GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
I should like to point out to the House that significantly more jobs are being lost in four plants in the United Kingdom as a result of this closure than anywhere else. I am glad, therefore, to have the opportunity to ask some questions and to send our sympathies to those people involved. My questions are actually directed to Mr Bolkestein, and I hope you will allow him to answer them, as the issue is about how well the European rolling stock market is really operating and whether public procurement rules really are operating successfully ... (The President interrupted the speaker) ... I hope in that case that Dimas will be able to pass my questions on. They are important and highly relevant to this discussion. In France, for example, there is not, according to my information, one single piece of rolling stock running on railways that is not manufactured in France, and yet in the United Kingdom a large number of rolling stock units are imported from across Europe. I do not mind that because the single market for rolling stock should be allowed to work. However, it is seems to me that the public procurement market is not working satisfactorily in the area of rolling stock. We should ask the Commission to look at this. We should also ask you, Commissioner Dimas, to ask your Observatory for Industrial Change to look at the whole scenario for employment in the railway rolling stock industry, as it is already doing, for example, in the automotive industry.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, the terrible accident involving the Prestige off the coasts of Galicia and the enormous damage caused to the Galician people, to their land, their sea and their ecosystems, have received a vigorous response from the European Parliament and a practical one in the form of Mr Sterckx’s report. The one hundred and twelve measures proposed guarantee that things will be brought up to date, and provide for the actions necessary for us to free ourselves from the fear of serious and avoidable dangers such as the Prestige accident – and other previous ones – resulting from transporting dangerous cargoes under maritime safety conditions as precarious and shameful as those which led to the Prestige and other previous accidents. We therefore need international and national measures, but above all we need the laws to be enforced and respected scrupulously from the outset. To this end, controls must be strict and sanctions vigorous. In this regard, I believe that Amendment No 12, presented by several Members on behalf of the PPE, calling for an examination of the application of the Erika I and Erika II packages is timely and complements the measures proposed in the Sterckx report, and furthermore to a certain extent is going to highlight the enormous support that the Commission, and in particular the Commissioner herself, has given to this issue. I do not believe that Amendment No 11 from Mr Sterckx improves his report. What it does is to get into a game which, as Mr Ripoll has just quite rightly pointed out, will come to an end the day the elections take place in Spain. We do not want to see any more accidents like this one. We want the environment to be respected and protected, since in many cases it provides the main source of economic and social stability for its people. We do not want to undermine the European Parliament’s right and duty of political control. The Prestige accident was huge and tragic and must not happen again. But neither should other practices which day by day, drop by drop, pollute our seas, often in the face of inaction on the part of people who today are screaming blue murder.

Political group: PPE-DE
draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market. – I should like to congratulate the rapporteur. We are dealing here with a long-overdue overhaul of a number of directives relating to rights of residents of the non-economically active. My starting-point, as was the rapporteur's, is that we should give European Union citizenship real meaning. The Treaty statement that every citizen should have the right to move and reside freely within the territory of Member States and the reality are still far apart. I draw on the experience of a number of language students from other Member States in my own constituency. They received a standard letter from our local social security office asking them to attend for a two-hour interview and to bring with them as many items as possible on a non-exhaustive list of about twenty documents such as a passport, bank statements, or household bills to 'establish their identity'. When I enquired further about this I was told that it was not an EU matter, because the same letter would be sent to UK residents. In what circumstances I cannot imagine. And, the two hour time-scale, even more ludicrously, was supposed to save them from a car parking fine in the local car-park! I would not want to see any citizens treated in the same way as these students. The history of the directives that deal with the rights of residence of the non-economically active is an unhappy one: non-implementation, infringement proceedings, a patchwork of different and burdensome requirements. You can move a sack of potatoes around Europe more easily than a citizen can move. If we are to appeal to our citizens and the basic right of free movement is to be real, then simple, fast codification of this area of Community law is long overdue. Then, and only then, will the Treaty statement on European Union citizenship become a reality instead of mere words.

