GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I would like to thank Mrs Avilés Perea for this report, because with it she has provided us with another instrument to combat violence against women and children, and also, above all, to identify how and where violence occurs. The term violence is defined more precisely here, as violence can mean any type of exercise or abuse of power, injury or duress. All forms of violence should be rejected, but all too often there is a very high level of tolerance amongst families regarding violence. Violence against women should therefore be identified more actively, so that help can be provided. We also know that acts of violence increase if no sanctions are taken. It is difficult for victims to escape from violent relationships without outside help. The women and children affected need active support, and above all protection. It is society’s job – everybody’s job – to make available the best possible support measures and protection instruments. Daphne is a support measure that makes it possible for us to combat this. However, legal measures will also be needed in individual countries. Let me take Austria as an example. Austria has been in the vanguard with a law providing protection against violence in force since 1997. This is known as the expulsion law, and under it violent men can be expelled and women can no longer be forced to flee with their children to women’s refuges and other similar establishments. The expulsion law initially applies for seven days and can if necessary be extended up to the divorce date. I would now like to invite other countries also to adopt a law of this kind, as it would help to ensure that women and their dignity are protected.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I rise as other Scottish Members of this House, representatives of Scotland, to protest against anything that lead to a decline in the quality of rural life in remote parts. The postal service and the post office are a vital feature of life in rural communities throughout Europe and not least in Scotland. It would be a disaster if action were deliberately, or even inadvertently, taken which had the effect of damaging that. I do not believe that it is anybody’s intention to do so. I do not believe that the Commission has set out to make war upon the islands of Scotland or Greece. But they might accidentally do great damage. The point is to determine at what speed and by what methods the gradual liberalisation of the postal services should take place. If too low a limit were set for the continuing monopoly right of the postal service, it would become uneconomical to maintain in the outlying areas universality of service at what would remain an affordable rate. The critical thing is to balance universality and affordability. The message that is coming very clearly from all sides of the House to the Commission today is that the Commission should tread warily. The Commission should not, for example, take a stepwise jump from 350 grammes to, as some have suggested, as low as 50 grammes. On the contrary, it should proceed cautiously. I imagine anything less than 150 grammes would be extremely unwise in these circumstances. The solidarity and cohesion of people all over Europe depend on the thought that you can post a letter anywhere and it will be delivered anywhere else, at an affordable stamp price. Stand by universality and affordability!

Political group: Verts-ALE
I am calling for a ban, at European level, on the creation of human embryos for both therapeutic and reproductive purposes, for the following two reasons: 1) We cannot give up the struggle to develop techniques that bring the advantages of being able to manipulate human embryos without the ethical difficulties that this poses. It would be a mistake for the legislator, out of the desire to give the green light to this technique, to abdicate his responsibility to pass tough legislation, for many years to come, which, in a field that develops at such speed, is all the more necessary. This would send the message to scientists and to industry that they should opt for the development of techniques that are not highly developed today and which are extremely costly, such as adult cell manipulation, but which still have a broad scope for use. 2) The creation of human embryos by means of nuclear transfer would facilitate cloning for reproductive purposes, which is generally considered to be an aberration. As a matter of fact, this is the reason why the United Kingdom’s House of Lords this week rejected legislation authorising therapeutic cloning. This ban must allow for three exceptions, however, which would have to be tightly controlled and regulated: - research must be allowed on supernumary embryos, which are produced for the purpose of IVF but whose implantation is no longer possible for the genetic parents and are, consequently, frozen, eventually to be destroyed; - research must be allowed on the 64 cell lines that already exist; - research must be allowed on embryonic or foetal stem cells resulting from spontaneous or therapeutic abortions.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I can only support what Mr Watson has said in his intervention and make it clear that, despite the poor preparation (since Parliament was genuinely excluded and not kept informed at all by the Finnish Presidency), the outcome is nonetheless welcome. We in Parliament must also, of course, express our thanks to Commissioner Vitorino, for his contribution was decisive as far as the outcome was concerned. I think that the Finnish Presidency should learn from this that, when one is prepared to cooperate, one can also achieve reasonable results. We saw this when the Commission got involved and salvaged a good deal of what there was to be salvaged. With this in mind – and in view of the fact that my colleague, Mrs Boumediene-Thiery, of my Group has really already said everything that needs to be said – I should just like to add the following comment. We now have a good outcome. There are still outstanding questions, and the years 2000 and 2001 will be the decisive years in which a great deal will finally be undertaken. I hope the future Presidencies of the Council will support the Commission and Parliament and keep us informed. In that way, we shall, in the end, be able to translate this positive outcome into action.