GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, the failure of the IGC may well lead to a failure of Europe because, although it is a marvellous historical goal, we all know that enlargement to 25 Member States without majority voting will be a nightmare: a nightmare in which Europe will be divided, paralysed and impotent in a globalised world. The final report that Mr Berlusconi gave here for three-quarters of an hour – 82 points ‘with one exception’, which must be the success of the IGC – is a clumsy way of giving us an extra dose of misery. Unfortunately, he is once again concerned with distancing himself from a mark of failure rather than pointing out the right road on behalf of a great founding country like Italy. Mr Prodi has honestly expressed the extent of the failure and the risks associated with it, and has started to mark out a possible route for the future. I say yes, Mr Prodi, to an initiative by pioneer States for a Europe that in no way underrates the importance of this broad Union extending from Portugal to the Baltic States, but you know we have to move towards an effective, democratic integration of the Community based on the results of the Convention. Yes, then, to starting out with those who share the results of the Convention – an honourable compromise – on the new European Community path. In this way all 25 can be helped to reach the goal. This is the objective around which we should and can unite as from tomorrow.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, I raised this point of order last month and I now have to raise it again. Each of the questions is dated, presumably with the date when they were submitted, yet they are completely out of order. The first was submitted on 16 May, the second on 4 May, the third on 24 May, the fourth on 11 May and the fifth on 24 May. Is there any rule regulating how they are put in order, or some secret method of getting your question to the top of the list?

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I live in a very small region called Asturias, which has suffered from various restructuring processes in recent years, in particular that of the mining industry, which we are discussing today. In recent years our number of miners has dropped from twenty-four thousand to around eight thousand. I therefore share the desire expressed by my colleagues the Chairman of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy, Mr Westendorp, and Mr Rapkay, that we should adopt the Commission’s proposal, for various reasons. First of all because it guarantees aid until 2010 and gives us some time. Secondly, because it also talks about CO2 emissions, and rightly points out that, with the decrease in coal production CO2 emissions associated with its use have decreased, and because it states that, with the current directives on emissions, industries are obliged to ensure that their new processing plants make a more serious effort to prevent pollution and use the latest techniques available. The Commission also highlights the social and regional consequences, and no one here can forget them. I think that each of us is aware that in Germany, Asturias, León (our neighbouring Autonomous Community) the same thing is happening and we know what happens when miners’ families and the whole industry surrounding them are left without work. The Commission therefore also highlights the need to maintain regional cohesion. And we need to take into account, Mr President, that the most recent agreement, for example in Spain, between the government and the unions, extended decreases in production. I would like to finish, Mr President, by saying that the only concern we have about the Commission’s proposal is regarding what will happen after 2010.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, May will be the twelfth anniversary of the elections which gave Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy 82% of parliamentary seats. She is still under house arrest in Burma. There are over 1 000 political prisoners in various jails in Burma. They are being subjected daily to mistreatment and torture and are being denied adequate food and health care. In November 2001 the UN General Assembly expressed concern at the very slow progress of talks between the State Peace and Development Council and the National League for Democracy and Aung San Suu Kyi. An ILO mission in February was denied access to Aung San Suu Kyi, and the UN Special Envoy strongly criticised the slow progress of dialogue. The Burmese army still continues to perpetrate gross human rights abuses against ethnic civilian groups including beatings, rape, destruction of food supplies, forced relocation, torture, forced labour, extra-judicial summary executions and disappearances. It is worth noting that European investment in Burma is significant, particularly in the oil and gas industries. All foreign investment – we should remember – takes place through military-backed companies. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions called on oil and gas companies to cease investment in Burma while the use of forced labour continues. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions called for economic sanctions against Burma. This Parliament must again call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all who are wrongfully imprisoned. The European Commission must ensure that humanitarian aid to areas most in need is delivered without political interference and that international NGOs are involved.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, some people are determined to use and manipulate victims of terrorism, and these are not my words. The head of the main opposition party in the Spanish State said this recently. I must tell the Member who has just spoken – mixing a question on Gibraltar, Morocco and Spain with terrorism, with the victims, etc. – that if anyone is truly working in the Basque country to overcome the situation of political conflict we have been experiencing for over three centuries – a political conflict with the Spanish State and with the centralist government in Madrid – and is trying precisely to ensure that there are no more attacks, murders or violence in the Basque country, it is the Basque nationalists. We, the democratic Basque nationalists, have provided enough proof of our good will, our rejection of violence, our fight against terrorism and our defence of freedoms.

