GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, please allow me to add something to what Mrs Gebhardt has said. The things she has described have made a deep impression on me, but, Mrs Gebhardt, there was just one thing missing. The reason why these violations of human rights outrage us is that a European woman is involved. We should, though, be aware that Muslim women – and not only in Dubai – are exposed to the same violations of human rights on a daily basis.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I would like to start by thanking Mrs Müller and Mrs Grossetête for their work and for the goodwill they have displayed in working on reports on subjects which are certainly difficult and complex for all but the experts. The primary objective of all the institutions – Parliament, the Commission and the Member States – should be to introduce, at last, new legislation which is better than the previous legislation and which will provide all patients, including those suffering from serious, terminal illnesses, with as rapid access as possible to new medicinal products which are more powerful and easier to tolerate than existing medicinal products, to alleviate their suffering and extend and improve their quality of life. In the short space of time available to me, I will focus on just a few points. As regards the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products, I am completely opposed to the proposal regarding the membership of the management board. A management board such as that proposed by the Commission, and by the rapporteur, Mrs Müller, too, would certainly be doomed to failure. The presence on the management board of members representing the institutions and, in addition, of members with conflicting interests – such as industry, patients and insurance companies – would only lead to confusion, wasted time and major disputes. The second point I would like to make concerns the centralised procedure, where evaluation is carried out by the European Agency. The concept of ‘new medicinal product’ needs to be better defined, Commissioner. What is meant by the term ‘new medicinal product’? Does it refer to a medicinal product which has the same structure as existing medicinal products but with a very small change, or does it actually refer to medicinal products with a new chemical structure? I hope that you and the Council will think again on this matter.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I should like to thank Mr Papayannakis and Mr Lannoye and congratulate them on their important reports. The Johannesburg World Summit is another outstanding opportunity for tackling head-on the vast, complex problems facing the human race, most especially those people who live in the poorest countries. We look forward to it with inevitable expectation and grant it the importance due to an event that may or should lead the international community to draw up an agenda effectively aiming at the sustainable development of the planet, the improvement of living standards and the eradication of poverty, rooted in the agreements reached at the Rio Earth Summit. We should like to be optimistic, even though there are plenty of reasons to hold a different or even opposing view: the enormous delays in complying with the gains made at Rio, the North-South divide, the perpetuation of poverty and the debt itself, the insistence on unsuitable and unfair economic recipes, the lack of political will on the part of the rich countries – especially the United States – to alter guidelines that they themselves determine and to make available the resources needed for world-wide change, which, after all, would benefit everybody. Even recently, Monterrey, despite its last-minute decisions, was yet another reason to dampen our much-needed optimism. Under these circumstances, we must now urge the Member States and the Commission once and for all to adopt a position in keeping with the scourges that affect the world and to push for guidelines, measures and the means needed for fair and sustainable development, linking environmental protection to the eradication of poverty. They must also commit themselves to an ambitious agenda for the next decade that will prevent the unacceptable failure that some already think is bound to result from this World Summit.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, we have been following the statements issued by the American administration over the last few days with mounting anger and anguish; basically, come what may, even if Saddam's dictatorship agrees to allow weapons inspectors in, Iraq is going to be attacked. The MEPs of the Communist Party of Greece – and I believe the people of Greece as a whole – are opposed to any such eventuality. With or without the blessing of the UN. We consider it absolutely absurd that the UN, which was founded in order to resolve differences peacefully, should be used to rubber stamp this sort of crime. But what incenses us most is that the American leadership has no compunction about advertising its highly dangerous position on a pre-emptive strike. Do you realise that what we have here is the worst kind of terrorism, targeting anyone who refuses to accept the hegemony of the United States, which has granted itself the right to attack anyone it considers represents or might represent a threat? The question, Mr President, is this: faced with this situation, is the European Parliament going to confine itself to playing Pontius Pilate and giving in? Whatever happens, we believe that our nations urgently need to join forces against this neo-Nazi policy and stop the paranoid criminals governing the United States of America.