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I welcome the in-depth work carried out by Mr Whitehead, Mrs Patrie and Mrs Thyssen concerning the implications of the Green Paper on consumer protection. We agree with the request to establish simpler, more targeted legislative measures in order to facilitate the implementation of the legislative arsenal applicable to the internal market which, in our opinion, lacks transparency and is too fragmented to instil confidence in consumers. We have seen with satisfaction the concept of citizen-consumers appearing and I would point out that their fundamental rights are the right to safety, information, free choice, representation, avenues of recourse, satisfaction and an unpolluted environment. Consumption in future must take account of the three pillars of sustainable development, the economic, environmental and social factors, although the latter two are all too often neglected. I propose that we consider the feasibility of a general directive on the environmental quality of consumer services and products, giving particular consideration to the need for a European label and for a high degree of protection. We believe citizen-consumers must play an essential part, not just as customers but as decision-makers too, as proactive consumers concerned at an ethical level with the product they are consuming. In this regard, they will become one of the main, essential players in this development, which we would like to be long term.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, from the list of speakers it would seem that the rest of you will now have to follow the family’s internal debate, but of course that is perfectly in order. In my opinion, the Belgian presidential term was a great success in difficult circumstances. In that connection, externally there was Afghanistan, Macedonia, the Middle East and 11 September, and, internally, there were enormous expectations, which mainly focused on the Laeken Summit. Seen in this light the results of the Laeken summit were good. They will take the Community forward both ideologically and realistically. Laeken was a confirmation of the political will that exists with regard to speedy enlargement, with ten new members joining in 2004, provided that these countries themselves are determined to try to bring that about in negotiations. The Laeken Declaration is a successful mixture of questions regarding problems to be solved and, on the other hand, faith in being able to solve them. The Convention, which – at least as a group – the was the first to propose, will be starting its work soon, and one thing we know for sure is that its praesidium has experience – some 200 man years of experience in all. Good luck – the work will not be easy! I think the best decision taken at the Laeken Summit, however, was that by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, whose personal contribution certainly lies behind Belgium’s success there, as he very quickly put a stop to the row over agencies. When the Prime Minister of a large country starts imagining that he is at some European Food of the Year ceremony, or awarding Michelin points to some city, or when the President of another large country begins to fantasise about beautiful Swedish models, then that is really a very good reason to end the discussion before the Europeans witnessing it laugh even louder at us than they are doing at present.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, it is all very well Mr Poos saying that the Quaestors asked for the air quality check. I understand that the staff asked for an air quality check before this building was opened. I asked for an air quality check in January. Why has it taken so long to get that air quality check? Usually, in a lot of countries, if legionella bacteria is found in any part of a building, that building is closed.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, the question of renewal of the fisheries agreement between Morocco and the European Union perfectly illustrates the general policy of Europe enshrined in the budget which we discussed this morning and whose rationale we denounced. We are opposed to the reduction of appropriations for aid to developing countries. Europe is directly affected by the desperate situation in Africa. Firstly, as a former colonial power, but also for having continued to plunder the wealth of these countries even after they became independent. The very nature of this aid must be completely reviewed since, until now, it has served only to maintain neo-colonial relationships favourable to the establishment and the multinationals. Elf provides a particularly striking example of one of these. As for the population, they remain entrenched in endless poverty. Instead of setting the interests of workers in the fishing industry, the interests of European countries and those of African countries against each other, a way must be found to unite their demands and their campaign against powerful capitalist interests. In the case of Morocco and this particular fisheries agreement, it is no longer possible to once again ignore the rights of the Western Saharan people, starting with their right to self-determination, their right to establish an independent state, if they so wish, and to protect the natural wealth of their territory, whether it be phosphate deposits or the specific resources of its shoreline which are threatened by this agreement. I would, finally, like to draw your attention to the particularly tense social situation in the Moroccan fisheries sector. A strike movement has been affecting most of the ports in the country for several weeks and is being violently repressed by the forces of law and order. Once again, as in September 1998, it is a campaign to gain the freedom to exercise elementary social rights, paid leave, social security, retirement at 55 and a guaranteed minimum income. But the fishermen of Morocco are also demanding justice following the murder of the founder of their union, Mr Mounacir, by the henchmen of Basri, and I would like to express our solidarity with them.