Political group: ELDR
Whilst some advances in establishing the European Food Authority are positive, I still maintain that it cannot act as a panacea for solving food safety problems or as a smoke screen for public opinion. It is important to ensure that there is an Authority which guarantees risk evaluation for the purposes of food safety, enshrined in solid scientific opinion, but it cannot free from responsibility or replace the Commission in terms of risk management of the Community food policy or the competent authorities of each Member State. The underlying principle of any legislation on food is the protection of human health, and for this very reason, it is vital to introduce the precautionary principle in risk management when scientific data is insufficient or inconclusive. However, it is questionable whether such a structure that is so cumbersome from the administrative and budgetary standpoint is necessary, but the need to ensure that one representative from each Member State takes part in the Administration should be highlighted. In any case, it is worth emphasising once again that the food issue can only be resolved by means of a thorough change in the CAP and a genuine food policy that is not based on the interests of the agro-industrial multinationals or the liberalisation of agricultural trade.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mrs Bonino, one minute in which to talk about a report which really speaks volumes about your commitment is very little, but I am happily in agreement with most of the conclusions of the report, including the implied criticism of those countries which have still not ratified the Ottowa Convention. My own country took all too long to do so, unfortunately. There is a problem in the report. In my opinion, there is a tendency to try to relieve the CFSP of civil assignments. I believe it is healthy to strengthen the civil obligations of any organisation which has military activities. What I mean in actual fact is that, in addition to carrying out their normal developmental and humanitarian activities, the Council, the CFSP and the Member States should be required to match any amount spent on military activities with at least a corresponding amount for civil activities, for example mine clearance in the relevant areas.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europe has become strong and we have learnt how to build bridges over the last 50 years. We have paid very great attention to the social dialogue, which means talking with each other, examining problems and understanding each other. Social partnership is an ideal model centred on partners who interact with each other and help each other. We should also all be concerned about integration, about good neighbourliness. We should endeavour to provide incentives and to act as a model. I believe that in human society acting as a model is a particularly important characteristic. Particularly as an Austrian, I can say that in recent years, with a population of 7 million, we have accepted a million refugees. We are therefore the European country that has accepted most refugees per inhabitant. We were a kind of life-raft in Europe, and we still are today. We fight against extremism on both the left and the right, as well as against violence. Austria has the world’s strictest laws against fascism and against nazism. We have learnt some lessons from history and we know how to fight these things. We are now talking about discrimination. First and foremost, I am speaking on behalf of small- and medium-sized enterprises. We must make sure that we do not rob companies of working time and jeopardise their success by forcing them to spend more time on statistical form filling. When I visit companies I often hear the complaint that there is too much bureaucracy and too many formalities. Form filling is, of course, a very inefficient kind of work. If, in addition, there are inspections, this also takes time and I believe that the vast majority of companies behave in a proper and decent way, and that relations between employers and employees are generally very good. That is why I also believe that cancelling public contracts can also be provocative, and I am returning to the key issue now: reversing the burden of proof will have a knock-on effect if it is implemented. It will encourage abuse. People will need to protect themselves against such abuse. It will be necessary to keep more evidence. It will lead to risk limitation, by which I mean surveillance methods, video recordings and tape transcripts. Everyone will try to protect themselves as well as possible so that if they are taken to court they can provide evidence. I can see great dangers here and we must ensure that they are averted.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Mr Schwaiger, true, your report is very comprehensive, but it is rather too non-committal, and there are a number of points it fails to address. What, for example, has come of the demand for an analysis of the WTO’s influence so far upon, for example, developing countries, the environment, the EU and existing treaties before we get into the next round of negotiations? To say, Commissioner Lamy, that there were no tools or methods for doing this and that these would first have had to be developed is simply laughable. In revising the uniquely constituted Lomé Conventions, the refrain is always that that these ought not to remain in that form and that they are not WTO specific. What we should be demanding, however, is that the ground rules governing world trade must be focused upon the needs of people here in Europe and in developing countries. They must be enlisted in the service of sustainability and of social needs and not of the interests of corporations and their shareholders. This must be the main requirement and not a new round of liberalisation which serves only to incite people worldwide to compete for the lowest wages under the worst social and ecological conditions. In our opinion, the WTO needs to be fundamentally reformed before there are any further negotiations at all. Our goal must be nothing less than a fairer and socially and ecologically more responsible form of world trade which honours the interdependence of nations.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I should like to do something that I have never done before, namely congratulate the Conference of Presidents in the plenary and thank them for including so many interesting debates on this afternoon's agenda. This has set the standard for future plenary sittings!

