GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Since 1957, the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community has contained provisions designed to guarantee the free movement of workers within Community territory. Various Community instruments have enabled this right to become a reality. In 1990, two directives (90/364/EEC and 90/365/EEC) have extended the right of residence by defining general principles and rules for workers who have stopped work. A third directive (93/96/EC), adopted in 1993, contains specific provisions for students. Since 1993 and the Treaty of Maastricht, any Member State national has the right to move and reside freely in the European Union (Article 14 of the EC Treaty), and this right forms part of European citizenship (Article 18). The report we are discussing today seeks to provide an overview of the implementation of the directives on the right of residence of students, pensioners and other non-economically-active members of society as well as to study the special measures concerning European Union citizens’ moving and settling for reasons of public order, security and health (Directive 64/221/EEC). With regard to the first section, we must admit that although the directives in question have been transposed, in some cases painstakingly, into national legislation, many obstacles remain, which must be overcome by adopting a raft of specifically-targeted measures. To mention one problem with which I am very familiar, that of students, I think it is crucial that we provide them with better information on their rights if they wish to study in another Member State. We also need to solve the problem of the recognition of diplomas, which is proving to be a significant issue in certain professions. With regard to the second section, there are many problems in the way Directive 64/221/EEC has been implemented. The Treaty allows Member States to impose limits on the free movement of persons for reasons of public order, public security or public health. The Commission is aware, however, that Member States are interpreting these concepts in a totally different way, often too broadly, and it stresses that they must be applied in accordance with the principle of proportionality. The Commission also stresses that these concepts must only be applied in the face of a genuine and sufficiently serious threat, which would affect a society’s fundamental wellbeing. In any event, these concepts must comply with the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. It appears that, in order to resolve these difficulties, we will need to adopt a framework directive to organise and guarantee the unimpeded exercise of freedom of movement and residence. An overall redrafting of the existing texts will make this possible and will have the advantage of putting an end to the current inequalities of treatment in the various Member States. Only when these conditions are met will we enable nationals of Member States to gain awareness and to give substance to this concept of European citizenship, which for many is still nothing but a hollow shell.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, equal opportunities do indeed have a high status in the Treaties, for example in Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty of Amsterdam; however, they have no such status in professional life. In the field of science and technology, our subject today, they are only present to a very modest degree. Women tend to be employed in less secure jobs and earn less than men. Not even 10% are entrusted with research work or managerial positions. The under-representation of women completely contradicts their talents and skills, their creativity and flexibility at a high level. European programmes are already helping significantly to improve the quality of research results and extend cooperation between Member States. Positive change can be based on statistics with gender-specific data and knowledge of various models for promoting women. Other Community programmes, such as parts of SOCRATES and LEONARDO for education and training should be intertwined with measures at national level such as curricula with more lessons in mathematics and the natural sciences. Young women will then gain access to information technology and many will become recognised scientists. In other words, they will forge careers other than in the classical women’s fields of education, medicine or the social professions. What do we need? More part-time jobs, more crèches in companies and, more importantly, more women in advisory, selection and decision-making committees for projects and positions. Nonetheless, I am not totally in favour of the need for quotas. Laying down strict requirements for at lest 40% of women in research programmes and institutes undermines the self-confidence of those women who have made or will make their way without any such help. However, given the crass under-representation of women in science I accept it unreservedly as a flexible guideline or point of reference.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I do apologise, but I would like to stress that the vote was illegal, because minorities are guaranteed the right to freedom of expression. (The President cut off the speaker) Report (A5-0197/2003) by Arlindo Cunha, on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, on the proposal for a Council regulation on establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and support schemes for producers of certain crops (COM(2003) 23 – C5-0040/2003 – 2003/0006(CNS)) Before the vote:

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I hope that we will soon adopt the Caudron report with a substantial majority at first reading. The rapporteur has already cited the figures. Millions of people in developing countries are dying of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis every year. They are poverty diseases, as has also already been said. These diseases account for a large proportion of serious illness, but up to now have had only a small research budget. The help that has been offered up to now has been predominantly therapeutic, and also in the form of information regarding causes and prevention options. What is special about the project that we are now discussing is that it has the potential to give an impetus to the development of new technologies and new safe, effective drugs for combating these diseases. The research taking place in this field in the European Union is very fragmented, and very few networks have been established, which has resulted in organisational and economic obstacles to large-scale research and trials. It is right, therefore, that this proposal makes use of Article 169 of the Treaty, which indeed enables the participation of the European Union in joint research and development programmes. As has already been said, this is a first, and in my view the experiment is definitely worth the while. I hope that it will constitute a good start to more intensive cooperation in many fields within the EU. A very important criterion for our group was that the countries where these diseases are widespread be involved intensively in the setting up, and participate fully in the implementation, of the programme from the outset, and that a large number of the trials take place on site there. Another point important to our group was that the programme should make a contribution towards capacity-building in the developing countries and ensuring the availability of good, affordable drugs in those countries. In addition, we, too, value the involvement of the private sector. By way of conclusion, I am of course proud that the Netherlands has managed to qualify to be allocated a seat of the executive office of the EDCTP. The Netherlands will devote maximum efforts to making this project a success.

