GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Madam President, Commissioner, I would like to begin with a variation on a quotation from the poet Heinrich Heine: 'If my thoughts at night to fisheries turn, many an hour will I toss and turn'. I might add that if I think about the stock of cod in the Irish Sea, then sleep is truly murdered. Vigilance is called for, or do you know the reason why cod stocks, which have for years been more depressed to say the least, have been allowed to reach such a historical low? Is it because of the fish, the fisherman, environmental conditions or society at large? What is the use of integrated coastal zone management, which we will be discussing shortly, when what structurally weak coastal regions need is a new kind of self-image and above all modern jobs? However, this can only work if the problems of the origin principle and of recrimination, powers and responsibilities can finally be solved at all levels. Meaningful, technically verifiable measures need to be introduced. We need binding sanctions, and we need Member States that exercise their right to check origin, even if doing that hits their pockets. In addition, three things are needed: political will, fishermen who think like businessmen, and the interaction of consumers and entrepreneurs in the market place. Each of these three strands needs to be underpinned by the same concept – sustainable management of a valuable and irreplaceable food source. Those immediately involved are jointly responsible, money alone will not solve any problems in the long term, Mr Nicholson! Nevertheless, technical measures can help nature to recover when it has got out of balance, and, I hope, can help to restock the Irish Sea with cod. Unfortunately, our society is inclined to skirt round the law. And it is quite simple to do that in the middle of the night in the Irish Sea. I believe that with targeted checks and reporting, and a continuous dialogue between those involved at all levels, we can all once again sleep soundly – including me. That is why the Committee on Fisheries unanimously supported our feisty colleague James Nicholson. We hope that this House, the Commission, and the Council will follow suit!

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, as we all know, the European Union has, through the Commission, the Council and, particularly, the European Parliament, for a long time maintained excellent relations with Central America, its institutions and, specifically, the countries that comprise it. We have done so out of respect and in order to assist the consolidation of democracy in that part of the world, to support and assist social and economic development and also to ensure that human rights are respected there as elsewhere in the world. One of the priorities that we have supported for the countries in that region is regional integration. We feel that regional integration is a crucial instrument for promoting the three fundamental objectives that I have just mentioned. In Central America, there is already a Secretariat for Regional Integration, a Central American Bank, a Central American Upper House and a Central American Parliament. Curiously, this and the European Parliament are the only Parliaments in the world to directly elect their members. The Central American parliament appears to have recently been the subject of certain misunderstandings and even criticism. We received a delegation from that parliament and made a commitment to improving the political profile not only of its role in that part of the world but also of relations between our Parliament and the Central American Parliament. Hence the motion for a resolution that we are tabling following a project that was started a while ago by Parliament’s delegation to Central America, chaired by Mr Salafranca, and which we have modestly continued with during our term of office. This resolution, therefore, means giving political support to the Central American Parliament, to the democratic stage par excellence, which must strive to be the focus of pluralist debate in that part of the world, and, at the same time, it means sending the message that Europe is in favour of regional integration in that part of the world. There is just one aspect that we are unhappy with, which is not a problem of substance, but concerns item 5 of this resolution: we feel that, by adopting this item, the European Parliament has adopted an excessively paternalistic attitude. We shall abstain from voting on item No 5, but our aim is to provide political support to the Central American Parliament and regional integration there.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, on a point of order: I was somewhat astonished, at 1 p.m. this lunchtime, to learn of the existence of this application by the . We are a democratic group, in which decisions are never taken by the chairman acting alone. I immediately sent an e-mail to the bureau and to the two co-ordinators, Philippe Morillon and Arie Oostlander, to the effect that we would support this application by the subject to no objection being expressed to me. My dear Mr Cohn-Bendit, I would, however, ask you to ensure that, in future, our groups have the time to discuss such an issue in a democratic manner. In the absence of any objection from the bureau and the co-ordinators, our group is in favour of taking this topic and Mr Solana's statement together. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I am Belgian and I am not opposed to the common position. If the chocolate which I love so much were to be at risk or if the tradition of Belgian chocolate manufacturers were to be in danger, then I would, of course, be opposed to it. I bought some chocolate here in Strasbourg this morning and the French sales assistant explained to me quite clearly what exactly I was buying. The designation on the front of the product states: Prestige noir intense 72% cacao and in gold lettering, which, in France, is quite something, chocolat belge. So I know what I bought. In my opinion, the pending directive will make it even easier for producers of quality chocolate to set themselves clearly apart from the others if they so wish. I do concur with the rapporteur on one point. The producers of cocoa beans, namely the small farmers in the poor third-world countries, are vulnerable. We need to keep a close eye on them and this is why I am in favour of a study being carried out by the Commission on the effects of the directive, no more than two years after the introduction of this directive. So let us now deal with this matter once and for all and ensure that everyone can eat the chocolate they fancy and that a real internal market can be established for chocolate.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I did not want to speak until the vote on the second part had been taken. I would like to point out that in the second part there is a technical error in the English version. The speed should be 0.15 metres per second, whereas in the English text gives it as 0.015 metres per second. The former is correct.

