Verbatim report of proceedings of 18 January 2018
Date: 2018-01-18
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: European Parliament, parliamentary debate








C_202403194EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series














16.5.2024







            18 January 2018
            VERBATIM REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF 18 JANUARY 2018
            
         
(C/2024/3194)

Contents







1.

Opening of the sitting
3










2.

Announcement by the President
3










3.

Implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the need for reform in professional services (debate)
3










4.

Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (debate)
16










4.1.

Nigeria
17










4.2.

The cases of human rights activists Wu Gan, Xie Yang, Lee Ming-cheh, Tashi Wangchuk and the Tibetan monk Choekyi
23










4.3.

Democratic Republic of Congo
29










5.

Resumption of the sitting
36










6.

Voting time
36










6.1.

Nigeria (RC-B8-0045/2018, B8-0045/2018, B8-0049/2018, B8-0050/2018, B8-0051/2018, B8-0052/2018, B8-0053/2018) (vote)
36










6.2.

The cases of human rights activists Wu Gan, Xie Yang, Lee Ming-cheh, Tashi Wangchuk and the Tibetan monk Choekyi (RC-B8-0043/2018, B8-0043/2018, B8-0044/2018, B8-0046/2018, B8-0047/2018, B8-0048/2018) (vote)
36










6.3.

Democratic Republic of Congo (RC-B8-0054/2018, B8-0054/2018, B8-0055/2018, B8-0056/2018, B8-0057/2018, B8-0058/2018, B8-0059/2018, B8-0060/2018) (vote)
37










6.4.

Marrakesh Treaty: facilitating the access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled (A8-0400/2017 - Max Andersson) (vote)
37










6.5.

Jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility, and international child abduction (A8-0388/2017 - Tadeusz Zwiefka) (vote)
37










6.6.

Implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative in the Member States (A8-0406/2017 - Romana Tomc) (vote)
37










6.7.

Implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the need for reform in professional services (A8-0401/2017 - Nicola Danti) (vote)
37










7.

Explanations of vote
37










7.1.

Marrakesh Treaty: facilitating the access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled (A8-0400/2017 - Max Andersson)
37










7.2.

Jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility, and international child abduction (A8-0388/2017 - Tadeusz Zwiefka)
38










7.3.

Implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative in the Member States (A8-0406/2017 - Romana Tomc)
40










7.4.

Implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the need for reform in professional services (A8-0401/2017 - Nicola Danti)
41










8.

Corrections to votes and voting intentions : see Minutes
43










9.

Resumption of the sitting
43










10.

Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting : see Minutes
43










11.

Major interpellations (debate)
43










11.1.

EU-Norway dispute on snow crab fisheries in Svalbard
43










12.

Decisions concerning certain documents: see Minutes
50










13.

Documents received: see Minutes
50










14.

Petitions: see Minutes
50










15.

Forwarding of texts adopted during the sitting : see Minutes
50










16.

Dates of forthcoming sittings : see Minutes
50










17.

Closure of the sitting
50










18.

Adjournment of the session
50




Verbatim report of proceedings of 18 January 2018
                  


IN THE CHAIR: MAIREAD McGUINNESS


Vice-President

1.   Opening of the sitting

(The sitting opened at 09.00)

2.   Announcement by the President

President. – I would like to make one announcement. I want to inform the House that yesterday the Ethiopian authorities freed the opposition leader Merera Gudina after more than a year in detention. Dr Gudina was arrested in November 2016 at Addis Ababa airport after he flew in from Brussels where he had attended a meeting in the European Parliament. In its previous resolutions Parliament had called for the release of Dr Gudina, so we therefore wholeheartedly welcome this decision. This House will always be strongly committed to the defence of human rights.
3.   Implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the need for reform in professional services (debate)

President. – The next item is the report by Nicola Danti, on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, on the implementation of Directive 2005/36/EC as regards regulation and the need for reform in professional services (2017/2073(INI)) (A8-0401/2017).

Nicola Danti,
relatore. – Signora Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, oggi in Europa si contano più di 5 500 professioni regolamentate, a cui vanno aggiunte molte altre non oggetto di regolamentazione. Si tratta di un quadro che varia moltissimo da paese a paese – si va dalle 76 professioni regolamentate in Lituania fino alle 543 dell'Ungheria – e che coinvolge il 22 % della forza lavoro europea.
               

                  Con la relazione che presentiamo oggi per la discussione e il voto in quest'Aula, il Parlamento intende rispondere alla comunicazione della Commissione europea relativa alle raccomandazioni di riforme nei servizi professionali. Questa iniziativa va accolta con favore, avendo il merito di fornire una valutazione complessiva dello stato di attuazione di tale direttiva e una panoramica delle norme che nei differenti Stati membri si applicano ad architetti, ingegneri civili, contabili, avvocati, consulenti di proprietà industriale, agenti immobiliari e guide turistiche.
               

                  Dalla comunicazione emerge anzitutto l'esigenza di dare una piena attuazione alle disposizioni della direttiva. Nel mondo delle professioni c'è bisogno di maggiore mobilità e maggiore concorrenza e dal documento della Commissione emergono innegabilmente spazi di manovra rilevanti nella normativa degli Stati membri.
               