Political group: PPE-DE
On the agenda, the Fiori report on the reform of the common agricultural policy and the Rodríguez Ramos report have been combined. Mr Fiori is right to mention the environment and food safety, but I have a feeling that, in practice, his main interests revolve around the WTO requirements, maintaining agricultural subsidies for southern Europe following the accession of poorer Eastern European countries, and blocking national regulations as far as possible. With this, he represents the bureaucracy of the past; economy of scale, pumping around tax money for no good reason and keeping the price of agricultural products artificially low. This seems to me to be a rearguard action that will automatically be fighting a losing battle when ten new Member States join the EU. The money will simply not be there any more. It would therefore be preferable, first of all, to consider the social implications, the purchasing power and the continuing security of the people who lose their old jobs. It is better to invest money in this than in increasing production. Moreover, we must avoid the need for people to move away from the countryside unnecessarily and prevent the landscape from deteriorating further. Mrs Rodríguez Ramos is right to want more money for rural development and small-scale initiatives. I support her request to the European Commission to furnish proposals in this respect.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, for the third time in history, a systematic attempt at genocide is taking place in Chechnya. It is being committed by the Russian colonial power in order to safeguard its strategic interests and resources. The fact that this is camouflaged as a war on terrorism – even if there is terrorism there – is simply a cynical distortion of reality. This is why it is important that there should be unfettered access to the war region so that the facts can be presented. We are currently witnessing a situation in which the Russian power is doing its utmost to ensure that this war fades from sight behind a wall of silence. First of all, the Commission has so far been unwilling to visit the region. We have discussed the matter time and again with Commissioner Nielson and urged him to visit the region. It may be that some influence has already been brought to bear behind the scenes here. Then we said that we as a Parliament wanted to visit the region. Our parliamentary delegation was then prevented from travelling to the crisis region for a variety of completely threadbare reasons. This was not just deplorable, to paraphrase the mild criticism voiced in the resolution before us. It was a scandal. We are supposed to have a partnership with Russia. That means that just as our partner Russia has the right and the opportunity to travel anywhere in the EU to gather first–hand information, we expect to have the same free and unimpeded access in Russia's sphere of influence at any time, in line with all the international conventions which Russia has signed, not least in the OSCE and the Council of Europe. The third attempt to construct a wall of silence around Chechnya was the ending of the OSCE mission and the ejection of an international organisation which had made a major contribution to ending the previous Chechen war through a negotiated settlement. It was, after all, under the OSCE's supervision, that President Maskhadov was elected, and, as he is the only representative to have been elected democratically to date, we cannot deny him dialogue. Then a German delegation led by Norbert Blüm, the well–respected former German minister, was thrown out as well. Mr President, I find this absolutely scandalous, and I think we should be speaking a clearer language here than we have done so far. We must make it clear to the Russians that this cannot continue. We want to shine light into the darkness and we want an end to this war. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Mrs Stenzel, ladies and gentlemen, before addressing the EQUAL report itself, I should like to make a point of principle in connection with the employment guidelines on which the report is based. The basic objectives of an EU-wide employment policy are laid down in the guidelines and include employability, entrepreneurship and adaptability. These objectives are obviously intended to make employees as useful and usable as possible to the economy. However, the aim of an approach which really sought to reduce discrimination effectively and in the long term would have to be people’s self-determination. Only then does it stop being a question of economic usability and start being about people having equal rights to shape their own lives. Mrs Stenzel’s report has, however, turned out very well, at least where the prescribed guidelines are concerned. All asylum seekers and refugees are to be included explicitly in the programmes, although this should be self-evident. Nevertheless the Conservatives voted against this in the committee. I would ask them the following questions: does your policy seek to marginalise people? What is the idea behind preventing people from working when they wish to do so? Does this not stand in stark contradiction to the guideline on employability? It is also worth mentioning that this is a mainstreaming programme, because there remains a shortcoming in the report. Particular emphasis is given to the point that women’s opportunities on the labour market ought to be improved and that to achieve this more crèches should be built. Anyone who lets men happily climb the career ladder and worries only about childcare places without fighting against the way in which the work of reproduction is shared out unevenly has not – and unfortunately that includes women – understood the concept of mainstreaming!