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, on behalf of the Group of the , I wish to reject the words of Mr Fischler – and his proposals – and I wish to support the motion for a resolution presented by various parliamentary groups, which has the practically unanimous support of this House. Mr Fischler, the European Commission must not continue to ignore the requests of the sectors affected. You cannot continue to insist that you alone are right and that we are all mistaken. You cannot ignore the fact that, if we do not adopt support measures for nuts and locust beans, many crops will eventually be abandoned. There will be irreparable consequences for many areas of the Union, from both socio-economic and environmental points of view. It must be said that both specific measures for nuts and locust beans, as well as the lump sum aid for hazelnuts, were in fact transitional measures aimed at the conversion of the crops, but there is no reason why they cannot be extended. Commissioner, a conversion in the agricultural sector cannot be treated as if it were a conversion in the industrial sector. In industry, one can modernise plants and improve productivity, but in the case of certain crops, however much investment is made, however many changes are made in terms of marketing, we cannot alter the fact that certain areas are arid or semi-arid. We cannot imagine that this problem can be resolved through the scant funds available in the rural development programmes. That is not the place to find a solution for these areas, as the Commissioner and the whole of the Commission seems to think. Furthermore, it does not appear that an extension of this aid until the adoption of the measures proposed in the resolution, nor even until the definitive measures themselves are adopted, will cause problems within the conversations in the World Trade Organisation. The sector produces a surplus and Community protection is minimal. If the quantities requested are not great, if there are no further problems, if this is the only way to maintain standards of living in certain areas, Commissioner, this aid must be retained.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, The President of the Commission has proclaimed this to be the decisive year and I would urge you, Mr President, to use this as an opportunity to put the relationship between the Commission and the Member States on a new footing. The Commission is the guardian of the Treaties. Hitherto, this meant that in fulfilling this role, the Commission placed special emphasis on the rights of the Community, and rightly so. But the unwritten rights of the Member States are there in the background of the Treaties and I believe it is high time that the Commission came to see itself more as the guardian of the rights of the Member States in the course of its work. I would urge you, Mr President of the Commission, to also become the advocate for the rights of the Member States, for what frustrates us on occasions about the way the Commission works, is its attempt, under the pressure of getting things done, to lay claim to certain rights. We must bear in mind that in future, more must be done to uphold the rights of the Member States. This is pre-requisite to Europe’s gaining acceptance. One example of this is the Federal Republic of Germany’s being composed of federal states, with the Länder having original rights. They must also be recognised by the Commission. It is difficult to imagine us amending the Treaty without the consent of Germany’s Länder, for example. Therefore, Mr President, please cast yourself in the role of advocate for the rights of the Member States. Accordingly, we demand a catalogue of competences that clearly distinguishes between the rights of the Community and those that reside with the Member States. The Commission would gain a great deal of support amongst the citizens of Europe if it was to follow this course, and we urge it to do so in the strongest terms.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, my thanks go to the rapporteur. In our view, the compromise that was struck in the committee constitutes a significant step towards greater consumer protection. At long last we have legal security on additional issues and not just voluntary commitments from the airlines. Moreover, the regulation is of course also being extended to cover severe delays and flight cancellations. I was not infrequently the victim of cancellations by the former airline Sabena. No doubt other Members have had similar experiences with other airlines. Last but not least we are doubling the current levels of compensation, which will also be more subtly differentiated than hitherto and divided into three bands. Clearly, the issue that we most need to discuss is the level of compensation. The objective of the regulation cannot be to abolish the practice of overbooking, but it can be to ensure that this procedure is used in a more reasonable, customer-oriented way. Of course, we could also eliminate overbooking, as the low-cost carriers have done, if, on the other hand, flights were non-exchangeable and a no-show meant that a flight was automatically forfeited. But this is neither consumer-friendly nor justifiable on environmental grounds. Consumers need flexibility when they are planning their journeys and half-empty planes make no sense at all from an environmental point of view. The economic argument is even more persuasive. If overbooking were abolished, air prices would inevitably rise and we cannot expect either consumers to put up with this or indeed the airlines, which are up against international competition. A further reason why we can support the compromise struck in the committee on compensation levels is because we think it is important for consumers to benefit from these improved and binding rules as quickly as possible and not have to wait for them for years because the legislation is, as is so often the case, still sitting in the Council. In the interests of consumers, my group will be voting against part of Amendment No 29, because we think that compensation only for flights that are cancelled up to 48 