GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, I voted against the Casaca report, not because I am against monitoring European Union expenditure, but because I consider that this is the moment to start changing the agricultural subsidy system. We can all see that the European Union Agriculture ship leaks like a sieve. I believe that, if we want to subsidise agricultural products and farmers in their activities, we must change our procedure completely. I propose that, instead of granting farmers financial aid, we should grant them tax reductions and reductions in their social service and pension contributions relating to their activities. These expenses would otherwise be borne by the States and therefore, to a lesser extent, by the European Union.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Guatemala, home to an ancient culture, is a country that has, again and again, suffered grave setbacks. Recent history shows us that, ever since the murder, in the seventies, of the German ambassador Graf Spreti, who was a diplomat and politician of note, this region of Central America has repeatedly found itself under the spotlight of European and German public opinion and was battered by one crisis after another, to which any response came too late. We were always too late in responding to the bloody acts of violence, to the revolutions, and to the terrorism. So I thank Mr Liese and all the others who have taken the initiative in putting forward this masterpiece of pre-emptive diplomacy, a brief resolution which, for the first time, is not a reaction to a crisis of the sort with which we are familiar in our debates on topical and urgent matters – although there is of course an acute crisis going on. Primarily, though, this is about prevention, and, moreover, prevention through action rather than through words. It gets right to the core issues, these being the whole area of agriculture and the reforms that it needs. Secondly, it turns to economic reform and the area of fiscal legislation, which really is bizarre. The crucial thing is that it also embeds the peace process, to which the European Union can make a substantial contribution by supporting and setting up dialogue, as well, of course, as in the field of economic cooperation and development aid. I am very grateful for this initiative. It is my belief that the real task of this House is not always to merely condemn, but to actively endeavour to devise strategies for minimising disasters, or averting them completely.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, it is important for this House to approve Mr Dary’s report, as the Commission proposal to introduce a tariff only system for banana imports by 2006 is unacceptable. The flat-rate system that the Commission intends to introduce would cause producers in the outermost regions of the European Union, such as Madeira and the ACP countries, to go bankrupt. Furthermore, the fiasco at the last World Trade Organisation meeting demonstrated that the WTO is in no position to meet the expectations and demands of the public and of consumers in certain respects, such as product quality, environmental protection, training, social conditions and worker protection, as is evident from the report. If our policies are to be consistent with our declarations of support for the ACP countries and for the development of the outermost regions of the European Union, we cannot allow agriculture in those regions and its future development – in which the production and export of bananas play a major part – to be squeezed by waves of dollar bananas from the large plantations that banana multinationals own in Latin America. It is against this background that we are supporting most of the amendments in the report, which we also contributed to. I have in mind in particular the call for a transitional period of not less than 10 years, and which should not imply a move to a tariff only system, as the Commission should assess the impact of the new situation on prices and on the income of banana producers in these regions, so as to ensure that compensatory aid can be adjusted, based on the principle of guaranteed income for producers.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I must apologise, because this is not a comment on yesterday‘s Minutes, but on the Minutes from the day before yesterday. Unfortunately, I noticed too late that my name was not on the attendance register. However, I was here the entire day and took part in all the roll-call votes and other votes. I would be grateful if this could therefore be corrected.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, the Commissioner has told us that vaccination has not been asked for. It is being asked for today in this House. A decision on vaccination is not easy. I understand that many farmers are reluctant to go down the route of vaccination but the effect of this outbreak is being felt not only by the farming community, but by hauliers, hoteliers and a whole host of tourist businesses who are suffering without compensation. The Commissioner told us the disease has cost EUR 170 million in eradication measures. It is costing far more in lost business. If science allows us to distinguish between animals which have been vaccinated and those carrying the disease, then vaccination should be allowed whenever requested. The lessons from the UK are of inadequate contingency planning, an inadequate number of vets due to cuts in government services and inadequate supplies of labour and materials. I would ask the Commissioner three questions. Are you satisfied with the UK's response to this disease? Are you satisfied that other countries have adequate contingency plans? Would you confirm that the first you heard of this disease in the UK was indeed on 20 February or were your services in fact tipped off about a possible outbreak some weeks earlier?

