GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
I would firstly like to thank both our rapporteur from the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism, Mr Francesco Musotto, and indeed the whole of this committee for the high quality work they have presented. To vote for this report is, as far as I am concerned, first and foremost to underline the fact that the principle of cohesion and thus of solidarity and the integration of the peoples and territories of the Union is enshrined in the Treaties and, this being the case, it is essential that it be defended. The fact that the progress made has been uneven, and, more importantly, that unacceptable regional disparities remain, giving rise to the marginalisation of the less developed regions, should therefore be underlined – and this report does so – in an appeal to the States to support the efforts for regional economic convergence made at European level. The report’s authors, who, quite rightly, think it essential to ensure an extremely high degree of consistency between action taken at a European level under the heading of cohesion policy, and Member States’ domestic policies that support development, therefore call on the Member States, in accordance with the principles of additionality and subsidiarity, to support this drive for regional economic convergence instigated at European level, by means, for example, of an appropriate investment policy. This drive is all the more important given that we must overcome the challenge posed by enlargement. Cohesion should, in this regard, be even greater if we want to avoid these disparities between regions dramatically increasing upon enlargement. Finally, I will fully support Amendment No 49, which underlines all the possible shortcomings of the 0.45% of Community GDP devoted to cohesion policy, if we want to establish an effective cohesion policy that brings genuine solidarity.