                  D'altra parte ritengo che qualsiasi valutazione sull'efficacia e la proporzionalità delle normative nazionali debba essere assunta tenendo in considerazione non solo fattori di carattere economico e quantitativo, come troppo spesso avviene ed emerge dalla lettura dei documenti della Commissione europea. Il legame diretto individuato tra riforme e crescita economica, tra deregulation e creazione di nuova occupazione, non può e non deve costituire l'unica stella polare per i decisori politici.
               

                  È importante ribadire invece che la qualità dei servizi professionali rappresenta uno dei fattori chiave per preservare il nostro modello sociale ed economico e per garantire la competitività della nostra economia. Per questo motivo occorre promuovere regole che, da una parte, sostengano l'accesso dei giovani al mondo del lavoro, la crescita e l'innovazione ma che, al contempo, tutelino la qualità dei servizi erogati, gli obiettivi di pubblico interesse e i consumatori. Al fine di valutare la regolamentazione delle professioni è necessaria dunque una combinazione di considerazioni economiche e di valutazioni politiche a difesa degli obiettivi pubblici generali, nel rispetto della non discriminazione e della proporzionalità previste nei trattati.
               

                  Per preservare un'alta qualità dei servizi professionali abbiamo tuttavia bisogno non solamente di un quadro normativo efficace e proporzionato a livello dell'Unione europea ma anche di politiche attive a sostegno delle professioni, soprattutto in relazione alle sfide poste dalla globalizzazione e dalla digitalizzazione. Il libero professionista va considerato in una doppia dimensione: quella di professionista in senso stretto e quella di piccolo imprenditore. Occorrono dunque formazione permanente, servizi per favorire una maggiore mobilità intraeuropea e una maggiore propensione all'internazionalizzazione, una riduzione degli oneri burocratici e un più semplice accesso ai finanziamenti.
               

                  In particolare, va posta una forte attenzione all'impatto della digitalizzazione sui servizi professionali. Da una parte si possono certamente sottolineare le opportunità, dall'altra andranno attentamente valutati i risvolti in termini di occupazione e di qualità dei servizi erogati.
               

                  Cari colleghi, la competitività dell'Europa e la preservazione del nostro modello sociale, economico e culturale passano anche attraverso la tutela della qualità dei servizi professionali a beneficio di cittadini, imprese e autorità.
               

Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Madam President, I would like to thank the rapporteur Mr Danti for his report underlining the fundamental role of professions and the need for high-quality professional services as well as an effective regulatory environment.
Professional services do indeed play a crucial role in Europe's society and economy and as Mr Danti said, they employ 22% of our labour force. They also account for almost a quarter of the value added in the European Union. That is precisely why we in the Commission have taken such a big interest in them.
But several studies have shown that the European professional services sector is seriously underperforming and its productivity is lagging behind. They conclude that a modernised legal framework could bring as many as 700 000 new jobs to the EU and increase EU GDP by up to 1%. In other words, the same order of magnitude as the EU budget.
This is not a minor matter. This is a call for action that we cannot ignore. We must create the best possible regulatory framework for professional services, a framework that does not restrict professionals' freedom in an unwarranted fashion, but one that allows them to contribute maximally to the welfare of our society. I trust that this House shares our objective to deliver this framework.
Nearly five years ago the Council and Parliament asked the Member States to screen their professional regulation as part of a comprehensive mutual evaluation exercise, foreseen in the revised Professional Qualifications Directive, because even where legislation aims to improve social welfare the resulting rules will not always best succeed.
Indeed, even by the time they are adopted rules can be outdated or inadequate. They can be disproportionate or the accumulation of layers of rules can lead to an overly restrictive legal framework. National legislators may not always take into account the external effects on competitiveness, social welfare and the single market. So constant modernisation of the legal framework governing professional services in the EU is crucial.
We welcome the efforts by Member States since the adoption of the revised Qualifications Directive to increase the transparency of the regulation and assess the substance of the rules in place. This has helped to create a database at EU level offering both an important source of information for professionals and making it easier for them to move.
We continue to work hard to improve the functioning and user-friendliness of that database but sadly, Member States' substantive assessment of the professional rules in place was often of a poor quality or even absent. Moreover, many failed to grasp this opportunity for reform to improve their regulatory framework, although experience with such reforms in the Italian pharmacy and Polish legal sector, for example, clearly show that removing unnecessary burdens creates benefits for all.
The evaluation showed that there are big differences in the way in which Member States regulate very similar professions. Variance in itself is not a problem. Differences in regulatory approaches can sometimes be the reflection of different circumstances, but there are also instances where the variance does not reflect differences in national specificities or preferences and where the design of the rules could be improved.
To get a better perspective on how restrictive the regulatory framework for a specified profession in a specific country is, we developed the so-called ‘restrictiveness indicator’. This allows us to measure the accumulated burden of different regulatory requirements for some important professional services sectors. It is based on a solid analysis of regulation in place in all Member States. It refines the parameters of the well known and widely used OECD PMR indicator.
Of course, this indicator is only intended to measure the restrictiveness of professional regulation and, as is pointed out in the report, this indicator is not intended to assess whether a restriction can be justified because it pursues a legitimate public interest in a proportionate manner. This is a separate exercise which the Member States have to do in line with the Treaty, but it is still helpful in indicating where Member State regulation is especially restrictive and where they have an interest in examining that regulation more deeply.
Differences in the level of restrictiveness may not be problematic in and of themselves, but they do indicate that other countries might have found other less restrictive ways forward. This could serve as an inspiration.
In order to assist the Member States with the removal of specific unjustified restrictions and to identify possibilities for improving the regulatory environment, we have put forward reform recommendations for seven professional services sectors. They are based on the restrictiveness indicator combined with a qualitative assessment. They target those instances where regulation is found to be particularly restrictive.
These reform recommendations are also important in the context of the European Semester exercise, which has addressed the issue of regulation of professions in several instances. While the indicator may not tell the whole story as it is referred to in the report, this does not mean that the rest of this story should not be based on strong evidence. Indeed, the Professional Qualifications Directive reinforced the obligation for Member States to ensure that the restrictions they impose are truly justified and demonstrably proportionate.
Based on the experience with the mutual evaluation exercise, it became clear that Member States may have difficulties in conducting such a proportionality assessment. Also in some cases the readiness to revisit existing regulations seemed limited. The uneven scrutiny of regulation of professions called for a coherent legal framework, so we put forward a proposal for an ex ante proportionality test for new regulations on which trilogues will start at the end of this month. It fully respects Member States' responsibility for the regulatory decisions they take. It does not impose an obligation of result, it simply proposes a common EU-wide framework to conduct a genuine proportionality assessment before a new or amended regulation is proposed.
Finally, these two policy initiatives will complement and strengthen the Commission's enforcement policy rather than replace it. In this context we take due note of Parliament's call for infringement proceedings to address discriminatory, unjustified and disproportionate regulation. We stand ready to act to address the issue.
We count on the sustained support of honourable Members to keep the reform of professional services high on the political agenda. It is only with their active commitment that we will be able to unleash the potential of this important sector for the benefit of our citizens.