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, representatives of the Commission, this House has already seen lengthy discussions of whether or not there ought to be an institution or fund with the specific purpose of giving aid in times of catastrophe. It must be said in all honesty that many of us were sceptical, believing that it would prove to be a drain on our resources, but the great disaster over the past few weeks has, I believe, convinced us that solidarity is a proper response to such calamities. This is not just about financial support for countries that suddenly find themselves faced with a gigantic task; it is also – as already mentioned – a spiritual and moral issue, and also one on which this European Union of ours, which no longer evokes great enthusiasm, can gain added public support if it shows that it is acting in a spirit of solidarity. My group is therefore unambiguously in favour of the creation of a new financial instrument with all the precautions that honesty requires that we take in a disaster situation. Firstly, the disasters concerned must be of major dimensions, and we must not encourage the delusion that we can supplant the efforts of the nation states; we can and must supplement them, but that is no substitute for effort at a national level. I would like again to underline what Commissioner Barnier said with reference to prevention. Not only must we – where this is possible – provide for a return to the natural state, but we must also put preventive measures in place using all our technical knowledge, as for example happened in my home city of Vienna, where we have again been spared disaster. What this means is that the states cannot take it for granted that they will keep getting money when disasters strike, and then, for years on end, carry on with planning and population policies that have failed utterly. The last point I would like to make has already been mentioned a couple of times, but it cannot be too clearly emphasised, namely, that we must help speedily. I know we all have certain time limits to keep to and so on, but I see some plans which state that the present is perhaps to arrive before Christmas or only after it, when it is too late. It is too late for people to have an experience of the European Union as a real help. So I am asking everybody in Parliament, but especially the Commission, to prepare matters as speedily as possible and in so efficient a manner that both the Council and Parliament can give their prompt agreement. If we can tell people that this has been done, then, I believe, it will be with greater enthusiasm that they will be able to say ‘yes’ to this European Union of ours. (Applause)

Political group: PSE
Madam President, I regret that the report we are discussing this afternoon, being an own-initiative report, is not subject to the corresponding legislative procedure in the Commission and that the Council of Ministers is not going to give its opinion on it. I believe it is an excellent description of the problems worrying the Community tuna fleet, as well as its processing industry. It is true, as we have acknowledged many times in the Committee on Fisheries, that tuna is the most globalised segment of the fisheries sector, and that the Community market demands more product – both fresh tuna and processed tuna – than its fleet and its canning sector can provide. We therefore believe that Mr Fischler’s commitment to unreservedly defend our tuna sector, our fleet and our canning and processing sector is important, just as the governments of third countries promote actions in favour of their own fisheries sectors. By acting in this way, the Commission will defend the European social model and the economic and social cohesion of regions such as mine which largely depend on this industry. We join with the rapporteur, Mr Varela, in calling on the Commission to draw up a strategy in relation to tuna, the preservation of the most threatened species, such as bluefin tuna, and of the most vulnerable fishing grounds. We want fishing and marketing to respond to sustainable and environmental criteria, as well as food safety principles and that, therefore, control mechanisms be established at borders so that imported products have the same phytosanitary guarantees as those originating from our own fleet and industry. This Community strategy we are asking the Commission for is all the more urgent if we consider the vulnerability of our sector to possible unfair competition and the precariousness of many thousands of jobs in our industry, the majority of them carried out by women. We therefore urge the Commission to continue exerting pressure at international level in order to ensure that the principles of this responsible fishing are respected, and that it continue to promote controls and inspection, but we hope that in relation to tuna what we have seen on other occasions does not happen: that what Penelope Fischler weaves by night is unravelled by Penelope Lamy by day. We therefore hope that the criteria which Commissioner Fischler has expressed today turn out to be those which win out.