Political group: PSE
In my explanation of vote for the Brok report, I stated that I do not regard action taken by EU Member State armed forces outside their own territory as a contribution to defence or security. The 50-year anniversary of NATO was marked by the first NATO war. This war enabled Milosevic to continue ruling Serbia and Montenegro a year longer because it gave him the opportunity to set himself up as the Serbs’ best guarantee against foreign aggression. The rapporteur now cites a number of reasons for taking action outside one’s own territory, one being justifiable outrage at ethnic conflicts outside the Union. It is positive that we are dealing with this by using mediation techniques, producing models for administrative solutions and delivering humanitarian aid to those who have felt constrained to move as a result of this conflict. It is no good trying to impose a solution from outside using military methods, because it does not tackle the root cause of the conflict or change public opinion. The fear that energy supplies will not be made available for the Member States could never be a valid reason for unilateral intervention.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I strongly support the report by Mr Staes. Perhaps for the first time in our discharge procedure we have tackled those issues which are of great concern to the public about the European Parliament's budget, in particular the excessive costs of having more than one seat and the potential costs of extending buildings in Strasbourg to accommodate more Members. We also tackled the issues of Members' expenses and payment of the pensions. These are very important issues and I am only sorry that Mr Staes's report did not receive a larger majority in this House.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, on a point of order, I appreciate your comments but this is one of the fundamental problems we have with the Commission at present. Mrs Sandbæk has written to you, Commissioner, asking to see a copy of the signature of your former, former chief accountant on the 2001 accounts. I asked who that person was. I was told in the past that they were signed whilst that person was in post. That person left the Commission's employment on 31 December 2001. They were either the quickest prepared set of accounts in history or something magical happened. I am not convinced by what you have said today and I very much doubt whether the people in the public gallery are convinced. I would just appreciate some frank exchanges and honesty between you and those of us who are interested, because Mrs Andreasen told you what was happening. She wrote to you and met you, and you chose to ignore here. What happened is a disgrace to you and your institution. Realistically, you have to bite the bullet and get on with reforming the accounting system properly, and you could do with Mrs Andreasen's help.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, four weeks ago, I asked for support for the operation to recover the hundreds of victims of Africa's biggest shipping disaster involving the stricken ship Joala off the coast of Senegal. Nothing has happened to date. According to the Commission, there is reported to be religious opposition on the part of the Senegalese to this recovery operation. The recovery of bodies is said to be technically difficult and President Wade is reported to prefer burial at sea to recovery. However, these reports have now been superseded by completely new facts. From my contacts with the Senegalese, it appears that President Wade would give priority to recovery and that he has set aside a certain sum of money for this purpose. Local divers have already recovered over 200 bodies. Technically speaking, therefore, it is possible, but further funding is lacking. The Senegalese relatives and all the relatives from France, the Netherlands and other Member States cannot live with the dreadful thought that their loved ones could not be given a dignified send-off. It is not a question of religious opposition. On my own behalf, I would ask you to convey this message once again to the Commission as a matter of the greatest possible urgency, for this is about Africa's biggest shipping disaster. If this had happened off our own coasts, we would not have hesitated for one moment to intervene. These people deserve a dignified recovery.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, very briefly, as a member of the Delegation for Relations with the Countries of Central America and Mexico, I should also like to express our concern that the people of El Salvador have once more been afflicted by a natural disaster, and to urge that aid should arrive as soon as possible so that what happened after Mitch does not happen again, because if aid takes a long time to arrive it is the population that suffers.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, it is absolutely crucial that we obtain some common regulations, offering a very high level of protection, governing the transport of dangerous goods by rail. The risk of accidents has increased concurrently with the growth in the number of consignments of this kind in recent years. I myself have experienced at close quarters a rail accident involving dangerous goods. A few years ago, a goods wagon containing poison overturned in my home town of Næstved, with catastrophic consequences. The dangerous liquid poured out. If there had been a powerful wind, thousands of people could have been poisoned. It was so serious that the team which cleared the track after the accident was clothed in what looked like space suits, which almost began to melt. I am therefore very glad that we in the EU are making a point of enforcing some very high standards in connection with this kind of transport. The present directive states that the international regulations in this sphere also apply to transport within the individual Member States. Unfortunately, it was necessary to have a number of exceptions because the European experts had not finished drawing up standards for the transport of gas. The Member States were therefore given permission to keep their national regulations for a transitional period. The experts have still not completed their work, and the transitional arrangements ought therefore to be extended. I therefore think that we shall be voting for the report. In fact, it secures a high national level of protection which can be retained until such time as we get acceptable international regulations adopted. But we need to get a move on before a major accident occurs. We have been lucky. But for how long will our luck last, and for how long can we go on saying that we are getting by unscathed? One of these days, an accident will happen with disastrous consequences, and we shall be left with a bad taste in our mouths for not having got things organised. So let us make sure now that we get this matter sorted out properly.