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, first of all I would like to thank the rapporteur for his excellent report. I would just like to mention three points. It is a good thing that primary education is included in it, but I would also like to argue on behalf of older people and people who live in remote areas. We must not neglect these people. They will benefit from lifelong learning, and they can pass on their knowledge and experience to subsequent generations. The second point is the importance of encouraging twinning between schools. There are great differences – this has already been mentioned – between the various regions within Europe in terms of the level of knowledge and the use of IT in education, and that makes it difficult for schools to work together. I would like once more to emphatically urge that we map out the current situation and also involve candidate Member States in this, because only then will we be able to achieve a more targeted approach for schools that are lagging behind, and this will hugely increase the range of options available. My third point is that it is not only about quantity but also about quality. I expect the private sector, which created the eLearning Industry Group working party, to play a major role. Collaboration between the private and public sectors is, in my opinion, a very good thing. It will enable us to become the most dynamic knowledge economy in the world, and that is what we are aiming for.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Commissioner, honourable Members, I agree with the Commissioner; obviously, the routes across the Alps are in competition with one another. But, as we all know, these routes are in a highly sensitive zone. If one motorway company has saved money over a number of years in order to be able to offer a better solution, then my question is, why can we not leave it to the motorway companies to decide if they wish to offer technical alternatives in order to improve traffic across the Alps? I would be interested to know what you think about this and whether we should leave it to the companies involved to decide the technical alternatives.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, employment policy is a national concern, and it shall remain so. We in the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party find therefore, that, with the employment package, a good solution has been found to the problem of how we combine the principle of subsidiarity with a desire to ensure that employment policy is properly coordinated. The Member States’ reports on how they are complying with the guidelines do not simply explain how the various countries are managing individually and in relation to the others but are also a source of mutual inspiration through which countries can learn about each other’s successes. However, precisely how employment policy is put into practice is entirely a matter for the individual Member States. A good deal of policymaking in the areas of employment and the labour market belongs at local level. What is more, success in employment policy is crucial to sound development in the public finances, and it is reasonable to see the employment package and macroeconomic cooperation in an EU context. The Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party is not, however, in favour of the employment guidelines’ containing demands that the various countries organise their employment initiatives in accordance with a specific template and in terms of heavy-handed numerical objectives. The individual countries themselves should decide upon the priorities for their employment policies and, in this context, we in the Group of the Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party feel free to take pleasure in the fact that a liberal employment policy which is particularly concerned with securing the correct incentives in taxation and social policy has been proceeded with in most Member States in recent years. In the EU countries, cooperation between parties in the labour market – in other words, the social dialogue – follows very different models characterised by different traditions and cultures. This process is to be respected. And it must also be ensured that the dialogue between governments and the social partners in the labour market does not overshadow the democratic process in the national parliaments and the EU Parliament. I want finally to say that, in its report on employment, the Commission has made recommendations to the individual countries. That is not unproblematic, and it is very important that the Commission should openly describe the assumptions on which it is making its recommendations.