Political group: Verts-ALE
All over Europe the funding of political parties is tainted by sleaze which is bad for democratic politics. For that reason I believe that European funding for European-wide political activity, be it for or against the European Union, should be considered seriously, so long as that activity remains within the accepted parameters of Western values. Nonetheless I have serious reservations about some of the detailed proposals in the Report, as well as considering it not to have a proper legal base.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I wish first of all to praise the rapporteur, Mr Skinner, who has done very well in describing a large number of measures which must be taken if the supply of risk capital in Europe is to be increased. If we are to be able to attain the very optimistic objective set in Lisbon two years ago, according to which Europe is to be the world’s top economy by the year 2010, measures must be taken quickly to increase companies’ access to risk capital. Time is running out, and the United States is increasing its lead. As the rapporteur also points out, it is especially important to review the conditions governing small and medium-sized enterprises, for it is among these that regeneration and technical development take place. It is also small and medium-sized enterprises that can give rise to new job opportunities. We know that risk capital investments have fallen in Europe. In such a situation, it is easy to revert to the solution applied in the past: public funding. However, that would lead not to strong and healthy companies but to companies which, though certainly new, would be dependent upon subsidies. It is therefore important to emphasise that state support can only be justified in exceptional circumstances. The overall business climate is crucial to the success or otherwise of the European economy and the economies of the Member States. One clear example of a country that is deficient in this area is Sweden, which has experimented a great deal with state aid and so excluded healthy competition. Since 1960, not a single large company has been started up in Sweden. The report discusses much that is important to small and medium-sized enterprises, and what clearly emerges from this discussion is that there are still administrative, legal and cultural obstacles to be overcome and that too little has been done to remove these. It is essential that the work required continue at a brisker pace because access to risk capital is a prerequisite of companies’ growth and development. It must be possible for companies which go bankrupt to be given another chance. To try and then fail must not lead to companies’ being stigmatised due to bankruptcy legislation. Otherwise, no one in the end will want to go out on a limb. People who are prepared to do just that, together with the availability of risk capital, are the indispensable features of a growing economy.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, there is a practice in this House of thanking and complimenting rapporteurs and sometimes I have to confess that I feel it can be overdone. But on this occasion I wish to say that it would not be overdone if I, on behalf of myself and my Group, particularly thank and congratulate the rapporteur on her work. Perhaps I might also, as a new Member of the House, and therefore of the committee, thank her for the marvellous job she does as the chairman of our committee – for the courtesy and kindness, but firmness with which she carries out its business. I have some sympathy with Commissioner Bolkestein here today. Parliamentary debates are not always marked by tremendous cut-and-thrust but today I fear it is a procession because we are all standing up and saying that we agree with each other. Is this, we ask ourselves, the death of ideology? I suppose we could excuse ourselves with the thought that we are debating more with the medium here than the message. We are dealing with the creation of a new medium and therefore one which creates an urgent and acute need for regulation and for common regulation on a grand scale. It is therefore, and I think we are all correct about this, vital that we get on with it and that we do not risk unnecessary delay in bringing this into effect. Nevertheless, I was very grateful to my colleague, Mrs Ahern, also from the committee, for raising some points of continuing concern tonight and I would like to thank again the rapporteur for the device whereby she has introduced in an addendum to the resolution the points about the intermediate service providers and codes of conduct. That is important and I hope that the Commission will be taking that on board. Coming as I do from one of the very remote parts of Europe, it is exciting to speculate on the possibility that these new media will help to correct the apparently unstoppable drift to the centre and the decay of the outlying parts of all our countries and societies. In these circumstances we should welcome the chance to bring in an effective regulation on e-commerce. We must also remember that there is another kind of exclusion other than geographical. There is the lack of skill in these technologies. We are also challenged – albeit outside the scope of this directive – to make sure that we do not have an exclusion of people by ignorance or the lack of access to the instruments of this medium of communication. So let us be sure that we carry the directive but do not forget the other problems.