Andreas Schwab,
im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Kommissar, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Zunächst einmal möchte ich dem Kollegen Danti und allen Schattenberichterstattern für die hervorragende Zusammenarbeit bei diesem sehr sensiblen Thema danken. Ich glaube, dass wir mit dem Bericht, über den heute diskutiert und abgestimmt wird, eine gute Grundlage zum Einstieg in das sogenannte Dienstleistungspaket gefunden haben. Herr Kommissar Vella, ich freue mich, dass Sie heute Morgen da sind. Ich bin mir sicher, dass Frau Kommissarin Bieńkowska dann auch selbst da sein wird, wenn wir das Dienstleistungspaket hier beraten werden.
               

                  Die wesentlichen Prinzipien, die den europäischen Gesetzgeber, aber auch die Kommission, bei der Regulierung von Dienstleistungsberufen leiten sollten, bedürfen großer Sensibilität, weil es natürlich hinsichtlich der Selbstverwaltung der Berufe eine hohe Bereitschaft der Beteiligten gibt, sich selbst Regeln zu geben, die häufig relativ weit von dem weg sind, was im europäischen Kontext diskutiert wird. Deswegen würde ich auch von vornherein die Europäische Kommission darum bitten, mit Geschicklichkeit, mit Flexibilität und Sensibilität bei den zuständigen Beteiligten bei den Berufen aufzutreten, um nicht unnötig Porzellan zu zerschlagen, weil grundsätzlich bereits die Bereitschaft und der Wille da sind, Europarechtskonformität auch in der Berufsregulierung, bei der Selbstverwaltung der freien Berufe beispielsweise oder auch beim Handwerk, hinzubekommen, was in der Praxis allerdings nicht immer ganz einfach ist. Deswegen hat uns hier bei diesem Bericht zum Einstieg ins Dienstleistungspaket der Gedanke geleitet, dass sinnvolle Regulierung auch Wettbewerbsanreize setzen kann. Ich bin dankbar dafür, dass die Kommission und auch das Parlament sich vom Prinzip, dass Regulierung per se ein Fehler ist, verabschiedet haben. Wir müssen insofern einfach auf sinnvolle Regulierung setzen. Ich glaube auch, dass, wenn die Mitgliedstaaten und die Berufsorganisationen eng zusammenarbeiten, Berufsregulierung kein Markthindernis sein muss, sondern wir es eben schaffen müssen – leider muss man dafür viel Geduld mitbringen, weil die Dinge sich nur langsam entwickeln –, und dass der Binnenmarkt eher gelingen kann, wenn wir das entsprechend zusammen hinbekommen.
               

                  Drittens – Herr Kommissar Vella, darauf haben Sie hingewiesen: Am Ende wird die Kommission nicht umhinkommen, im Einzelfall eben Vertragsverletzungsverfahren einzuleiten, weil wir nicht über alle Berufe Regeln erlassen können, nur weil sich ganz wenige gegen die Regeln des europäischen Binnenmarkts gestellt haben. Ich weiß, dass es für die Kommission unangenehm ist, aber diese Aufgabe kommt Ihnen nach den Verträgen eben zu.
               

Virginie Rozière,
au nom du groupe S&D. – Madame la Présidente, permettez-moi tout d'abord de remercier mon collègue Nicola Danti et de saluer son travail, son rapport qui, je l'espère, rassemblera une large majorité.
               

                  Cette large majorité est rassemblée parce que, justement, on est dans une logique d'équilibre et de compromis, qui prend en compte tous nos grands principes, mais qui essaie aussi de s'ancrer dans la réalité de l'activité économique et la réalité des consommateurs, dans la totalité de l'espace européen.
               

                  Cela n'est pas un mince exploit dans un contexte où nous avons affaire à un climat plus global, autour du paquet sur les services, que je trouve particulièrement emblématique de la déconnexion d'un certain nombre des propositions qui peuvent être faites ici avec la réalité des entreprises, des PME et des consommateurs.
               