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make use of today's debate, in the presence both of the Commissioner and the ambitious Council Presidency, to direct our attention to the potential influx of a massive number of refugees, triggered by a war in Iraq that we hope will not happen, but is nonetheless possible, and the related subject of the Refugee Fund, which was set up two years ago. It makes it possible for us, in accordance with Article 6 of the Council Decision establishing the European Refugee Fund, to take special steps in the event of a mass influx of refugees. What I now propose is that you, as representatives of the Commission and of the Council, make every conceivable preparation for such an eventuality, so that the Member States may not be left to their own devices, but may be supported in the manner provided for in Article 6. You should be allocating up to 80% of the funds required, but this requires that you take the necessary precautions right now. The Member States are to be urged to take the necessary precautions by appointing authorities to which the Commission may have recourse. I am addressing both the Council and the Commission when I propose that consideration should be given to setting aside funds for eventual allocation to international aid organisations providing the relevant help on the spot, which should be the primary and most efficient form of aid. I propose, thirdly, that you should not leave the Member States to deal with this potentially tragic situation on their own, but should, in advance of events, give consideration to spreading the load of dealing with the people involved, as we know that a few countries were obliged to shoulder most of the burdens resulting from the crisis in the Balkans. We should be learning from our mistakes and preventing such a thing from recurring in future, so we should be preparing to apportion the people involved to individual Member States. I would very much like to know how, and to what extent, you envisage acting upon these proposals.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it is evident from the debate and the report that we are taking an optimistic attitude to this report, because of the forecasts and the upturn in the European economy since the summer of 1999. However, we are also level-headed and determined in our approach. We are being level-headed about the prospects, deficits and external value of the euro, and are determined to overcome the deficit vis-à-vis the United States as swiftly and as soon as possible. The deficit stems from the fact that we have a lower level of growth, higher unemployment, lower investment levels, less research and development activity, a slower rate of turnover and a low average income. This is what has led us to draw up a plan comprising a variety of objectives and necessary measures, such as accelerated growth with no capacity bottlenecks or inflationary pressure, preserving price stability in other words, careful wage development, stepping up our efforts in research and development and a further reduction of deficits and debts. We need to continue to pursue structural reform measures, and to do so with courage and determination, and to continue liberalisation, thus reducing the level of state ownership. We need to direct our efforts at creating new jobs, i.e. we need to support the new economy, and we must make the transition to the knowledge-based economy, which can be ascribed to the fact that we need competition when it comes to getting into telecommunications technology in education, training and research. If we go down this path, then, for the first time in years, there is a chance that we could return to full employment in Europe, and that is our goal.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, I propose that we insert 'Israel and the Palestinian Authority' in lieu of the point 'all countries in the region'. (Parliament agreed to take into consideration the oral amendment) (Parliament adopted the recommendation) *** Report (A5-0440/2001) by Mr Watts, on behalf of the European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee, on the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee for a European Parliament and Council directive amending Council Directive 95/21/EC concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (port State control) (PE-CONS 3657/2001 – C5-0525/2001 – 2000/0065(COD)) (Parliament adopted the joint text) *** Report (A5-0441/2001) by Mr Ortuondo Larrea, on behalf of the European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee, on the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee for a European Parliament and Council directive amending Council Directive 94/57/EC on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations (PE-CONS 3656/2001 – C5-0526/2001 – 2000/0066(COD)) (Parliament adopted the joint text) *** Recommendation for second reading (A5-0344/2001), by Mr Hatzidakis, on behalf