hours before departure is unreasonable. At least two weeks is required here and this should be negotiated afterwards with the Council and the Commission. In addition, we think that the inclusion of package tours in the Commission proposal is unnecessary, because they are covered by the directive on package tourism. The fact that the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism has advocated the introduction of a scheme to rank airlines by user-friendliness is a strong vote in favour of the consumer. A ranking system of this kind, as is quite usual in the USA, can help to stimulate competition between the airlines on quality and on which provides the most consumer-friendly overall service. I hope that this proposal is also upheld in the plenary. Against the background of the current situation, this report represents a determined step towards greater consumer-friendliness. Many a consumer dream may fly on, but they are hopelessly overbooked. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, in spite of everything, Europe is making some progress with this Regulation, first of all because it legally holds up the European political parties as essential instruments for the formation of a European public opinion. That is, we are getting closer to the citizens and strengthening democracy. Secondly, we are clarifying the nature of the resources of these parties by ensuring the transparency of their Community public funding, subject to the usual controls by means of audits and the Court of Auditors, while separating it from any mixing with national parties. Thirdly we are enhancing Parliament's status by giving it responsibility for the legal recognition of the European parties and the initial political decision on the degree to which each conforms to the common democratic values on which the existence of the Union is based. This Regulation, which comes in the wake of the Tsatsos report and incorporates the essence of the philosophy behind it, is the first great achievement of the Institutional Arch on which European democracy is founded. It opens the door for the speedy conclusion of the statute of Members and assistants and also for the much needed uniform electoral law for the European Parliament. I would say we have taken the first steps in the agreements for structuring Community democracy on the basis of European citizenship. As draftsman of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market, I must express my sincere admiration for the work contained in the report and for Mrs Schleicher's endeavours. She maintained great openness, receiving contributions from the other committees, including the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market. She worked with an open mind and, through her approach, enhanced the European Parliament's contribution, giving us the confidence that, as we have already seen, the Council will understand us and we shall soon have a definitive statute for the European political parties, at least in the framework of this legal base. I would therefore like to thank Mrs Schleicher very much for her work.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, the wars going on in the Congo are tribal wars – ethnic wars – which, in terms of their duration and the devastation they cause, are basically comparable to Europe's religious wars of the seventeenth century, such as the Thirty Years War. The Congo has been called a continent in a continent and the disaster there is indeed taking place on a continental scale. The Ituri region should be one of the most beautiful in the world. If peace were to prevail, it could be a centre of tourism and prosperity. That is why – and I would like to make this very clear – our task is not to point the finger arrogantly at others but to provide help by attempting to deploy our troops in the country as part of a robust peacekeeping mission. We really cannot leave this task to the French, no matter how grateful we should be to them. At present, we spend a great deal of time arguing over the role of the UN. We are moving towards an odd situation in which major powers want to create legitimacy and the UN, with all its shortcomings, is expected to provide the instruments. It has to be the other way round. The UN must provide legitimacy and the world's major stabilising factors must attempt to supply the instruments. For example, a politically and militarily united Europe, in partnership with the United States, can be a peacebuilding factor there, but a group of troops slung together arbitrarily without a mandate cannot. This is not an isolated or indeed a minor problem. In Africa, survival is the problem, and the Congo is its most acute manifestation. These conflicts are also inflamed, not least, by vested interests in the country's resources. We cannot leave the task to the Congo's neighbours, for in many cases, there are ethnic groups in these countries who also have an interest in fanning the flames of conflict in the Congo. As we have seen, the borders are artificial, with ethnically homogeneous peoples living on both sides of them. If there is to be peace, there has to be a new order, and we must make a robust and substantial contribution to achieving this at last.