Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the statistics are now arriving thick and fast regarding what is, to say the least, a tragic situation. Apart from the figures, though, I think that we should be shocked by the trend revealed by these statistics: this population which potentially has a death sentence hanging over it, despite the efforts of mankind, continues to grow. According to the statistics, it has more than doubled in the last 30 years, and this is what should really concern us. Furthermore, in addition to these people, to those who are in danger of dying from starvation and malnutrition, that is it seems, more than 30 million in Africa and 800 million in Latin – central and south – America, there are the millions of AIDS victims who each day truly represent a historic blot on the conscience of global society, which is unable to provide the necessary amount of resources during aid interventions and which is unable, above all, to make pharmaceutical multinationals forego patent fees and royalties, at least for emergency products. This endemic situation of poverty, hunger and disease is accentuated by the acute economic and social crises which have trapped these countries in a downward spiral from which there is no escape. The undertaking by governments and private parties to making these countries self-sufficient no longer suffices, and is barely coping with circumstances, with the daily emergency. The economies therefore contract under the burden of public and international debts. In order to tackle this emergency, as we know, the European Union has opened up its markets – in addition to expressing its solidarity – and has granted direct aid, but it is not enough: the efforts of many governments to limit or cancel debts incurred in the past by these countries does not yet go far enough. In this connection, I would like to point out a development which has been overlooked to a large degree: during the G8 Summit in Genoa in July 2001, at the initiative of the Italian Government, the summit of the most developed countries was preceded by a meeting with a large group of representatives from countries with public debt, starvation and poverty problems. Well, this was not a merely symbolic or ritual gesture: that day, almost a third of the large, huge public debt of these countries was discharged. Unfortunately, this result went unnoticed because of the rioting in the streets which attracted all the mass media’s attention. Lastly, I would like to say a few words, in these appalling circumstances, on the valuable, irreplaceable role of the NGOs in all the Community and non-Community countries, which have always been on the front line in this war against starvation and death from malnutrition and AIDS. The Commission really must substantially boost programmes devoted to them. It must be said that, by themselves, these volunteers are achieving measures which are of a much higher quality and is much more convincing than those of all the western governments, and, above all, that they manage to put much more enthusiasm into this work, providing resources and solidarity, firm in the belief, Mr President, that no-one can feel free and happy if the others around them are not free and happy too.

Political group: PPE-DE