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I will begin by congratulating the Commissioner on his reassuring words of introduction to this delicate matter. From 1 January 2005, the textile industry will indeed face a great challenge: after that date, quantitative restrictions on access to European Union, United States and Canadian markets will be lifted for all members of the World Trade Organisation. In other words, WTO members will have almost unrestricted access to those markets. In accordance with the Doha Development Agenda, the aim of this measure is to channel the liberalisation of international trade in such a way as to benefit developing countries. The textile industry is very important in these countries. I would mention India, Pakistan and China in particular. China is a typical case: the World Bank predicts that its textile exports will double in the next five years. As the Commissioner mentioned, this sector is tremendously significant. The jobs of 2 000 000 people and total revenues of EUR 200 billion depend on it. After expansion, the number of people employed in this sector will rise to over 2 500 000. This industry has one of the longest traditions in my country’s economic structure. Portugal is one of the biggest textile and clothing producers in the Union. Its exports in this sector represent 20% of its total exports. Portuguese textile products are a feature of all the major world markets, especially in the European Union and the United States. The Portuguese textile and clothing industry is mainly composed of small and medium-sized enterprises, almost exclusively concentrated in the north of the country. Under these circumstances, it is vital to reflect at length on how to minimise the negative effects and maximise the potential released for European Union businesses by liberalised markets. It is essential to consolidate those features which will allow European textile companies to compete on the open market. The only possible methods of maintaining and increasing the significance and importance of the textiles and clothing sector in the European and world economies are research, technological development, information technology, training and professional development. The institutions concerned should guarantee that conditions favour competitiveness and respect for international commercial law. In particular, they should combat starvation wages and child labour, as well as promoting improvements in welfare and health benefits, guarantees of basic employment rights, and the adoption of anti-fraud and other provisions. In the specific case of Portugal, the next step should be a round of multilateral negotiations, under the auspices of the Doha Development Agenda, which will then be translated into tariff harmonisation and removal of non-tariff barriers. In practice, this will allow access to the market. We are aware of the great challenge we are facing. We maintain that future negotiations should be conducted thoroughly, without rushing, in order to achieve a balance between the Doha development commitments and the interests of the Union textile and clothing industry.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Mr Katiforis’s report has the virtue of having brought life, debate and controversy to a communication in which the European Commission limits itself to listing a series of good intentions, although recognising its inability to put these into practice. Mr Katiforis has certainly not lacked the courage to set out the measures which, in his opinion, could help to improve and conserve the natural resources of the sea. Yet I must say that I disagree with many of his proposals because I am with those who believe that it is not just resources which are important in the fisheries sector but also the human beings who have been carrying out this activity for centuries. I agree with the rapporteur that the European fisheries and environmental policies should be better coordinated. However, what we are basically missing is the political courage and determination of the Commission and the Member States to take decisions and apply the current regulations. Maritime transport, employment and energy should be integrated together with fisheries and the environment. As for the Structural Funds, certain examples could be mentioned but I will leave this for another day. The European Parliament is aware of the limited resources and the need for responsible fisheries. The Commission and Member States should be meticulous in respecting the TACs and the quotas fixed in accordance with objective scientific criteria. The same yardstick should be used for everyone. As Mr Katiforis says, discards are a waste of resources which we cannot accept. Twenty million tonnes of unwanted catches are being thrown back. The fleet must therefore use increasingly selective fishing gear. This House has already indicated its opposition to driftnets and yet it is evident that certain countries are not only not respecting the undertaking to eliminate these nets but are increasing the number of vessels using these or simply not providing data given the passiveness of the national and Community authorities. We s consider that to defend the common fisheries policy is to defend a regulated and controlled fisheries sector. It is therefore essential that the Commission launches an information campaign on the CFP with this message. Without a common fisheries policy there can only be lack of control, damage to the environment and an unsustainable economic activity.