Political group: ELDR
Drugs are becoming more and more widespread and are reaching increasingly younger targets. The financial stakes involved and the vast profits made behind the scenes are the main factors in sustaining and expanding this inhumane market whose victims are in the more productive and dynamic section of the population. This therefore has particularly dramatic consequences not only for users and their families but also for society as a whole. The association of drug trafficking with arms smuggling, terrorism and international crime, as well as police, judicial and governmental corruption is a problem which cannot be resolved by prayers alone, nor can it be resolved on a superficial level with half-hearted measures or with measures designed solely to tackle the problem of drug addiction. At the same time, we must bring to the fore and address those social issues which cause, reinforce and exacerbate the problem. In a society where ideals and values are gradually perishing, competition and profit are intensifying, and in a society uncertain of its future in which a large number of young people are being hard hit by unemployment, inadequate social security and a lack of social support structures to nurture education and culture, the youth of today are not being armed with the right values and criteria to resist both physical and psychological addiction. They feel disorientated and are being skilfully driven to drop everything in search of other forms of escapism. Because of the nature and urgency of the matter, we need to adopt a clear, coordinated and specific policy which must be examined and adapted to address the tragic extent of the problem. We agree with many of the remarks and proposals in the report and we would like to stress the importance of developing the joint and simultaneous objective of reducing supply and demand and combating drug trafficking. We would also like to stress just how vital help and support is for drug users in helping them not only to overcome drug dependency but also to integrate into society. We would like to highlight the need to make funding available to cover the major needs which have arisen to address the problem in a fundamental, effective and coordinated manner. Neither the existing funds nor the funds proposed by the Commission cover even the most basic needs. We fear that any further cuts and reductions in social funding and policy will mean that this crucial objective will have to compete with others for funding and may prove too costly. For that reason, we are asking and calling upon all social and collective organisations, including trade unions, and the cultural and scientific world, to coordinate their efforts, to exert more pressure at a national and European level and to step up the fight against this major problem which has so tragically reared its ugly head in our society. - Newton Dunn Report (A5-0050/1999)

Political group: GUE-NGL
I voted for Mr Maaten’s report and I want to emphasise what a good job our rapporteur has done. I am glad Parliament is finally stating its position on such an important issue, but, at the same time, I regret that it left it until 181 days before the introduction of the euro. It is high time we took a stance on an issue that is an economic priority and continues to give rise to some doubt and disquiet among the general public. The Maaten report draws attention to the main problems and suggests practical solutions that could make the switchover to the euro easier. These suggestions should be taken on board at all levels of decision-making and in every sector. Let us not forget that the people of Europe also have a key role to play, alongside the companies and financial circles, and that their reactions depend on the effectiveness of the information campaigns conducted so far. Once again, the disappointing results of these campaigns show how necessary it is to make practical proposals that have a direct effect on people’s daily lives. If these proposals are put into practice, they should help turn understandable apprehension into legitimate expectation.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have on several occasions expressed our concern that the Union’s external borders constitute one of the weakest links in the system for creating an area of freedom, security and justice. We therefore support all initiatives that could contribute to strengthening control of the Union’s external borders, which is crucial. As Commissioner Vitorino pointed out, the Seville European Council called for a network of immigration liaison officers to be created and the Thessaloniki conclusions stated the need to speed up work on adopting a legal instrument by the end of 2003. Hence the report that we are examining today and I should like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mrs Roure on her work. Informal cooperation between immigration liaison officers already exists and this initiative is intended to give this cooperation a framework that will formalise it and strengthen it. This network of officers can and must contribute to preventing illegal immigration and to combating this phenomenon, to help in the return of illegal immigrants and to the management of legal immigration. We want to develop a proactive policy for legal immigration, and at the same time effectively combat illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings. I must once again express my regret that, because trafficking in human beings falls under the third pillar, it cannot be included in the scope of this regulation amongst the responsibilities of liaison officers. Once again, we are facing an absurd situation due to the division of issues between the three pillars, a distinction which, once again, is pointless and counterproductive. I also wish to emphasise that preventing illegal immigration requires the existence of legal channels of immigration and properly-targeted information campaigns in order to act as a deterrent to potential candidates for immigration. We can and must avoid further tragedies such as some that are still fresh in our minds.

Political group: PPE-DE