GwendalTsang/DEFT09-parquet huggingface dataset:
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Graça Moura has submitted a report that shows how the school can indeed provide public access to culture. As you rightly pointed out though, Commissioner, there is a large gap between the theory that we have before us and the practice in European schools. In order to close this gap, we need to be more aware that in our changing and complex times, schools play a crucial role in creating cultural openness. This does not mean that we disregard the national cultural heritage, rather it means creating a wider cultural openness in which we live together beyond the bounds of borders and without hostility having a chance even to arise. Looking back upon my own school days, I have a very clear memory of a school exchange that took place with Sweden. At that time, the war had just ended and Germany was not a popular country. The Swedes were however willing to engage in a cultural dialogue with school pupils from my country. This left a lasting mark upon me, and I think this is the right way to go about it, so, in the amendments I have tabled – and which have happily been approved – I emphasise that today more than ever before the school is a place of intercultural dialogue. In my day we did not have any Turks or Italians at school. Today however, it is quite normal for there to be a mixture of different nationalities and this represents a great opportunity for intercultural dialogue and for conveying values such as respect for others and equality in spite of differences. This idea is reflected in the report and we must endeavour to see that it is implemented. These fine words must not be left to stand alone; those who are responsible for the education policy in their country must now make them their own. Commissioner, you pointed out that families have a part to play here, and this is also something that I have taken up. It is imperative for parents to work with the school and to have some personal involvement so that the overall concept finds support from everyone. And finally, I hope that this report will be approved by the majority and will eventually be transposed into policy.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, before beginning my speech, I must confess that I have a double interest in this issue. On the one hand, I am an owner of intellectual property, being the author of several books and publications, and, on the other, I am a member of the Internet Foundation, which has various supporters in this Parliament. Today coincides with an important event from the point of view of intellectual property in the information society, that is the judgment of the San Francisco Appeal Court in the Napster case, which brings us closer to finally resolving the vexed question of the use of the Internet to breach intellectual property rights. The judgment of the San Francisco Court of Appeal confirms intellectual property rights and establishes certain measures for the protection of intellectual property in the United States. The challenge facing us is to ensure that Europe also establishes a system which would safeguard intellectual property, otherwise we could find that, by means of installations in Europe, the effective protection measures which are currently being adopted in the United States under the Millennium Law, which has been in force for more than two years, could be violated. We are lagging behind the United States, and, in this respect, I am in agreement with the rapporteur in the sense that we should bring this directive into play as soon as possible. Now, in doing so, the Socialist Group is concerned that we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. We have tabled two amendments which we consider to be very important. Firstly, the amendment relating to what is known as private copying. Private copying, which was a traditional right of any person obtaining an intellectual work or intellectual property, must now, in the information society, be subject to very strict requirements, because of the enormous ease of reproduction. This amendment proposes that the private copy should be intended for the personal use of the person making it, because otherwise, given the ease of reproduction, we run the risk that many copies can be made for the private use of persons other than the person making the copy. Secondly, another very important amendment is the one relating to the incidental and transitional nature of reproduction. If, as a consequence of the processes established by the information society, it is necessary to make a copy of a transitional and incidental nature, this should be intended to be of a genuinely transitional nature. It would be unacceptable to create large libraries of intellectual property so that, at any given moment, the person who has been using that property can access it at will. We believe that the accumulation of requirements that they be of a transitional and incidental nature is essential to safeguarding intellectual property. I hope that in tomorrow's vote the various political groups can come to an agreement in order to offer alternatives which will truly guarantee the protection of intellectual property in the information society, since in a few years time, all intellectual property will probably be of the type that travels around the great communications networks.

Political group: PSE
I hope you will join with myself and James Elles and the other members of the all-party Kashmir Group in welcoming the renewed dialogue between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir. As everyone in this House knows, relations between India and Pakistan have been very difficult over the last few months, and since both countries are nuclear powers it is very important for this dialogue to be successful. I would reiterate the points made by James Elles as regards the Kashmiri people being involved in this dialogue at the earliest possible convenience and as regards ensuring that the European Union continues to offer its services as an honest broker, as agreed under the common foreign and security policy - if, that is, both India and Pakistan feel it necessary to take advantage of that offer.