Political group: PSE
The amendments that have been tabled consolidate amendments to the Regulation currently in force that clarify ideas, establish criteria for allocating slots and their legal nature and the possibility of slot transfers, they adopt international concepts of facilitated and coordinated airports, replacing previous designations of coordinated and entirely coordinated airports. Nevertheless, I must point out that, by replacing these with the titles of facilitator and coordinator, the first appears to have a consultative rather than a regulatory role, and so we could ask whether the operation of these facilitated airports will be effective, specifically in terms of the distribution of slots. Since this proposal would lead to only really congested or ‘coordinated’ airports having clear legal regulation, the laws will only apply in a small number of situations, which could be a step backwards in the slot allocation system. - Report Klass (A5-0139/2002)

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, the loss of the oil tanker, Erika, triggered a long list of activities on the part of the Commission. That is good. However, it would have been better to act before an accident than after one. There are two interesting factors in this context. The first is that the Erika was registered in Malta. Malta-registered vessels have been involved in quite a few losses. In the current membership negotiations, there are therefore reasons for imposing far-reaching requirements when it comes to maritime safety and the environment. The second factor is that the Erika had been approved by an Italian classification society. There has been a lack of supervision of classification societies. This is shown, in particular, by the fact that the same classification society also approved the Ievoli Sun, which sank less than a year after the Erika. Tougher demands upon classification societies are therefore one of the most important components of the proposal we are to adopt a position on. Such a system would have placed a number of question marks over this particular classification company and certainly over a number of others, too. Other efforts are required, too. It is important that the rules governing double hulls should be as stringent here as in the United States. However, rules alone are not enough. The Ievoli Sun was only eleven years old and fitted with a double hull. However, the vessel was poorly maintained, had a poorly trained crew and had been detained in a Dutch port three times before the accident occurred. It is therefore of the greatest importance also to tighten up on Port State Control and clearly to increase the minimum standard for both vessels and classification societies. The proposal tabled by the Commission is crucial and an important step in the right direction.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, I want to deal with two issues; one is data retention and the other is opt-in, opt-out. First of all, opt-in, opt-out. I have to say, it is absolutely appalling, in any arena of politics, to set expectations which cannot be met. The whole idea of opt-in has been put forward as the solution to end spam. Let me put this on the record. The Commission's proposals on opt-in will not stop one iota of spam whatsoever. Spammers do not abide by laws or regulations. They operate offshore and if we want to drive SMEs, the so-called engine of the new economy, out of the EU, then this is the way to do it. On the issue of data retention, Groucho Marx has been referred to tonight. Actually, there were three brothers and the contributions I have heard tonight lead me to believe that the three brothers Groucho, Chico and Harpo are present. The whole deletion of this article on data retention which is now being called for was never, ever called for in committee. What is this idea that it is a stitch-up, that groups come together to reach a compromise that ill serves the civil liberties of ordinary men and women? Civil liberties, let us remind ourselves, need protecting from the international terrorists who operate cross-border terrorism, drug-trafficking, transnational crime, the trafficking of women and children. These are the civil liberties that we seek to protect with these proper, balanced data retention rules that are in the proposals before Parliament. I hope Parliament does the sensible thing, which is to vote in favour of the data retention proposals. We must respect the civil liberties of our citizens, and we do, but equally, we must not allow those who operate across our borders to abuse civil liberties to promote their crimes. I could say a lot more, but thankfully my time is up.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, for a long time, cigarette smuggling has had a rather romantic appeal in Italy, which it acquired particularly after the war thanks to the influence of neorealist films. However, the events taking place in Puglia and the South of Italy are not at all romantic. Quite the opposite. The tragic death of two customs and excise officers is a European issue as well as a question of Italian public safety, and it is not just a question of European safety, but also, and above all, an issue which has a bearing on our relations with our neighbours across the Adriatic. The European Union is making a substantial contribution to the reconstruction of the former Yugoslavia. The actions of the local authorities and our initiatives to assist them are absolutely vital elements in the fight against organised crime, and are therefore also crucial for the safety of Europeans. We regret that the joint resolution did not take up our suggestion to make the new reconstruction programmes conditional upon an undertaking by the governments of the former Yugoslavia to cooperate actively in the fight against organised crime. However, we hope that the Council and the Commission will be able to mobilise these governments through their endeavours and that an effective action of this kind will be instigated at the Conference scheduled for 19 and 20 May, in which both institutions are to take part.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Overall, I feel that we can but support this agreement, for the reasons expressed by Messrs Westendorp y Cabeza and Seguro, whose opinions I share. However, today’s debate has revealed that it does have shortcomings, such as the failure to make an adequate connection between economic liberalisation and the guarantee of the respect of human and democratic rights, the rights of trade unions and rights in the area of child employment. The report also contains an alarming derogating clause regarding the origin of products, which will obviously penalise European produce, in particular in the textiles, clothing and footwear industries. Since this involves highly labour-intensive European manufacturing industries, it would be truly absurd if this penalisation were to benefit practices which run contrary to the principles of human rights or to benefit unacceptable working practices such as child employment or an absence of trade union protection. It really would be absurd if, to the detriment of our own footwear and clothing industries, we were to work to the advantage of companies and situations which violate those human rights that we have always vowed to protect. I therefore feel that the Council and the Commission should take great care when implementing this agreement, and continually monitor its application for as long as it is in force. I support the agreement in its entirety, for it certainly represents a step forward. However, I also call for scrutiny, care and prudence regarding this agreement for its entire duration.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I should like to thank the President-in-Office of the Council for the answers I have been given. I have just one more question. When the President-in-Office of the Council speaks of the exceptional circumstances in Italy and of this not having to create a precedent, I would ask if Italy has now itself implemented the common rules so that, form now on, the Italian milk producers too pay a special duty for exceeding the production quotas.

