Mr President, may I begin by stating how bizarre it is that we are debating the extension of a regulation tonight in May 2000 that already expired last December and which, under the Commission’s proposal, would again expire in seven months’ time. As the rapporteur for this Parliament on the original resolution four years ago, I cannot but comment that this represents a failure of political commitment in Europe to aiding five million refugees, some of the poorest of the poor, in Asia and in Latin America. Nevertheless we are here now, and the Socialist Group supports the rapporteur’s recommendation for adoption of this regulation with the minimum of amendments, already agreed in principle with the Council, in order to allow a fast-track, one-reading approval of the extension, and in reality to allow refugee support projects this year to go ahead rather than be cancelled. The need for this work remains as strong as it did four years ago. It is no good us debating conflict resolution in the Parliament and then finding that the sole support to assist people when the guns are put down or when the period of immediate humanitarian assistance is at an end is then forgotten altogether. This regulation has enabled us to intervene in countries where there is deep conflict with serious abuses of human rights. For example in Afghanistan, which has today broken all world records for refugees with six million people having left the country since 1992, leaving the single largest and longest staying refugee population in the world. Or like the protection of the terrorised indigenous peoples fleeing from Burma. As one conflict ends another begins, as the half a million returnees expected in Timor by December this year go to demonstrate. On this regulation, we know that the Council has some divided thinking. I have to say, Mr Patten, I regret that the Commission does too. Whilst it has supported projects in Asia to a great degree it has failed to address properly and with sufficient vigour the problems of refugees and internally displaced people in Latin America. You know that I have spent much time visiting and studying the problems of violent, armed conflict in Colombia. In that country alone there have been 800 000 internally displaced people since 1996; 123 000 new internally displaced people between January and June last year. It is a disgrace that with this regulation the European Commission in the past has failed to address this problem. The sort of forced displacement that we have seen in Colombia I have seen too in Chiapas in southern Mexico where the presence of international aid workers is essential for the protection of human rights. Finally, I would like to congratulate Mr Deva on his report, thank him for his kind words in his speech and endorse what he says. I know he will be listening carefully to the Commissioner when he sums up to see if he will put on record that promise to ensure that a future proposal for a multiannual regulation comes forward and that the annual reports will be provided. With Mr Deva we ask those questions of you, Mr Patten, and if we do not get satisfactory answers the Socialists on this side of the House will be supporting Mr Deva in taking a very different stance on this report altogether. IN THE CHAIR: MR PROVANVice-President

Political group: PSE