                  En effet, on nous parle toujours de barrières injustifiées, d'obstacles réglementaires, mais il serait tout de même bon de rappeler qu'une régulation, une réglementation, une obligation, répondent – si elles existent encore et si la Commission a fait correctement son travail – à des objectifs d'intérêt général, que ces réglementations sont là pour préserver la santé et la sécurité des consommateurs, la sécurité alimentaire et la protection de l'environnement.
               

                  Ce ne sont pas de minces objectifs et ils méritent que l'on s'y attache avec attention avant de vouloir obligatoirement les remettre en question.
               

                  C'est bien ce que souligne le rapport de Nicola Danti, cette nécessité d'équilibre. En cela, je regrette que nos collègues libéraux, encore une fois, fassent preuve de ce grand dogmatisme dérégulatoire en supprimant purement et simplement la mention de ces objectifs d'intérêt général, qui doivent être à la base de toute réglementation.
               

                  J'espère que cet amendement ne passera pas. Je voudrais remercier encore une fois Nicola pour son excellent travail et je souhaite qu'il recueille, tout à l'heure, une grande majorité.
               

Richard Sulík,
za skupinu ECR. – Vážená pani predsedajúca, aktuálny problém v oblasti regulovaných povolaní úzko súvisí s problematikou protekcionizmu a narúšania jednotného trhu pracovných síl, o ktorom na pôde nášho výboru v posledných mesiacoch veľa diskutujeme. Na jednej strane máme právo členských štátov regulovať tie povolania, kde si to podľa nich vyžaduje verejný záujem. Na druhej strane máme právo pracovníkov vykonávať svoje povolanie v ktoromkoľvek členskom štáte. Považujem preto za kľúčové, aby národná regulácia povolaní vždy zodpovedala princípom nediskriminácie a proporcionality. A aby členský štát jasne definoval verejný záujem, ktorý reguláciou sleduje. Som rád, že tieto princípy sú viackrát prízvukované aj v predloženej správe. Ako totiž vyplýva z oznámenia Komisie, na ktoré správa reaguje, členské štáty kladú aj také regulačné podmienky, kde by sme verejný záujem hľadali márne. Ľahko by sme však vedeli identifikovať protekcionistický záujem ochrany vlastného regulovaného trhu pred konkurenciou. Chcem preto týmto vyzvať aj Komisiu, aby ako strážkyňa zmlúv dodržiavanie princípu nediskriminácie a proporcionality od členských krajín aktívne vymáhala. Základné pravidlá má Európska únia stanovené vo svojich zmluvách v zásade dobre, problémom však je, že nie sú dodržiavané, aj preto, že ich Komisia nedostatočne od členských štátov vymáha. Tak ako povedal aj kolega Schwab, tu budú potrebné infrindžmenty. Na záver, dovoľte mi poďakovať sa za spoluprácu pánovi Dantimu a najmä pánovi Schwabovi.
               

Jasenko Selimovic,
on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Madam President, I would like to start by congratulating Mr Danti for excellent work that has been done with the great care for detail and in a very good atmosphere. I believe that today we are taking a step towards achieving our vision of a functioning single market for services, of which professional services are of course a cornerstone. Around 50 million people in Europe are working in these services, so they are extremely important.
Too often, regulation in the Member States still operates against this goal, while the evidence shows us that the EU countries that have fewer obstacles to cross-border competition are actually performing much better than the Member States where the restrictions are still in place. We believe that the regulation, at European and national level, of professional services should be proportionate, justified and non-discriminatory. Member States should identify and remove the unjustified regulatory barriers in the interests of the citizens to enable them to benefit from the new professional opportunities. If I made an effort to become a lawyer, a doctor, an architect, whatever, then it's reasonable to expect to be able to exercise that profession, even outside the walls of my city. We believe that this professionality should not be optional, but impossible to avoid, and that is why that we need transparency and legal clarity. This is the reason I tabled amendment on behalf of my group about it. We have to provide a clear legal reference for Member States, in line with the pivotal principles of non-discrimination and proportionality. But even with this remark, I believe that we are today a bit closer to our vision of a functioning single market. I am very happy about this.

Jiří Maštálka,
za skupinu GUE/NGL. – Nejdříve bych chtěl poděkovat panu zpravodaji za odvedený kus práce na zprávě. Ve zprávě se objevují některé pozitivní elementy, jako např. uznání významu regulovaných profesí pro sektor služeb či inovací.
               

                  Mám ale problém se základním principem předkládaného předpisu. Domnívám se totiž, že stanovená povinnost členských států oznamovat Komisi, jaké změny provedly v rámci regulovaných profesí ve své vnitrostátní úpravě, je v přímém rozporu s principem subsidiarity a proporcionality. Každá země přece musí být sama schopna určit, jaké předpoklady a jakou kvalifikaci je nutno pro výkon konkrétního povolání splnit. Regulace určitých povolání je nutná pro zajištění ochrany veřejného zajmu, vysoké ochrany spotřebitelů a vysoké kvality služeb.
               

                  Podporuji sice systém vzájemného uznávání diplomů a kvalifikací, ale domnívám se, že úprava podmínek pro výkon regulovaných profesí musí zůstat plně v kompetenci členských států. Nechci, aby Komise českým uchazečům o post advokáta diktovala délku koncipientské praxe nebo předpisovala potřebu vzdělání pro české mediky apod. Svojí politické frakci doporučím, aby se při hlasování o návrhu zdržela.
               

