Mr President, the issue we are addressing today, has divided this House and has evoked some strong emotions, particularly for the rapporteur, although she is hiding them well. It has had the same effect on my fellow MEPs of the group, with whom I usually manage to come to an agreement very quickly whenever I mention frontier work. I therefore wonder whether there is a fear of getting in the way of our own Social Affairs Ministers, or does it, Mrs Lambert, amount to a well-intentioned difference in political strategy? Every year, we receive from the competent committee a report on Regulation 1408, which attempts to coordinate the social security of frontier workers. This contains amendment proposals, in order to bring this regulation up-to-date. For years, the EP has used this as an argument to extend our wish-list without causing any division in the House. Unfortunately, Mr President, despite all the resolutions, the Council of Ministers has never taken the trouble to so much as glance at Parliament’s proposals. I should also therefore address the European Commission in my lament today. For as early as in 1998, the Commission, which is, after all, the originator of legislation and guardian of the European Treaty, made an excellent proposal to modernise, adapt and extend the regulation. But the Council is playing the same game with the Commission, unfortunately. The Commission proposal has been, and is being, discussed and is the subject of debate, but we have been awaiting a concrete result for the European Commission for the past three years. I would ask Commissioner Solbes Mira whether this might not be a reason for joining our camp now, rather than waiting patiently for the moment when the Council, in its great wisdom, will take a decision? I have also listened very carefully to the chairman, Mr Rocard, who I value greatly. I have heard his passionate plea before the Council for the recognition of the rights of the European Parliament and for Parliament to be able to play that role. I do not need a plea for this. The EP has a role to play in this procedure. We are co-legislators, Mr Rocard, so that role has already been carved out for us. Could I therefore also express my deep disappointment at the words which Minister Danielsson spoke a moment ago. He has given any response to what Mr Rocard has said. None whatsoever. They may be in favour of debates and of adapting and extending regulations, but how they intend to bring this about, or what the timeframe is, is a mystery. I wonder whether this House cannot even expect an answer to this, and I therefore wonder, on behalf of all those who face those commuting problems on a daily basis, whether we, the Commission and Parliament that is, should not make use of our powers and invite this Council around the table to establish what we can do with the proposals which we have tabled. Mrs Lambert, there is absolutely nothing in them which is even slightly peculiar. We mention pensions, and the Commission comes back with the proposal. The same is true for unemployment and medical expenses. This is all enshrined in proposals which the European Commission has also made at the request of Parliament. There is, therefore, nothing out of the ordinary in them, Mrs Lambert. I suggest you have a look at your own dossier and you will find that it is better to join our camp and to ensure that we can get this Council to join us at the negotiating table. I would have been quite happy to tell my group tomorrow that we have received nice pledges, but nothing came of them, and that is for me a reason to call on everyone once again: let us ensure that we now get to talk to them and I hope that the Commission’s reply will also be another acknowledgement of Parliament’s plea.

Political group: PPE-DE