despite this progress, there is still a need for a massive amount of further work. As I have said, we will support you, but we will also make demands. In the area of individual Budget lines and categories, too, we will hold fast to that which has proved its worth. The people who rely on us to give support when it is needed, will be able to rely on us in future too. That starts in Category I, with the farmers who cannot change everything around from one day to another, but need a certain headstart. These people must also know that there is to be a change in this European Union. We, as a Parliament, will help to bring it about. In future, we will take an intensive look at Category I and bring in modernisation. We will introduce innovation. If there is no discernible development in these areas, which are in Category VII rather than Category I, but still affect agriculture, if SAPARD is not implemented, we will ask you to take the innovative resources that made LEAR such a success and transpose them so as to provide rapid short-term help. We will bring this in, and we will also take care that all the security for farmers will not prevent the consumers, too, being certain that produce will be safe for them and not injurious to their health. At first reading, we will vote to add the necessary resources to the reserve, resources that formerly seemed to be needed in order to properly treat BSE and foot-and-mouth disease. We are aware that these diseases have recently appeared among sheep and elsewhere. I do not know whether appropriate steps will be taken on this front. We will act accordingly in the first instance, until the letter of amendment has been presented and we have an overall view of things. We will make it our concern to meet and overcome the two great challenges presented in Category II. The reconstruction of the Spanish and Portuguese fishing fleets is crucial and of the utmost importance. People there have relied on being able to pursue their livelihood subject to certain restrictions. The failure of the Morocco Agreement means that will no longer be possible. I am now addressing both the Commission and the Council when I say that we found that provision of these EUR 125 million, even though it was clear at the beginning of this year that the money could not be used, hardly a serious way of doing things. Despite this – or indeed because of it – the fishermen have a claim on help from us, and we will ensure in the Budget process that appropriate action is taken. The same applies to the frontier regions, which are not always rich and able to help themselves. I think, for example, of Bavaria; regions like that are a bit better off. There are other regions which really need more aid, with which we will be concerned. What we will be developing in Category III will be oriented towards the future. Developments following 11 September have shown us that developments are needed in this area. Europol and Eurojust must be developed further, and national sensitivities must be overcome. If terrorism is to be combated, all its advantages in the game must be done away with. We must not stand on old rights. There is room for progress here. What we want is to continue with what was begun last year, that is to say, the inclusion of people in society by means of access to the labour market. We must not simply forget this a year on from it having been a crucial point in Mrs Haug's Budget report, now that new problems are in the offing. People also have a right to social inclusion through training in modern information and communications technologies. This applies not only to cultivated and highly educated people, but also to those who perform very simple work. Thank you very much for your attention. I again thank the rapporteurs and hope that, in cooperation with the other two institutions, we will be able to bring this process to a successful conclusion. (Applause)

Political group: PSE