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I wish to begin by thanking Mrs Gröner, as rapporteur, for her committed work. In Europe, there are still misapprehensions and false stereotypes surrounding the issue of violence against women and children. The problem is too often treated as an unfortunate and natural part of life. Moreover, the victims – that is to say women and children – are often blamed. That applies to violence within the family, but also to, for example, trafficking in women and structural violence against women. That is something we must combat. Many run a high risk of being exposed to violence and abuse, something that is the concern of all of us. We are responsible for working for the effective combating of violence in the EU. As draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, my efforts have been directed towards ensuring that the purpose of DAPHNE shall be to combat and prevent all forms of violence, be it in the home or elsewhere. That is what my committee has supported, and I am pleased that the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities also agrees with this position. I am also pleased to see again amendments dealing with victims of human trafficking and the vulnerable position of street children. The DAPHNE Programme has shown itself to be one of the most successful projects within the EU and has been adapted to many different types of difficulties and of problems involving violence that could not always be foreseen from the beginning. DAPHNE has, for example, funded projects to combat female circumcision which, at the start of the programme, was not a problem that was greatly discussed. Now, the DAPHNE Programme is to be extended by a further five years. That is extremely commendable, and I am listening with interest to what the Commissioner has to say. This is an important period, however. The EU is to be enlarged by ten new Member States, which is why an increase in the budget is necessary. In the Committee on Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, we have supported an amount of EUR 65 million. We believe that this is necessary and hope that our proposal will win a majority in plenary so that we can now show by our actions that we wish to combat violence against women and children.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, not always does the Commission make use of its opportunities to comply with the demands of the overwhelming majority in the European Parliament to such an extent as it has done with this framework directive. For this I wish to express my gratitude to the Commission, but also to the rapporteur, Mr Vermeer, for his report, which helps to clarify the substance of the matter. If we who sit in this Parliament want people to carry on believing in us and trusting us, then we should stand by the demands we made with reference to the commitment made by the European, Japanese and Korean motor industries and not make new ones over and above them. Now that we have the framework directive that we demanded at that time, we have the legal certainty that we called for, and we will continue to have an influence on any further significant development, while, at the same time giving the motor industry the time and technical resources that it needs to get things done. We are, moreover, allowing it some leeway when it comes to researching innovative measures of active and passive safety that can be even more effective and efficient. At the end of the day, this is about protecting people and not just reducing the consequences of accidents, but preventing them, and this is not just about using certain technologies and procedures – expensive and developed with the best of intentions though these may be. We will thereby be being particularly responsive to the public interest. Right up to the last moment, there was dispute about whether the EEVC’s four test procedures should be prescribed by law as the sole solution. There is no doubt that, even by today’s standards, these tests appear to be the most effective and the most cost-efficient, as well as to be the only ones available, but this is where criticism has to start. It would seem that a development has been missed out on, as these tests concern themselves more with the protection of vehicles’ occupants than with that of road users put at risk by the vehicles. Even consumers have a one-sided awareness of these things. They are increasing willing to pay for their safety as vehicle users, but demonstrably less willing to spend more on protecting pedestrians and the users of bicycles, wheelchairs and skateboards. This has to be the starting-point for a rethink, and one might well be sparked off, and accompanied, by a European campaign. We in this House must neither stand in the way of the EEVC tests being further developed on the basis of practice, nor fundamentally reject the development of alternative procedures that offer at least as much protection. For example, in other, very sensitive, areas such as air and space travel, methods of virtual simulation came in a long time ago. Why, in future, should not such testing methods, and others like them – for we are talking about the post-2010 period – not bring even more safety? Let us, by an overwhelming majority, secure the speedy implementation of the directive and thereby save human lives!