(Řečník souhlasil s tím, že odpoví na otázku položenou zvednutím modré karty (čl. 162 odst. 8 jednacího řádu).)


Richard Sulík (ECR),
otázka položená zdvihnutím modrej karty. – Ďakujem pekne. Pán Maštálka, vo viacerých veciach sa dá s vami rozhodne súhlasiť. Sú to práveže veci na diskusiu a trochu ma teda mrzí, že sa chcete pri tomto zdržať, lebo mal som pocit, že práve tu panuje veľmi široká zhoda. A možnože veľa vecí by sme si vedeli vydiskutovať. A moja otázka je, že prečo ste sa nezúčastnili na žiadnom alebo v podstate žiadnom rokovaní, kde sme si toto mohli práve v kľude vydiskutovať? (prerušené pani predsedajúcou a pokračovanie v anglickom jazyku)


Jiří Maštálka (GUE/NGL),
odpověď na otázku položenou zvednutím modré karty. – Možná jsem se nezúčastnil jednání, na kterých jste si mě nevšiml, ale své návrhy jsem podával tak, jak je to zvykem. Takže to není žádné překvapení, že dávám takové doporučení své frakci, a absolvoval jsem mnoho jednání i uvnitř frakce.
               

Bronis Ropė,
Verts/ALE frakcijos vardu. – Prisidedu prie sveikinimo pranešėjui, iš tikrųjų, už gerai atliktą darbą ir manau, kad Europos piliečių teisė įsidarbinti bet kurioje valstybėje narėje – viena iš keturių pamatinių Europos Sąjungos laisvių. Profesionalų judėjimo laisvė bendroje rinkoje yra praktinis europinio socialinio ir ekonominio modelio veikimo pavyzdys. Žinoma, profesinės veiklos reguliavimas yra esminė sąlyga, norint užtikrinti teikiamų viešųjų paslaugų kokybę ir apsaugoti viešąjį interesą, todėl švietimo kokybė turi būti labai svarbus visų valstybių narių prioritetas. Kaip teisingai pažymėjo pranešėjas, direktyvos įgyvendinimo patirtis nėra vienareikšmiškai džiuginanti. Turime daug pavyzdžių, kai kitoje valstybėje narėje norintys įsidarbinti profesionalai susiduria su logiškai nepaaiškinamomis kliūtimis: administraciniais reikalavimais, ilgomis procedūromis ar tiesiog atviru kliudymu gauti reikiamą informaciją. Mes, Žaliųjų frakcija, palaikėme Komisijos pasiūlytą naujų profesinių reikalavimų proporcingumo testą. Jis turėjo tapti gera priemone išspręsti piliečiams kylančias problemas.
               

                  Deja, tenka apgailestauti, kad valstybės narės ne visuomet gali pasigirti taikančios skaidrius profesinius reikalavimus. Tą gali patvirtinti daugybė užsienyje dirbančių asmenų. Šiuo metu svarstomas dokumentas yra puiki proga priminti valstybėms narėms apie jų įsipareigojimą visiems Europos piliečiams sudaryti sąlygas įsidarbinti pagal turimą kvalifikaciją. Noriu atkreipti dėmesį, jog gero valdymo principas reikalauja visų pirma spręsti esamo reguliavimo įgyvendinimo spragas, tuo labiau, kad problemos kyla daugiausiai dėl direktyvos nuostatų įgyvendinimo srities, kurios priežiūra Komisija turi užsiimti savo kasdieninėje veikloje, todėl reikia pasveikinti ką tik išsakytas Komisijos ambicijas šalinti šias spragas.
               

John Stuart Agnew,
on behalf of the EFDD Group. – Madam President, good morning to you and the 25 brave Members prepared to turn up this morning. Mairead, if you are able to pronounce the name of the next speaker on the list to their satisfaction, I think I'll buy you a drink.
This report calls for yet more unnecessary interference in the field of professional services. Therefore it goes without saying that I cannot support this initiative. This is yet another area where the Commission has pushed forward with their political agenda and has introduced more harmonisation. We would not be here talking about this this morning if there was a great appetite for such actions around Europe.
The fact that six Member States did not submit their national action plans within the deadline given by the Commission speaks for itself. Such statistics do not lead me to believe that a harmonised approach to this subject is the correct approach or that it is even welcome.
The aim of opening up professions in order to create more jobs and improve the economy is honourable. Very few people would disagree with this. However, I believe that Member States are more than capable of carrying this out themselves, if and when it is necessary. It is certainly not for the Commission to become involved with.
Member States should be free to act as they wish, as will benefit their citizens, as they are in the best position to say what works best for their citizens and their economies. The United Kingdom already has a strong history of trustworthy professionals, and we certainly do not need the European Union's interference in order to continue this proud tradition.

President. – Madam Troszczynski, for two minutes. Mr Agnew, you are in remarkably good form this morning. I am happy to see that, it brightens up the Chamber; not something we normally see from that side of the House, if I may boldly say.