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, on a point of order. I hope we are not going to have our votes delayed every month by a diatribe about the position of the radicals and other non-attached Members. The Committee on Constitutional Affairs has now appointed a rapporteur. If there was a delay in appointing a rapporteur it is because the representative of the radicals at the meeting of the coordinators to agree a rapporteur asked for it to be postponed. It was at their request that it was postponed in the first place. It is the height of hypocrisy to come here and accuse the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of taking its time on it. Meanwhile, as regards the tabling of amendments you have exactly the same right as every other Member to table amendments with 32 signatures. If you cannot even get 32 signatures to support a position then it is not worth wasting the time of plenary voting on that position. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
I wonder when it will be our turn, when B52s or lethal cyber war weapons will attack our buildings, or maybe those in France, perhaps with the support of Great Britain and others. A paradox? No. We can expect even this from the fundamentalist culture of Bush’s council. I have seen an Iraqi baby’s lacerated head, lacerated by the weapons of those who call themselves liberators. Those bodies and images are no different from those of the Kurdish baby girl poisoned by Saddam’s chemical weapons, the little Palestinian boy slaughtered by the Israeli army, the little Israeli girl killed by a suicide bomber or the bodies of the Twin Towers victims. With this war, the masks have come off. The USA is not complying with international law: consider Kyoto, the International Criminal Court, the death penalty, star wars, the use of weapons of mass destruction. United States militarism is a danger to the international community; a policy of domination and death is a danse macabre between terrorism and this policy. However, it is also from the United States, from its people, that hope and an alternative are emerging: huge groups are saying ‘no’ to the war, ‘no’ to terrorism, ‘no’ to revenge, as they are all over the world. What can and should we do? How can we make the countries waging this war of aggression comply with the agreement ratified in the United Nations after the Second World War? Europe cannot simply say: we will take care of the reconstruction. Our efforts should be channelled into stopping an unlawful war. The present, Mr Simitis, is the past and also the future. This is why we must prevent Iraqi, British and American citizens dying. We say that the UN should be the organisation to act: and so let us convene the Security Council and the United Nations Assembly. Europe must be united, of course, but it must be united in saying ‘no’ and in ending this war. Rabiya, a young Iraqi girl, told me with great intensity: ‘You are killing our dreams too; you are killing our dream that we can free ourselves from Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship’. (Applause from the left)

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I too would like to be feeling happy and optimistic today as a result of this legislative progress and to congratulate the Commissioner and my fellow Members, rapporteurs and non-rapporteurs, and even myself, but as a citizen from Galicia and given that these legislative proposals result – as we have heard here over and over again – from the Prestige disaster, please allow me to make a different – although I hope complementary – point. It seems to me positive that this tragedy, which the Commission euphemistically describes as ‘an accident of great media interest’, should lead to significant legislative changes which lead to criminal prosecution in the event of illegal behaviour. But I am concerned that it may become generally accepted that by resolving the issue of illegal discharges we are resolving more than half of the problem of sea pollution with hydrocarbons, since the Commission states that the majority of that pollution is not due to accidents but to deliberate discharges. I also fear that the future may lead us to forget the present and this is a disaster which has not yet come to an end, as demonstrated by the new slick of fuel oil which is currently reaching the French coasts or the 14 000 tonnes of fuel oil still contained in the wreck awaiting a solution. I therefore say that concern for the future must not make us legislators forget the present. The present, ladies and gentlemen, means the three great questions which the citizens of my region are quite rightly still asking and which have not received a European response: compensation for the parties affected, environmental problems and the solution to the issue of the wreck. Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy that our disaster should lead to Community legislation moving forward, but I am also firmly convinced – and I hope to convince you – that Europe must have mechanisms for providing a European response, which does not yet exist, to these disasters, which are going to continue to occur.

Political group: PSE