Political group: ELDR
One of the Convention’s core tasks is to make proposals for simplifying and clarifying legal instruments and rules of procedure used by the EU, as well as to clarify which powers the Member States have delegated to the EU. The Convention’s efforts to bring about a uniform decision-making structure based on codecision and the Community model within a combined ‘constitutional treaty’ amount to important changes with a view to democratising the EU’s decision-making process and making it easier to grasp. The report contains sound proposals for new terminology aimed at clarifying the ways in which the EU’s legal instruments work and at making the decision-making process more easily accessible. The report makes it clear that the EU can only act in areas delegated by the Member States. Those areas that the Member States choose to delegate are characterised by the clear added value entailed in cooperation as distinct from the Member States’ acting individually, especially with regard to the internal market and the joint combating of serious cross-border crime. The report is unclear regarding whether treaty changes should only be based on the outcome of the Convention and whether future conventions need to approve possible changes by intergovernmental conferences to the conventions’ recommendations. An obligation on the part of future intergovernmental conferences to comply with the Convention would fundamentally alter the relationship between the EU and the Member States. The requirement of unanimity in the case of treaty changes must be maintained. The ratification processes must be respected and continue to operate as they do at present. What is also unclear is whether it will be possible for the proposed laws supplementary to the constitution, based on decision-making by qualified majority, to determine how the EU is funded in future. The funding of the EU must be decided upon unanimously. The Moderates are opposed to proposals that may lead to the EU’s being funded by EU taxes.

Political group: PPE-DE
Mr President, Commissioner, as draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy I would firstly like to express our admiration for the extraordinary work carried out by fishermen, their professional organisations and associations, and the thousands of volunteers, who have lessened the impact of the damage to the environment. At the same time, we would like to point out that, in addition to repairing the environmental damage and maintaining the aid for all those individuals and companies affected by the oil slick in the fisheries, seafood and aquaculture sectors, we must ensure fair compensation for all of the social and economic damage caused by the Prestige accident in the other industrial sectors affected, such as canning, commerce, transport, hotel and catering, tourism, etc. To this end, we call for the mobilisation of all Community funds and technical resources, without exception, for the adoption of the supplementary fund for compensation for oil pollution damage and for further budget resources for environmental impact assessments, compensation for losses not covered by a current international agreement, the creation of a network for the exchange of experience in the field of hydrocarbon pollution, emergency action plans, etc. For all these purposes, allocations of funds made to Objective 2 or other regions must have the same level of Community co-financing as Objective 1 regions, thus avoiding imbalances in treatment that would be unjustified in the case of damage caused by agencies outside the actual areas affected. We also request that the ban on the entry into EU ports for single-hull vessels carrying dangerous cargo be extended, by the creation of a specific EU law, to ships in transit through Community waters, as is the case in the United States. With what has been agreed up to now, we would not prevent a situation like the Prestige accident. On a personal note, I want to condemn the fact that the most effective operations to recover fuel in the high seas, carried out by the Basque Country’s fishing fleet, are to date the only operations in the entire Spanish State not to have received the aid provided for in the Community Regulation. I trust that this discrimination will not continue. Finally, we must not delay in establishing a temporary committee to examine in greater detail the causes and consequences of the Prestige accident and propose effective measures to prevent disasters like this in the future.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Madam President, I very much welcome this initiative. It was a very necessary initiative and I commend it. Universities are the cornerstone of our societies, so encouraging universities, students and teachers to forge closer links and share experiences will play a crucial role in enriching our societies. It will also increase European competitiveness, because universities play an important role now in the business sector. Many higher education establishments are already suffering a funding crisis and European Union higher education legislation will not be brought closer without proper financial commitment. I urge the Commission, the Council and Parliament to ensure this happens, because it is vital that this initiative is properly funded. However, I would have liked to see more emphasis on the teaching of modern foreign languages, since linguistic barriers are one of the main impediments to mobility. In my own country, the UK, the compulsory teaching of foreign languages is being cut back. Providing an optional language is very important. I commend this report to the House and fully support it.