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, listening earlier to the long list of tasks your government has been faced with over the past six months, I, like Mr Prodi, thought that Spain had acted with great energy and wisdom in what is a very short space of time. The European Union, under your Presidency, has continued to discuss issues that are fundamental to its future, such as the necessary reform of the Council with a view to enlargement, the establishment of a common asylum, immigration and integration policy, and the reinvigoration, finally, of the Barcelona Process for improved mutual understanding between the countries of the Mediterranean. I, in turn, can only tell this House that I welcome the progress made in all these areas, and congratulate you on it, Mr President-in-Office of the Council. Having said this, I am sorry that, under the same presidency, the transatlantic link between the United States and Europe has become increasingly distorted, such that the US would be solely, or at least in an increasingly isolated fashion, responsible for handling the crises that continue to threaten global stability and peace in Afghanistan, the Middle East, Kashmir and elsewhere. Europe, meanwhile, would be sidelined into managing humanitarian aid missions and post-crisis reconstruction, due, Mr President, to the failure of the governments of the European Union to understand that their professed desire to participate in crisis prevention and management is incompatible with the continual reduction in their defence effort. In discussions on the subject, everyone is united in demanding better spending through more balanced and intelligent distribution of tasks between players in the European weapons industry. This will be nothing more than a pious hope until we decide to establish the beginnings of a European defence budget, perhaps initially restricted to the field of research and development. We need better spending, Mr President. Do you not also think we should spend more when the time comes if we do not, as Europeans, wish to resign ourselves to the role of a mere servant to US military power?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, honourable colleagues, I praise the part of the report where this gas pipeline link with Russia has been incorporated in the Northern Dimension. Honourable Member of the Commission, I propose that the Commission take swift measures in order to get this northern gas to balance our energy situation. A great deal of attention in this presentation has been given to lignite. I should like to ask, therefore, why peat, although it renews itself by a millimetre every year, has been completely forgotten; but then, peat is a type of vegetation found in poorer areas, while lignite is found in wealthier ones! Nevertheless, peat is an important fuel component in remote areas, and it is also a regional fuel. Forty per cent of all energy is spent in buildings, to heat them, to provide water, air-conditioning and lighting for them. Already, during the previous energy crisis, we in Finland had to make modifications to buildings and we have managed to achieve good results in severe conditions. We must greatly enhance energy efficiency in buildings because that is where there really is a great deal of room for improvement. We shall have to gradually get accustomed to twilight conditions, for example. It is great to live in semi-darkness and not always in the sunshine, in artificial light.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, we are evaluating today, at second reading, a package of measures designed to create a Single European Sky. Although I agree entirely with the aims of the proposals under discussion, I do have some concerns about their content, which I feel bound to share with this House. They stem, firstly, from the lack of a legal basis in the common transport policy for legislating in certain areas, especially those involving the military. Furthermore, they are rooted in the excessive and unnecessary curtailing of Member States’ sovereignty over their own airspace. Allow me to mention three points which I believe are fundamental in this connection. The first relates to what I view as the Commission’s attempt to communitise the Member States’ airspace through the immediate creation of a single European flight region, on the basis of which the so-called ‘functional blocks’ will be established. I give my full support on this point to the Council’s common position, according to which the delineation of the functional blocks falls within the exclusive competence of the Member States and cannot be changed by the European Union. Secondly, moving on to military matters, the Commission proposals allow for the possibility of subjecting military activities to rules for airspace management and use. Once again, I agree with the Council’s common position, which seems much more suitable and balanced, since it recognises that more efficient use of our airspace does indeed depend on closer cooperation between civilian and military organisations. In other words, the concept known as the ‘flexible use of airspace’ should be uniformly applied throughout the Single European Sky. This objective should always be pursued with due regard for national competences. Finally, I would like to refer to the question of airspace management, and express my total disagreement with any approach seeking to make airspace management out to be just another economic service comparable to the liberalised telecommunications or transport markets supervised by a European regulatory body. I would argue, therefore, that each Member State should be completely free to designate the service provider for its own airspace, under the supervision of national regulatory authorities and without being answerable to any other organisations whatsoever.