Political group: PPE-DE
Last night we learned of an atrocious act of terrorism – the taking of hostages in Moscow. Thousands of people are living in fear at this moment and I would be grateful if Parliament could express its sympathy on our behalf for all those who are experiencing this fear. At the same time, I would ask you to express our abhorrence at Chechen methods and to press for a political solution to this hopeless conflict in the light of the right of self-determination, which all people have. The international community has forgotten this war too easily – let us now learn from this event. I should be grateful if you could send a message along these lines to Mr Putin. (Applause)

Political group: Verts-ALE
Madam President, Commissioner, I have just been listening to what you have been saying about the enlargement of the EU. I have heard a lot about the shortcomings of Turkey, about constitutional changes, the democratisation process and human rights. My question is, what is there in the accession partnership document about the rights of the Kurds? What is the situation with regard to the rights of 25 million people who have not been mentioned in this discussion? I ask you, Commissioner, to tell us how the rights of the Kurds are affected and how you assess the political situation in Turkey as regards constitutional changes and the Kurdish question.

Political group: GUE-NGL
The Commission’s proposal shows the need for a collection of measures to facilitate the recovery of the hake stock. The proposal is based on a report by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Parliament does not, however, wish to go as far and judges the problems to be less serious. Parliament’s amendments are based essentially on the view that the Commission has exaggerated the problems of over-fishing and that a recovery plan is unnecessary. I chose to vote against Parliament’s amendments because the original proposal by the Commission attaches greater importance to taking the problems seriously. Moreover, continued survival of the fish stock is given priority over the socio-economic effects to which any restriction can, in the worst case, give rise. Report: Cercas (A5-0026/2004)

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr. President, I would also like to thank the rapporteur for the work he has done on this report. It is important to bear in mind, given what we heard already this evening, that Lisbon was not about competition, but social cohesion as well. Companies are increasingly being expected to behave in an ethical and socially responsible manner. Sound employment practices and good working relationships with employees are key indicators for such ethical assessment and we need to see the recommendations in the report in that light. The report points out a number of ways in which a revised directive could make works councils more effective and prevent some of the problems and breakdowns we have heard about: regular meetings, not the token annual meeting that is all 85% of them manage; increasing the representation of women, who are virtually invisible in many of these bodies, just as they are in too many boardrooms; training to improve the quality of representation and communication; and the facilities and safeguards to ensure that works council members represent all sectors effectively. The sanctions for non-compliance are also critical. We either want responsible social partners, or we do not. My group does, so we welcome this report and look forward to seeing Commission proposals based on it.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Commissioner, I too would like to congratulate you on presenting this proposal. Indeed we all hope that in the interests of the competitiveness of the European Union, this unending Community patent saga will now have a happy ending. That is why it was right – and I would like to specifically support you here – not to overburden this proposal with sensitive issues such as patent protection for biotechnology products. I also entreat my fellow Members not to raise issues of principle on language matters. This is a special field subject to special arrangements. Commissioner, with regard to jurisdiction, you just mentioned in passing that the relevant jurisdiction would of course be in Luxembourg. I hope that was not a reference to a possible location for the European Patent Court. It would possibly make more sense for it to be located in Munich together with the European Patent Office, because all the necessary expertise is available there, which would facilitate cooperation.

Political group: PPE-DE