Political group: Verts-ALE
Mr President, the rapporteur’s proposal and the proposals adopted by the committee entail a tougher attitude than the Council’s common position, and that, I think, is good. Just like Mrs Schörling, I nonetheless believe that we now have arguments for being able to go still further. Now, we have arguments for banning not only pentaBDE and oktaBDE but also dekaBDE. If we are to wait for the risk assessments, we are in danger of having to wait too long. Moreover, we are in possession of the arguments right now, and we know that these substances, which are hazardous, accumulate in the human body and are increasingly present in our living environment. We really have all the arguments needed for taking a decision right now. There are also alternatives to these brominated flame retardants, which are otherwise in danger of becoming a major health problem in the future. Just like Mr Bowe, I think we must take an intelligent decision which, in this case, means daring to take the lead and ban what we know to be hazardous.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Minister, even if I have now been given explanations, I do not properly understand why this imprecise and to some extent inhumane proposal has been tabled at all. Would it not be more sensible and more appropriate for the EU’s governments and the Council of Ministers to reflect upon why people are forced to find their way illegally to Europe? I should like to ask the minister how many countries there are whose citizens are at present required by the EU’s Member States to have entry visas. Is it 10, 50 or perhaps 100 countries? According to the latest information I have, it is 127 countries. Is this figure correct? If so, do you think this is reasonable, and do you believe it is in keeping with a humane asylum policy?

Political group: ELDR
Madam President, first of all I fully support the debate on euthanasia in this Parliament. But I would like to take the opportunity to inform you of the very deep concern among many of my constituents in Ireland, that a European Commissioner, in partnership with a Swedish minister, spoke on behalf of the European Union in condemning the new American administration's actions in ending funding to family planning organisations that provide abortion in less developed countries. On a point of subsidiarity, we do not have legalised abortion in Ireland and we do not support the use of tax-payers' money in providing abortions; but neither does the European Union. In fact, within this institution we have voted that abortion should never be used as a means of family planning and that it never should be funded for that purpose. The Cairo Conference and the Beijing Women's Conference both stated the same thing. I would like to ask why a Commissioner would presume to speak in this manner in direct conflict with agreements that have already been signed and why she should presume to overstep subsidiarity in speaking on behalf of my country. ***

Political group: PPE-DE
I am very pleased to see the President-in-Office here, as a former Member of Parliament. Will he, in the Nice Treaty or in the negotiations leading up to the Treaty of Nice at the end of the year, propose codecision between Parliament and the Council on matters of common foreign and security policy? This is to be the lower House, as the President of the Republic told us this morning and if we are to carry public opinion with us in security and defence matters we need a proper position. So does he agree that codecision is the way forward in this policy area?

Political group: PPE-DE
We Swedish Social Democrats chose to vote against quite a number of the amendments in the report concerning monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the Community (Forest Focus). We are very hesitant about giving Community policy a larger role when it comes to forests. We believe that the basic conditions within the EU vary so much that it is questionable what added value such a Community policy would bring. On the basis of that approach, we chose to vote against those items concerned with incorporating the prevention of forest fires into the regulation. The risk is that, in the interests of monitoring, this would divert a lot of resources from other areas. What is more, fire prevention measures are already a part of the EU Regulation on Rural Development. In the final vote, we chose, in spite of our hesitations, to vote in favour of the report. We did so in view of the fact that Parliament had included important wordings concerning the principle of subsidiarity and the importance of the Member States’ participating in the work on developing this regulation.

Political group: PSE
Mr President, I am not in the business of helping out the Liberals. Paragraph 33 is poor. Even if this were added to it, it would not sufficiently improve the paragraph to make it a good one. Consequently, I would rather vote against paragraph 33 and vote on the amendment. (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** Report (A5-0098/2004) by Karin Jöns, on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, on health care and care for the elderly (Parliament adopted the resolution) *** President. – That concludes the vote. EXPLANATIONS OF VOTE

Political group: PSE
Mr President, as group coordinator in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, I just wanted to point out that there are differing views on this subject in our group, something which I intended to point out in my speech today. I personally take the view that, given the criticism of the Court of Auditors, it is in fact fitting that we find a solution to the problem before us and this matter should also have been dealt with politically on this basis today.