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I will be brief because I have lost my voice – and I do not mean politically, I mean physically! It is clear that a battle royal is going on within one of our larger Member States. The main protagonists in that battle royal happen to be the current President of the Commission and the current President of the Council. It would be unrealistic to suggest that people in such positions have not had a political past, or do not have a political future to look forward to. There is a question mark over whether the occupants of those posts should be engaged to such an extent in such a political battle while holding those offices. But it would be naïve of us to assume that such battles will not continue, and indeed naïve of this Parliament not to imagine that such people will take those positions.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I would also like to thank Mrs Haug for her excellent work. I fully agree with the comments made by our colleague Joan Colom on the revision of the financial perspective. The amount for the common fisheries policy is scarcely 1% of the Community budget. However, this small quantity, which is essential for maintaining the activity of the sector and the economies of areas that are dependent on fisheries, is a very appetising snack, despite being small, each time we look at where to find money to fund new policies. Commissioner, fish is an essential element for a healthy, balanced diet that is rich in proteins. When European consumers go to the market with concerns about what they can buy, in fish they find a safe, quality product. They will therefore think that this 1% of the European Union budget is being very well used.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, naturally I too regret that the United Nations have not found a solution to the conflict in Iraq. I also think, however, that we must all acknowledge that this stage in the discussion is now finished and that we in Parliament must stop shadow-boxing with the past. After all, we all agree that Saddam Hussein has been categorically opposing the United Nations for the past 12 years. Throughout his rule he has oppressed his people and violated international law in many areas. That is why the members of the Security Council accepted Resolution 1441, and they must therefore now bear the consequences. Anyone who does not do so is, despite protests to the contrary and perhaps also unintentionally, implicitly helping to keep Saddam in power. Explain that to the inhabitants of Basra, who are being fired at by their own Iraqi army. This does not help international law and the Iraqi people in the slightest. The crisis once more makes it painfully clear that we need a European foreign and security policy and ultimately a European defence force so that we can play a role in the next crisis. It is no use lecturing other people about international values if you are not able to enforce international law yourself. I felt that the European summit was not able to avoid deadlock on its other subject, the Lisbon process. Of course, this will get us nowhere when it comes to economic liberalisation. Good intentions are all very well, but I would like to see the Commission set up a strict schedule for the implementation of the measures so that the Member States can be reminded of their responsibilities. To conclude, therefore, I warmly welcome Commissioner Monti’s initiative in investigating the banned state support for the French energy group Electricité de France. It is absolutely essential that we complete the internal market in order to be able to continue to compete with the USA and Japan.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, this legislative period is drawing to a close, as is the process for the accession of ten states to the European Union. I was very interested in Estonia even before I became this Parliament’s rapporteur for its accession, and I have visited it regularly for 11 years. I am therefore firmly convinced that we are not just being polite when we say in the report that ‘the European Parliament stresses the determination and continuity in efforts made by the Estonian authorities in carrying out the preparations for accession throughout the whole period of transition’. I can see – now he has just gone out – I could see former foreign minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves in the House and I would like to thank him on behalf of all our other Estonian colleagues, for that determination, which was shown by all political camps in Estonia. Impressive personalities, like – among others – the former President Lennart Meri, or Mart Laar, who was twice Prime Minister, have done much in the past to point the country towards Europe. I am convinced that with the EU’s support the country’s dynamism, which is seen especially in Tallinn, will also accelerate economic and social development in other, more remote parts. In relation to Russia, Mr Brok has already said something about the border treaties, and I would like to add that it must also be clear that the EU’s Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Russia applies equally to all the new Members. I am looking for clear answers from the Council of Ministers when on 5 March Russian minister Sergei Ivanov repeats the USSR’s – and sadly also today’s Russia’s – propaganda lie in Le Figaro, ‘que l'URSS n'a pas envahi les pays baltes, mais a été appelée à l'aide’ – that is, that the USSR did not invade the Baltic countries, but was summoned to their aid. Such propaganda and fairy tales should no longer be spread here, and the European Union must make that clear to Russia.

Political group: PPE-DE