Mylène Troszczynski,
au nom du groupe ENF. – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Commissaire, mes chers collègues, ce texte me préoccupe à plusieurs titres:
               






 



                        premièrement, l'élargissement continu des pouvoirs de coercition de la Commission européenne au détriment des États membres. On se demande bien où elle compte s'arrêter et si nous-mêmes, députés élus, saurons un jour l'arrêter;
                     










 



                        deuxièmement, le nouvel indicateur de restrictivité, véritable outil dématérialisé et technocratique qui constituera à l'avenir – soyez-en convaincus – un argument essentiel en faveur de l'imposition de sanctions par la Commission, en dépit de toutes les promesses que l'on peut vous faire aujourd'hui;
                     










 



                        troisièmement, l'élargissement des reconnaissances professionnelles qui, pourtant, pourrait être positif au cas par cas, mais qui est en fait terriblement déstabilisant à l'échelle envisagée, que ce soit d'un point de vue économique, social ou culturel;
                     










 



                        quatrièmement, le caractère systématiquement présenté comme délictuel de toute idée de préférence nationale, même à l'égard de ces professions réglementées, qui sont pourtant qualifiées, par le rapporteur lui-même, de stratégiques pour l'équilibre général des États membres;
                     










 



                        pour finir, le saccage des professions réglementées est très largement entamé. Les apprentis sorciers technocrates de Bruxelles, inventeurs d'indices en tout genre, devraient se concentrer sur leur bilan calamiteux et se rendre compte de l'inadaptation de ces mesures à certains États membres qui ont souvent beaucoup plus à perdre qu'à gagner.
                     





                  J'ajouterai à l'endroit des députés qui adoubent ces politiques qu'ils feraient mieux de se préoccuper davantage d'assurer l'intérêt général plutôt que de s'abandonner à la dérive fédéraliste qui nous rapproche chaque jour de la côte et d'un naufrage collectif.
               

                  Le groupe ENL, que je représente ce matin, s'opposera lors du vote à l'adoption de ce rapport, pour des raisons de bon sens évident.
               

(L'oratrice accepte de répondre à une question ‘carton bleu’ (article 162, paragraphe 8, du règlement))


Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D),
question ‘carton bleu’
                     . – Chère collègue, il semble qu'encore une fois, vous ne représentez pas l'Europe des nations, mais l'Europe nationaliste. Vous savez, ce que vous avez dit sur les modèles appliqués par chaque pays membre sur ce sujet – quelle est votre opinion sur les modèles que tous les pays membres de l'Union européenne peuvent appliquer sur le sujet dont nous débattons ce matin?
               

Mylène Troszczynski (ENF),
réponse ‘carton bleu’
                     . – Écoutez, chaque pays a ses propres règles, ses propres normes et réagit en fonction de ses propres intérêts et du coup, en général, quand on parle de normalisation ou d'harmonisation dans cet hémicycle, c'est souvent une harmonisation et un nivellement par le bas. Donc, je pense que chaque État membre est à même de légiférer en fonction de ses intérêts propres et ce sera toujours mon objectif et, en tout cas, mon axe de défense dans cet hémicycle.
               

Diane James (NI). – Madam President, these efforts by the European Union to harmonise professional qualifications are the next step towards the creation of a federal superstate, but when you have got disastrous youth unemployment figures, such as in Greece and Italy, what else can you do but try and liberalise the market and give people, young people, the opportunity to move to where the jobs are?
Worldwide university rankings consistently put the United Kingdom in the top tier. No other countries, other than Germany and Sweden, come anywhere near, and there is a very big distance between them. But no one seems to have considered in the European Union, in the Commission, the threat posed by 400 fake universities in China and 300 in India, all of them issuing degrees and other qualifications which are creating real distortions and real threats in the market.
Under the freedom of movement pillar, this particular directive and this proposal are going to create a brand new opportunity for European-based criminal gangs, and I can see some real problems coming down the line, and I would like to see them addressed.

President. – Mr Szejnfeld, exceptionally you have speaking time now, but you did want to ask a question of Ms James. Because we are all in great humour this morning in the Chamber I am going to allow you to ask your question before you speak. Ms James, if you accept of course.

Diane James (NI). – Madam President, no, there is no point. I do not wish to give another MEP unneeded and unnecessary speaking time.

President. – Mr Szejnfeld, there's your answer, but perhaps you could incorporate the comments into your speech, which is now for one-and-a-half minutes.

Adam Szejnfeld (PPE). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Trudno, będę musiał zrezygnować z części swojego czasu, po to żeby jednak ustosunkować się do wystąpienia pani James. Mianowicie jestem zdumiony tezą, że zamykanie krajów, zamykanie rynków, zamykanie zawodów – to jest otwieranie się na młodych ludzi, to jest dawanie im nowej szansy. No, jest właśnie odwrotnie, dlatego zdecydowanie popieram to dossier, na temat którego dzisiaj rozmawiamy.
               

                  Temat jest bardzo ważny: rynek usług generuje w Unii Europejskiej 71 % PKB, 68 % miejsc pracy. To pokazuje, jaka to jest potęga, właściwie to jest filar, fundament wspólnego rynku. Ale na tym rynku usług nie dzieje się dobrze właśnie ze względu na regulacje dotyczące zawodów regulowanych. Dość tylko powiedzieć, że minęły lata, a dyrektywa 2005/36/WE do dzisiaj przez wiele krajów nie jest realizowana, w tym 6 krajów nie przedstawiło w ogóle swoich krajowych planów działania.
               

                  Świadczą o tym także liczne regulacje. To są, proszę Państwa, w skali Unii Europejskiej dziesiątki tysięcy przepisów, dziesiątki tysięcy przepisów. Sam fakt, że 1200 organów krajowych zajmuje się tym tematem, pokazuje, jak to jest wszystko zagmatwane i skomplikowane. 5500 zawodów w Europie jest regulowanych. Dlatego popieram wszystkie te postulaty i wnioski kierowane do Komisji Europejskiej i do organów Unii Europejskiej, by wprowadzić deregulację zawodów w Unii Europejskiej, harmonizację i kontrolę działalności państw w tym zakresie.
               