Political group: ELDR
Mr President, the very recent and all too familiar disasters that have taken place in the Mont Blanc and Gotthard tunnels reveal the terrible truth about Europe’s current transport policy. And in this case, revealing the truth can only lead to condemnation. The world of road transport seems to have broken free from any legal framework, from any control standards. Freight companies exempt themselves from having operating permits, work permits are becoming optional for drivers who increasingly come from outside the Union, when their driving times verge on the limit and when they themselves verge on sleep. How many more Gotthards and Mont Blancs must go up in flames before they are covered by strict legislation, by an effective system of controls which is both harmonised and trans-European? The residents of all sensitive or high-density areas and all professionals are calling for Europe to intervene and the matter is of the greatest urgency. The most sensible course of action would now be to set up safety escorts for convoys of lorries in every major tunnel. Until this first safety measure is put in place, lives will still be in danger when these two accident-stricken tunnels are reopened. We must no longer be asked to show patience over this harmonisation of safety standards for tunnels. Instead, the finger must be clearly pointed and this political nervousness, this lack of commitment on the part of public authorities to the costly but necessary restructuring of underground tunnels must be condemned. Although a review of practices in the road transport sector is required, an in-depth discussion of our transport policy is no less needed. The tragedies that have taken place in these tunnels demonstrate the physical and ideological shortcomings of the ‘everything by road’ approach, which clogs up transport links and chokes the environment. Let us open up our eyes, then, and cast off the blinkers that force us to see only roads, and we will finally see the entire European network of stations and railway lines that are almost completely overlooked in terms of providing piggyback transport. We will see that some ports, such as those in Italy, offer transit options that are likely to reduce traffic considerably on the road links of European trade. The memory of the victims of Gotthard and Mont Blanc must inspire us to adopt a new approach, one that is more forward looking and more respectful of our means of transport.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, Commissioner, as we heard from our fellow MEPs, such a long time after the military coup in Pakistan, we are further removed from real democracy and rule of law. We also note that the Pakistani military junta is providing active support to the inhumane Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Following Commander Massud’s visit to the European Parliament, the Pakistani Embassy addressed the President of our Parliament with a plea for a negotiated solution in Afghanistan. We too call for a political solution to the Afghan conflict. We too realise that the sanctions against the Taliban regime could end up harming the population and could bring about streams of refugees. We value Pakistan’s condemnation of the destruction of the cultural heritage by the Taliban, but we expect more. The Pakistani Government should put an end to its support for the Taliban regime and the fundamentalist groups. It has to help Pakistan on its way to the rule of law and strive towards a sustainable peace in the region.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, in his original draft report, our rapporteur, Mr Napolitano, quite rightly described the dual challenge of taking account of the citizens’ attachment to their regional and local roots and, in moving from fifteen to twenty-five Member States, avoiding any weakening of the institutions’ operation. Regional and local authorities should therefore be offered the opportunity to contribute to the creation of Community policies and, where appropriate, to promote them, without ever replacing the Member States and the peoples of the Union, upon whom alone political and legal legitimacy rest. The European Union should not interfere in any way with the territorial organisation of its Member States. Furthermore, the Member States are completely free to organise, each for their own part, the participation of the regions in their decision-making processes. It should be the role of the Committee of the Regions to consult the regions at Community level and defend their interests. This process should also apply to monitoring the principle of subsidiarity. Contrary to what Mr Wuermeling has just said, the Committee of the Regions did not until now have the right to involve the Court. Any other solution would inevitably lead to an inactive and ineffective Union. Since a close vote in committee has altered the delicate balance secured by our rapporteur, it now falls to Parliament to reestablish this by voting for Amendment No 17 by Mr Corbett, intended to replace the controversial paragraphs 8 and 9 of the motion for a resolution.

Political group: PSE