of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism, on the Council common position for adopting a European Parliament and Council regulation on the accelerated phasing-in of double hull or equivalent design standards for single hull oil tankers and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 2978/94 (10221/1/2001 – C5-0389/2001 – 2000/0067(COD)) (The President declared the common position approved) *** Report (A5-0417/2001) by Mr Pérez Royo, on behalf of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on financial collateral arrangements (COM (2001) 168 – C5-0131/2001 – 2001/0086(COD)) (Parliament adopted the legislative resolution) *** Motion for a resolution (B5-0821/2001), by Mr Poettering, on behalf of the Group, Mr Barón Crespo, on behalf of the Group, Mr Cox and Mrs Malmström, on behalf of the Group, Mr Lannoye, on behalf of the Group, Mr Wurtz, on behalf of the Group, Mrs Muscardini, on behalf of the UEN Group, and Mr Bonde, on behalf of the EDD Group, on the presentation of the Commission work programme (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Motion for a resolution (B5-0813/2001), by Mrs Palacio Vallelersundi, on behalf of the Group, Mrs Terrón i Cusí, on behalf of the Group, Mr Watson, on behalf of the Group, Mrs Buitenweg, on behalf of the Group and Mr Andrews, on behalf of the UEN Group, on EU judicial co-operation with the United States in combating terrorism – Before the vote on paragraph 4

Political group: PPE-DE
After more than five years in the pipeline, we have finally voted today on the proposal for a Council directive relating to fruit jams, jellies, marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée. I am delighted that the Parliament has left the Council's exemption on biscuits intact, which means that British favourites, such as the jammy dodger, will not fall within the scope of the directive. The jammy dodger is a fine British institution and many in the UK had feared that the directive would result in the outlawing of this biscuit. It is good to see that not all of Britain's traditions and institutions are under threat from Brussels.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, since I and my colleague Olivier Dupuis moved this draft resolution on a moratorium on the death penalty, a most grievous and sinister event has taken place. Last Monday, the United States Supreme Court rejected the petition for a writ of certiorari by Moumia Abou Jamal, the Afro-American freedom fighter sentenced to death in 1992. At the very moment we are debating in this Chamber, Thomas Ridge, the Governor of Pennsylvania, is probably issuing and signing the order for his execution. There are very few legal avenues left open to Moumia to escape the gallows. As has happened in the past, when this House, the Council, various heads of state and world public opinion mobilised to obtain a stay of execution, we once again have to do everything in our power to save the life of this victim of racist hatred and of an egregious perversion of justice.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Commissioner, we are delighted with the proposals that are before us. Mr Mayer and Mr Menrad have already noted that there is still room for some improvement as far as those proposals are concerned. Nevertheless, I believe we should be very pleased with the progress made on this extremely important subject. Before, it was mainly the American multinationals that considered the lack of a European Company as a deficiency, because they wanted to work in Europe rather than in the individual Member States. It is also for that reason that, as long as thirty years ago, Professor Sanders introduced the concept of ‘Societas Europaea’ during an inaugural speech at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. We are pleased that the proposal is now before us after thirty years. We regret the fact that it is still not possible now finally to bring the tax systems in Europe closer together and to gear them to one another. This does not mean that taxes should be harmonised. I believe that a band of competitive tariffs should remain in place, but I still think that it is important for a European Company to have the tax systems in the various Member States at least geared to one another. Indeed, we may now have one European Company, but each Member State will still need to apply its own social legislation and its own tax systems. It will ultimately be the market which will require that an actual European Company with its own statute be created, something which, at present, is still being hampered by the independent actions of the various Member States. We therefore welcome the European Company. We hope that the evaluations will follow promptly and believe that the market will eventually determine the European Statute a few years following those evaluations. This will benefit a Europe that has the euro and the internal market.

Political group: ELDR