Catherine Stihler (S&D). – Madam President I wasn't going to start by making a comment about one of the previous speakers but I think I will. I am absolutely forced to. The individual who just spoke – Ms James, a former leader of UKIP – talking about her interest in higher education and young people in my country beggars belief. Young people in my country are now going to be denied access to working in another EU country. And as for her interest in higher education, well … Higher education is about to lose money in terms of our research budgets, so I am sorry Madam President but I had to say something against that speaker.
Mr Danti's report, however, is something to be welcomed. Too many people in our European Union today are denied the basic right to use their professional qualification in another Member State. It is disgraceful that, in 2018, those people cannot do something that is part of their fundamental rights. Having this debate today is therefore absolutely pivotal, so that people will be able to realise the potential that is there, so that Europeans' talent is realised, and so that we can be successful in creating the knowledge economy that we all want to see.

(Applause)


Daniel Dalton (ECR). – Madam President, I too would like to thank Mr Danti for his report because it is clear we need more political commitment to remove barriers to services. This Parliament has said that repeatedly, including in the report I did on non-tariff barriers in 2016. We often hear that restriction is essential, but what that really means is we want to stop other Europeans from offering services. It is discriminatory and it is against the principles of the treaties.
Mutual recognition is at the heart of many aspects of the single market: it is what makes the single market unique. Yet it is under threat more than anywhere in professional services. From hairdressers to ski instructors, we're all aware of, frankly, ridiculous examples of protectionism that are dressed up as protecting the public. They do no such thing. Consumers pay more and get worse services, Europeans are denied employment opportunities, new businesses never develop, and as a continent we struggle to innovate. We need more honest effort to reduce barriers in professional services which are the biggest global growth area, and we need to stop discriminating against EU citizens.
Now the UK may not be part of this in the future, but Europe still needs a true internal market in services to thrive.

(Applause)


Dita Charanzová (ALDE). – Madam President, 71% of European GDP and 68% of total employment come from services. Regulated professionals account for 22% of all workers. With such numbers, it is shocking and unacceptable that, in many Member States, the free movement of services is still not respected and promoted. It is equally shocking that Member States, instead of moving towards harmonised regulations on professionals, continue to invent new national barriers to prevent free movement and the equal treatment of all EU citizens.
I am here to tell you that a Czech professional is just as good as a German, French or any other professional. We must deregulate where restrictions are unjustified and harmonise where they are. We cannot continue to allow economic protectionism within the single market.

Paloma López Bermejo (GUE/NGL). – Señora presidenta, el profundo impacto que tiene la manera en que están reguladas las profesiones en la economía de la Unión Europea no es razón suficiente para que los Estados miembros pierdan el control de lo que es una competencia exclusiva de cada uno de ellos.
               

                  Este debate no es nuevo, y merece la pena volver a decir que la Comisión Europea no debe seguir intentando apropiarse de dichas competencias. Ya lo vimos con el test de proporcionalidad, cuando la propuesta hecha por la Comisión Europea fue rechazada por la Comisión de Empleo. La proporcionalidad de las regulaciones en las profesiones no puede ser revisada de antemano por la Comisión. Para eso existe el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea, que lo hace caso por caso en situaciones concretas y no con carácter general.
               

                  Debemos quitarnos de la cabeza que la regulación de las profesiones es un asunto económico, de mercado. Es necesario que dichas normas sean proporcionadas y no discriminatorias, pero son los Estados miembros y el Tribunal de Justicia quienes tienen que velar por que así sea.
               

Dominique Bilde (ENF). – Madame la Présidente, en introduisant un contrôle de proportionnalité sur les professions réglementées, la Commission commet une erreur sur le fond et sur le droit.
               

                  Sur le fond, d'abord, parce que son parti pris idéologique n'est sous-tendu par aucune analyse économique crédible. De fait, les vagues de déréglementation successives se sont systématiquement soldées par une dégradation du service et de l'emploi. Les professions réglementées connaîtront le même sort, alors que certaines, comme dans le domaine du droit, subissent déjà une détérioration considérable de leurs conditions d'exercice.
               

                  Sur le droit, ensuite, parce que ces réglementations relèvent de la compétence des États membres, en vertu aussi bien de la jurisprudence de la Cour de justice de l'Union européenne que du traité sur le fonctionnement de l'Union européenne. Les États membres ont donc d'autant moins à s'en justifier que ces professions répondent à des missions d'intérêt général requérant un haut niveau de qualification.
               

Seán Kelly (PPE). – Madam President, common interests such as the protection of the environment, consumer protection and public health are safeguarded by rules and regulations for professions, demanding specific professional qualifications to practice an activity. However, because these rules are not harmonised at EU level, their standards vary between Member States. The role played by the professions is a vital component of the European economy, upholding our common objectives. Unfortunately, as Commissioner Vella pointed out, this area is underperforming.
The Professional Qualifications Directive is important as it upholds the fundamental EU right to the free movement of labour by enabling the free movement of professionals. It sets out the rules for automatic recognition for a number of professions, based on harmonised minimum training requirements, a general system for the recognition of professional qualifications, a system for the automatic recognition of professional experience, and a system of cross-border provision of services in the context of regulated professions.
In 2013, we introduced Article 59 of this Directive, which provides for transparency and a mutual evaluation exercise for all regulated professions in Member States, whether they are regulated on the basis of national rules or are harmonised at EU level. Unfortunately, not all the provisions of Article 59 have yet been fully implemented by Member States, even after the passing of the deadline. This is something that needs to be rectified because if we, as individual politicians, miss deadlines, we will probably be named and shamed, and possibly fined and penalised, yet some of these Member States can get away with applying different rules to us.
I think it is time for action. This is a good proposal by Mr Danti and Commissioner Vella.