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, I would like to point out that I voted for this report on sustainable urban development, known as URBAN. As with all other Community initiatives, this is very positive. Europe is making its presence felt at a time when we are doing something for all the citizens of Europe and not simply for the development of an individual State, whichever one it may be. URBAN is designed to find solutions to urban decay, and this is something of great concern to the elderly and therefore of great concern to the Pensioners’ Party. There can be no worse situation than that of an elderly person living in a city. I hope that this Community initiative will help serve as an example on how to resolve the problems faced by the elderly in cities.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, to continue on the same theme, in the wake of the events of 11 September, Parliament gained a very broad consensus on the need to quash any equation of Islam with terrorism, substantiating the unacceptable and dangerous theory that this is a clash of civilisations. On the other hand, we recall Mr Solana’s words, spoken in the same spirit, who had advised – and I quote – that we must not create a rift, as this would be a huge mistake. Mr Berlusconi’s astounding and deeply shameful words show how important it is to issue a very clear response. First of all, we must strongly condemn the age-old rumour of the purported superiority of Western civilisation and Christianity. Then, we must decide upon an initiative, along the lines of Article 7 of the Treaty of Nice, enabling the Council to determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach by a Member State of the fundamental principles of the European Union and to address recommendations to that State. I therefore suggest, Madam President, that the Conference of Presidents examines what significant political action we would be advised to take in this matter. (Applause from the Group)

Political group: GUE-NGL
Mr President, Commissioner Bolkestein, it is extremely important for the future of Europe that those involved in the information society in Europe are on an equal footing with those players in countries outside the EU. We who make the policy decisions in the EU must not, through our own actions, weaken European competitiveness. As, for example, Mr Schmidt said in his speech, we must comply with what was agreed at Lisbon and do all we can to strengthen the dynamism of the European Union. If we are too greedy in this matter now under discussion we will really be jeopardising the future of e-business, which is so important for Europe. Naturally, I agree with the Commission’s proposal and with all my colleagues who have spoken here today that the distortion of competition that now exists in the market must be eliminated as soon as possible. This distortion can be eliminated in two ways: either by imposing the same tax obligations on companies that come from third countries as on their European counterparts, or by also exempting European companies working in this field, which is just being developed, from VAT. When we also consider the unsolved problems referred to by many others with regard to the aforementioned Commission proposal, as a result, for example, of monitoring the system, verifying where the assessment of taxes took place, distributing tax revenues fairly, and other factors, I am convinced that, at this stage, it would be more reasonable to adopt the line the minority were in favour of in the committee discussion. I therefore support those who want to totally exempt European companies from tax on electronic products, for the present at least. Neither do I really understand the argument that products that are supplied electronically should be treated in just the same way as traditional products. Mrs Randzio-Plath, for example, said this. In my opinion, reading the morning paper in a street café is quite different from reading it on the Internet where you work. We are talking about a different product.

Political group: PPE-DE
Madam President, today, like any other day, more than 8 000 people have died of AIDS for lack of treatment. In Africa, more than 4 million AIDS sufferers are in desperate need of treatment and only 50 000 people have access to it. Moreover, AIDS is not the only scourge overwhelming the countries of the South: tuberculosis is on the increase and kills 2 million people every year; malaria is responsible for between 1 and 2 million deaths every year and affects between 300 and 500 million people. In fact, we have the means to cure these diseases or to significantly reduce the death rate. But the treatment is expensive, too expensive for countries that can only afford to spend derisory sums on their health services, with the result that medicines are for the North and coffins for the South. Fortunately, things are starting to change. Much progress was made in 2003, giving cause for a glimmer of hope: the WHO initiative to provide treatment for 3 million sufferers by 2005; the agreement reached on 30 August 2003 in Geneva by the members of the WHO; the decision of the South African Government to launch a national treatment programme; the efforts to bring down the price of antiretroviral drugs on the world market and the programme of clinical trials in a partnership between Europe and the developing countries, with a budget of EUR 600 million. These initiatives are very encouraging, but they are still far from being enough. The Union itself is being slow to deliver on its financial promises and the Sandbæk report is a timely reminder to the European Union to firm up its commitments, setting it a target that is appropriate to what is at stake. It reminds us that the absolute priority has to be access to medicines for all sufferers, in accordance with the Doha Declaration. The existence of patents should not therefore constitute a barrier to the manufacture or purchase of vital medicines. Furthermore, the report forcibly underlines the fact that the prevention and treatment of transmissible diseases are the concern of everyone, because they constitute a global public good. It sets an ambitious target for the financial contribution of the European Union and its Member States, a target of a billion euros a year. In adopting this report, Europe will reaffirm that it intends to play an important role in the fight against these dreadful diseases.

Political group: PSE