Political group: PSE
The report on which we are called to vote today is indicative of the position which the European Parliament wishes to adopt in the debate on maritime safety, brought to the fore once more by the tragic wreck of the Erika. Let me remind you that the proposed directive which we are discussing today is intended to improve the availability and the use of port waste-disposal facilities for operational waste and cargo residues. It is totally in keeping with the 73/78 Marpol Convention (Prevention of Pollution from Ships), while concentrating more particularly on the waste-disposal facilities in ports. It forms part of the overall Community strategy for waste management and requires all ports to provide appropriate waste-disposal facilities, adequate for the needs of vessels. Today we face maritime pollution problems, which we must tackle head-on by adopting bold measures. The fact is, as the rapporteur points out, that regulations already exist, but they are not observed. The system generally applied is the one governed by the ‘polluter pays’ principle, a principle which is outstanding in terms of its inefficiency! This is why we need to find an alternative. Such an alternative is offered to us in an amendment which I supported. The amendment seeks to establish a system of charges which all vessels would have to pay systematically each time they dock in a port, whether or not they make use of the waste disposal facilities. These charges would be used to finance the relevant installations up to 90%. This system would inevitably encourage vessels to dispose of their operational waste and cargo residues in port rather than degassing at sea, a deplorable practice which is commonplace nowadays. Everyone knows that some vessels even took advantage of the pollution caused by the wreck of the Erika to discharge their waste at sea. This is absolutely scandalous and intolerable. There are, however, examples of good practice, because the countries around the Baltic Sea have already been operating in this way since 1998. I am well aware of the fact that this would cause upheaval in the organisation of the ports of many Member States and would entail additional costs for vessels. But this is no more than the price which must be paid in order to guarantee the cleanliness of the marine environment, especially since the directive envisages that it should be possible to identify the vessels which cause less pollution and to offer them reduced rates? This system seems a fair one to me, and I therefore voted in favour of it.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I have been present in Jerusalem as a provisional member of Parliament’s delegation for relations with Israel. We met reasonable representatives of the Israeli Government but also, among the members of the Knesset, a dismaying number of implacable fanatics who maintain that Israel has all the rights and the Palestinians none at all. It was therefore good that the Council’s representatives made it clear that the EU backs all current UN decisions. What, then, do these decisions imply? Well, they say that there should be Jewish and Palestinian States in the area, that the whole of Jerusalem should be an international area, that all Palestinian refugees should be allowed to return home and that Israel should leave those areas which it has occupied. It may therefore be noted that Israel is right in one respect, namely that there is to be a Jewish State. That is what no-one now questions but, when it comes to all the important questions in the peace negotiations – that is to say, Jerusalem, the refugees and territorial considerations – the Palestinians in fact have international law on their side. At the same time, everyone appreciates that the UN decisions cannot directly be implemented by peaceful means. Israel is opposed to this. The Palestinians are prepared to compromise. They are not demanding west Jerusalem. They appreciate that Israel cannot receive between five and six million Palestinian refugees. The Palestinians are prepared to make concessions over territory. They are making concessions, which is splendid and necessary, but the Palestinians and Arafat cannot make large concessions of any kind without a revolt in their own ranks. It is therefore important that the EU should stick by the Berlin decision to recognise a Palestinian State without conditions as soon as the Palestinians see fit to declare such a State, to which they are entitled. Israel has the military power and US backing. The Palestinians do in fact have international law on their side. Let them also have the European Union’s full support, in the same way and to the same degree that the United States supports Israel. Let the EU act as a sponsor for the Palestinian State, that is to say the democratic Palestinian State. This would also raise the EU’s standing in the world.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, I wanted to thank the Commission and the Council for making it possible for this document to be adopted today, within four months of its submission, and at first reading. I would also like to extend warm greetings to the delegations from the Austrian National Council and Federal Council, who are in the visitors' gallery.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, provisions for animal health when transporting pets are particularly important for Member States which are currently entirely free of rabies. In spite of this, I believe that it is vital for moves and travel across borders within the EU to be made easier for families and individuals who are travelling with a pet. I am pleased that the Council’s proposal has taken into account the views put forward in Parliament’s first consideration of the matter. I find it incomprehensible that there are currently different provisions relating to animal health when transporting pets for commercial purposes in the EU. The risk of rabies infection cannot be significantly different simply because the purpose of the pet’s journey is different. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt the health rules for transporting pets for commercial purposes to this directive. Finally, Mr President, I would like to thank Mrs Evans for her excellent work on this issue.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, last Friday, 8 March, was International Women’s Day. I hope that each one of us, men and women, took part in meetings, seminars and conferences to confirm, once and for all, that equality between men and women is vital for the democratic development of our societies. The values of the European Union laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights include the right to human dignity, the right to the integrity of the person, freedom of thought, conscience and religion and equality between men and women. Therefore, here, in this Assembly, let us accept our responsibilities. It is up to us, the men and women of Europe, to apply these rights and ensure their application within the European Union and to defend and develop these values in the rest of the world. Here, I would like to point out how important the adoption of this report would be in this battle, as we must keep on tirelessly reminding ourselves that women are the primary victims of fundamentalism. They are victims of violence, social, economic, political and sexual discrimination, psychological and physical abuse, oppression, and are refused all the fundamental rights: equality, access to education and politics, and all in the very name of fundamentalism, which is the antithesis of human rights. We can and must take action. We must promote and protect democracy and human rights in our Association Agreements. We must also ensure intercultural dialogue between the two banks of the Mediterranean by increasing monitoring for more active participation of women in the actions and programmes we support. Lastly, we must support women seeking asylum in the European Union having suffered persecution in their own country in the name of fundamentalism. The defence of women’s rights and equality between men and women must be one of the cornerstones of our actions which requires specific attention from our Assembly. In this Assembly, from now on, with the vote on this directive, let us give women the means and the signal to cast off their chains and let us once more assume our responsibilities.

Political group: PSE
After what happened in 2000, it is becoming difficult to agree with you, President Prodi, when you say that your programme relates to Europe and to 2001. Judging by your programme, we might believe that the extremely serious and crucial problem of mad cow disease does not exist. Your proposals speak in idealistic terms of the new economy and of millions of new jobs without considering the need to create them as a matter of priority in the least developed regions. These regions suffer from the highest rates of unemployment and from the emigration of their most highly qualified technical specialists. Your proposals do not consider the economic and budgetary problems inherent in the necessary enlargement to include new states or the terrible situation of immigration from the developing world. They ignore the crisis caused by ultraliberal globalisation which has been challenged, specifically in Porto Alegre, and say nothing about the huge disappointment that was Nice. No mention is made in this context of the fact that the States can, historically, no longer prevent our citizens taking direct democratic decisions about the Union, and no mention is made of the emergence of stateless nations and of bodies with political and legislative personality. President Prodi, the Commission should not turn a blind eye to the fact that a process that must be concluded by the adoption of a European constitution is taking shape in European society. It would be good to see the Council, which is not represented here today, the Commission and Parliament adopting together the initiative that Europe’s citizens are calling for.