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, as other Members have already done, I would like to thank Mrs Miguélez Ramos for the truly exemplary way she has handled this extremely important, weighty, complicated, complex task, endeavouring to incorporate Members’ views as far as possible. That said, many speakers have reiterated that we are satisfied with the finished product. We cannot be entirely satisfied, but then that may have been inevitable. There are various issues which are as yet unresolved; these are the issues on which we and the Commission will have to work in the coming years, particularly over the next six months. We all know which issues remain unresolved. For my part, I would like to identify what might be called three criteria which, if applied, could enable us to find viable solutions to the individual issues. Firstly, we must not take the line of imposing penalties. This approach too was the result of an excessive desire to educate, to make fishermen understand that if there are no fish they will not be able to continue to make a living. But that is in the natural order of things; it is common sense. The operators know that conserving fish stocks is the best way to preserve their jobs and they are therefore on our side. Secondly, we need more imaginative solutions. For example, we have been pursuing the exclusive line of trying to reduce the fishing effort for years now and we know that that line does not yield results, so let us now try to find a different solution. Thirdly, we need to be aware that we cannot have a common policy which all support if we do not involve the institutions, the operators and the territories. That is why we need regionalisation. If we apply these three criteria, I believe it will be possible to find a viable solution to all the issues raised on which we are focusing, and that we will be able to produce a balanced proposal which combines a common policy with respect for the diversities and individual characteristics of each of our countries. IN THE CHAIR: MR PODESTÀVice-President

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner Verheugen, first of all I would like to express my appreciation for the great work that has been carried out. Having said that, I have a specific question relating to Cyprus and Turkey. I greatly welcome the clarification in the progress report of the fact that the non-resolution of the Cyprus issue is an obstacle. I think that it is also extremely difficult to imagine beginning negotiations with a country that is, at the same time – as will be the situation under international law from May next year – occupying part of the EU territory. This leads me to ask a specific question: at present Turkish citizens in their masses are being given passports for the illegal North Cypriot state, which is intended, on the one hand, to change the demographic situation and, on the other, to prevent an opposition victory. That is the current situation. Even if we do not recognise this election, we know that the result will greatly influence what happens next. I think that it will also be extremely important for Turkey. My specific question to you is, therefore: do you think that it is possible to influence Turkey in this area and to make it clear that we want to put an end to this?

Political group: PSE
Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank my fellow Members for the last vote, and I would ask you to record in the Minutes the withdrawal of Amendment No 15 from the Turchi report. (Parliament adopted the legislative resolution) *** Report (A5-0218/2002) by Miquel Mayol i Raynal, on behalf of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, on the proposal for a Council directive amending Directive 92/81/EEC with regard to the possibility of applying a reduced rate of excise duty on certain mineral oils containing biofuels and on biofuels (COM(2001) 547 – C5-0030/2002 – 2001/0266(CNS)) (Parliament adopted the legislative resolution) *** Report (A5-0196/2002) by Paul Rübig, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy, on the Commission report to the European Parliament and the Council: Operation of the Euratom Safeguards Office 1999-2000 (COM(2001) 436 – C5-0535/2001 – 2001/2214(COS)) (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0222/2002) by Luckas Vander Taelen, on behalf of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, on the Commission communication on certain legal aspects relating to cinematographic and other audiovisual works (COM(2001) 534 – C5-0078/2002 – 2002/2035(COS)) (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0247/2002) by Goran Färm, on behalf of the Committee on Budgets, on the 2003 budget in view of the conciliation procedure before the Council's first reading (2002/2027(BUD)) (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0246/2002) by Guido Podestà, on behalf of the Committee on Budgets, on the 2002 budget: implementation profile, transfers and supplementary and amending budgets (2002/2084(BUD)) (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** *** EXPLANATIONS OF VOTE - Report Lange (A5-0221/2002)

Political group: PSE
Mr President, freedom of the press and freedom of opinion are the cornerstones of democracy. People who have lived under totalitarian regimes know how important it is to establish and build on this cornerstone to its fullest capacity in every state. They therefore also understand that manipulation of the press is an assault on democracy. In other words, when the press is compromised and manipulated, or when it loses its political plurality because it is a corporate monopoly, democracy is jeopardised to a high degree. We must therefore not only put our finger on the wound in third countries, in the reform states, in order to foster democratic development by promoting freedom of the press. We must also look at ourselves. I think it is especially important to ask ourselves whether an election can genuinely be described as democratic if a large number of the television channels are compromised. Should we not also consider whether this is an area where we can make a contribution? I think this applies to Russia as much as the EU Member States. I therefore believe that it is important to include press freedom as an indicator in the human rights report. Press freedom must be part of how we judge the clauses in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, how we judge how close the relations with Ukraine and Russia will be, but also how we judge the development of democracy in our own states. (Applause)

Political group: Verts-ALE