Political group: Verts-ALE
My question has been partially answered, President-in-Office, because you talked about the current recommendation. The problem, however, is that the recommendation does not include any provisions about the need for safety glass. It deals with the maintenance of the equipment, but in this incident a young child nearly had a very serious accident because he fell through the glass. You are coming to the end of your presidency. Will you ask the Irish presidency and the Commission to look at the provisions of this recommendation to see if they cover all the things that they need to? For example, this should be toughened safety glass as it would be in the UK but apparently not in Spain. It is not covered by the recommendation at the moment, nor by health and safety directives. This safety glass issue is currently a grey area and therefore I would ask you to take the issue up with the Irish presidency and the Commission.

Political group: PSE
Madam President, Mr Murphy was speaking about Mr Hannan’s ill-timed interference in the Danish election campaign. It is not a problem for us Danes that the Conservatives have nothing to do in England, but are acting the fool in Denmark. We just smile at them and say, “Heaven knows why they do not just mind their own business over in England and leave us to get on with our own business in Denmark.”

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Madam Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of this new parliamentary session we are dealing with one of the issues which I would describe as a star issue for this legislature. You will remember that at the end of the last parliamentary session we congratulated the Vice-President both on the work she has done in terms of rail transport and the work she has done on the Erika packages in relation to maritime safety. Well today, at the outset, we are returning to a star issue: the attempt to create the Single Sky; the attempt to harmonise the technical standards; an increase in safety; an increase in the capacity of our airspace. Harmonising all of this with national interests. Harmonising or trying to involve the military authorities, but at the same time trying to respond to a demand of the European citizens: an increase in flight capacity and an increase in safety. We believe that that safety can be achieved, precisely by means of harmonisation. We believe that the creation of the Single Sky will respond to the increasing demand for air safety. I therefore urge the Vice-President, with the support of this Parliament – because she knows that we support her – to take on, following the approval of the reports we are currently debating, the difficult task of trying to convince the Council to come to an agreement quickly. This is what the European citizens demand: that technical safety be increased by means of the approval of all the proposals and measures which we are debating here at the moment. I would like to point out that the Transport Committee and, of course, the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market, which I represent, have been urging and pressurising the European Commission to adopt this type of measure. Unfortunately, as happened in the case of the debate on the Erika package, we are holding this debate on a dramatic anniversary in the history of the world, which is also significant in terms of the history of air travel. Safeguarding military interests – strengthening the coordination and cooperation between civil and military authorities – increasing air safety, harmonising technical standards, creating the Single Sky committee, increasing the role of Eurocontrol through cooperation between the European Commission and Eurocontrol in the manner proposed and discussed by the Vice-President. These are the challenges and the options and direction we have to take. I would like to congratulate the rapporteurs and the honourable Members for your efforts on this important debate. I would also like to congratulate the Vice-President and I urge her to do everything possible to achieve an agreement quickly.

Political group: PPE-DE
In the ten years since Rio, targets have yet to be reached. The environment is under enormous pressure. Poverty is increasing throughout the globe. It is vital that next year's world summit is successful in strengthening measures which ensure that development is undertaken in a sustained manner that protects existing communities. The Fifth Environmental Action Programme safeguards people from the adverse effects of air pollution. The Action Programme's long-term goal will not be attained easily; therefore the Commission has rightly decided on a step-by-step approach setting out interim environmental targets for the year 2010. I am glad that the report has been amended to include nuclear fuel and energy and financial as well as economic analyses. It is essential that we include the tracking of nuclear fuel information, and in particular subsidies for nuclear fuel and energy. Local authorities must also freely give information when requested. I have recently had representations from constituents in Kilkenny, Ireland, because of the difficulty they have had in getting information with regard to developments in Archer's field. I have requested information myself from the local authority and the regional Commissioner but so far without success. If European money has been used inappropriately to divert a road, and a development is being built on the route of the old road, this would be an absolutely scandalous occurrence and we need an explanation for it.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, it looks as though in Nepal, the very beginning of democracy has been murdered along with King Birendra. The current ruler is concentrating all power in his own hands. The state of emergency has been replaced by a permanent state of absolute power with no real hope of improvement. The rebel movement grows daily because the sense of hopelessness is steadily increasing in the countryside and young people join the rebels. They are fighting a corrupt regime which owns 95% of the country’s wealth. And some of our Member States, including my own, Belgium, are sending weapons to this country. In its earlier resolutions, the European Parliament has rightly urged that Europe should make the effort not just to support democracy but also to ensure that a political solution and negotiations can be achieved, but not that more powerful weapons should be delivered allowing even greater repression. This contravenes the European code of conduct itself. In the last six years alone five thousand people died in Nepal. Yesterday, another 25 were killed in various clashes. I do not care which side the victims come from, what concerns me is that we must strive for a peaceful solution, that the only hope we can give this country is developing its land and providing opportunities for its people. I therefore hope that you will support our amendments which refer to these points. For surely it is unacceptable for there only to be one answer: shooting and killing. We do not think that this is acceptable and we ask your support otherwise we will not be able to endorse this resolution, at least as far as I am concerned.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, in the shadow of the conflict in the Middle East, terrible events are being played out in Indonesia, more specifically in the Moluccas. The terrorist group Laskar Jihad – for it is nothing less than a terrorist group – is digging the grave of anything that might be called religious life. The group is a grave-digger for Islam and has shown that it does not stand for anything other than hatred, violence and the undisguised killing of the Christian population in the Moluccas. I wish to appeal to the Commission, here in the presence of Mr Nielson, as well as to the Council, not to let the conflict in the Middle East mean that a veil is drawn over the ethnic and religious cleansing of Christians in the Moluccas that is now taking place. Instead, this should be placed in the spotlight. Vigorous action should be taken to ensure that the Indonesian Government gives the Christian population every form of lawful protection. I also wish to emphasise that many Muslims in the Moluccas have been badly affected by this invasion by the terrorist group, Laskar Jihad. Christians and Muslims have previously lived together in peace, and now soldiers arrive spreading hatred, violence and death in the name of Allah and God. Between 5 000 and 10 000 people have been killed, and 25 000 seriously injured. Of the Moluccas’ 10 million inhabitants, 350 000 are refugees. Four hundred churches and 80 mosques have been burned down. I have met the Catholic bishop, Monsignor Mandagi and the leader of the Protestant churches, the Reverend Hendrix. I have looked directly into their eyes and seen their suffering. Mr Nielson, let the EU do everything it can to ensure that Indonesia becomes a region of peace. Find out who is funding these terrorist warlords.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, 25 years ago I was working here illegally, doing manual labour. I was a second-class citizen. Now I am here as a Member of the European Parliament. I represent a country that has joined Europe. Nonetheless, many of my fellow countrymen and women still feel like second-class citizens within the Union. This is because they cannot legally take up work in it. I would like to ask the Commission what it plans to do to shorten the periods in which restrictions on taking up work apply. This would enable the citizens of my region of Europe to become first-class citizens. I would also like to say that it would be most unfortunate for the Union to distance itself from Ukraine. Ukraine is a part of Europe. It shares our cultural heritage. If you travel to Lvov or Chernovtsy, you will feel as if you were in Vienna, Budapest or Bratislava. I would like to make this appeal: let us not turn our backs on Ukraine!

Political group: PSE
Congratulations are due Mrs Hedkvist Petersen on her conscientious, thorough and innovative work. Road safety is indeed a serious area in which we cannot afford to indulge in hypocrisy and hyperbole, which the rapporteur avoids absolutely. There are some Members in this House who will take advantage of this issue to demand that the principle of subsidiarity be strengthened, leaving Member States to manage road safety decisions as they wish. I, however, share the rapporteur’s opinion as, while acknowledging the key position of the states in this area, she nonetheless recognises that this is an area where responsibility is shared between Community, national, regional and local authorities. The great disparities between Member States, particularly with regard to speed limits and ‘authorised’ blood alcohol levels, do nothing to reduce the number of accidents on the roads of Europe. Within the European Union, road accidents are the number one cause of death in children and adults under 45. I, therefore, like the rapporteur, consider it essential that the Commission does not confine itself to a recommendation on alcohol levels, but sets a clear limit at 0.5 mg/l. Similarly, additional support must be given to the European assessment programme for new car models (Euro-NCAP). This could be achieved, specifically, in the form of a proposal for a directive. In the same way, we must consider intensifying the existing link between the environment and road safety (leading us, for example, to reassess road signs and marking to make them safer). We must all accept our responsibilities, and that is what the rapporteur sets out to do in this initiative which does her great credit. I shall therefore vote in favour of this report.

Political group: PSE