Liisa Jaakonsaari (S&D). – Arvoisa puhemies, ei ole todellakaan helppo asia yhdistää kansalliset käytännöt ja intressit tähän tärkeään eurooppalaiseen ideaan, jossa keskeistä on osaaminen ja osaamisen tason nostaminen, ihmisten liikkuminen, sisämarkkinoiden toimivuus ja näistä kaikista asioista syntyvä kilpailukyky. Kilpailukyky syntyy nimenomaan osaamisen korkeasta tasosta ja kansalaisten liikkuvuudesta. Tässä suhteessa esittelijä Danti on onnistunut aikaansaamaan erittäin tasapainoisen mietinnön.
               

                  On todellakin suoraan sanoen häpeällistä ja anteeksiantamatonta, että jäsenvaltiot eivät ole vielä toteuttaneet ammatillista laatudirektiiviä ja siksi on erittäin tärkeää, että nyt toteuttamisessa noudatetaan mahdollisimman paljon avoimuutta ja yritetään aikaansaada vertailukelpoisuutta ja yhteistä tavoitetta nimenomaan sen takia, että osaamisen tasoon perustuva eurooppalainen kilpailukyky ja ihmisten oikeudet kasvavat.
               

Ulrike Trebesius (ECR). – Frau Präsidentin! Die Reform der freiberuflichen Dienstleistungen macht im Sinne der EU-Verträge einen guten Eindruck. Die Richtlinie ist insgesamt ausgewogen und wird die Wirtschaft der Europäischen Union stärken. Von daher kann und werde ich ihr zustimmen. Ich möchte auf ein anderes Problem in diesem Zusammenhang aufmerksam machen: Die innereuropäische Migration infolge von EU-Osterweiterung und Eurokrise ist weit größer als ursprünglich angenommen. Besonders der Brexit war ein deutlicher Warnruf für die EU. Nach dem Brexit werden in den nächsten Jahren verstärkt Migrationsströme in den bereits stark durch Migration betroffenen Ballungszentren Westeuropas – auch meine Stadt ist betroffen – eintreffen. Bereits in den letzten Jahren gehen durch Migration, Binnenmigration und ungelöste Eurokrise die Immobilienpreise und Mieten durch die Decke. Diese Entwicklung wird sich voraussichtlich noch verstärken, auch durch gut gemeinte Berichte wie den hier vorliegenden.
               

                  In anderen Berichten, wie zum Beispiel der Entsenderichtlinie, finden wir heute bereits versteckte protektionistische Maßnahmen. Zwar will keiner der sogenannten Proeuropäer zugeben, dass die Migration – also die europäische Binnenmigration – eben auch Probleme mit sich bringt, aber an der Unterstützung für protektionistische Maßnahmen ist genau dies zu erkennen. Wir müssen uns hier einfach ehrlich damit auseinandersetzen.
               

Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Uznávání odborných kvalifikací je jednou z cest, jak v rámci EU podporovat mobilitu a konkurenceschopnost. Revize směrnice, která proběhla v roce 2013, se vydala správným směrem. K odbourávání neopodstatněných překážek přispívá také povinnost členských států notifikovat Komisi přehled svých regulovaných profesí i možnost států vzájemně vyhodnocovat národní požadavky. V rámci odbourávání překážek je důležité i to, aby mezi sebou byly profese v jednotlivých státech snáze porovnatelné. K tomu by přispělo zlepšení databáze všech regulovaných profesí. Přínosná je i povinnost státu před přijetím nové regulace posoudit proporcionalitu zaváděných požadavků. Toto posouzení však bývá v členských státech prováděno odlišně. Abychom skutečně odstraňovali nepřiměřené požadavky a zabraňovali protekcionismu, je potřeba ve všech státech zajistit stejnou praxi.
               

                  Proto podporuji návrh směrnice, která by zavedla jednotný rámec pro posuzování přiměřenosti národních požadavků. Společný rámec by měl napomoci tomu, aby připravované regulace nebyly pouhou formalitou. Současně by se tím posílila důvěra mezi členskými státy. Také bych uvítala, aby profesní průkaz byl rozšířen i nad rámec současných 5 profesí, pro které se uplatňuje, abychom drželi krok s rozvojem digitálních technologií a odstraňovali administrativní překážky.
               

Christel Schaldemose (S&D). – Fru formand! Tak til hr. Danti for at have lavet en rigtig god og afbalanceret betænkning. EU's indre marked med fri bevægelig for både varer og personer er uden tvivl et gode. Det er værdifuldt, og det har skabt vækst og udvikling. Det gælder også for servicesektoren, hvor forbrugerne og virksomhederne nyder rigtig godt af, at vi har fjernet en lang række unødvendige barrierer. Men når det kommer til at opstille krav for f.eks., hvilke kvalifikationer folk skal have for at udføre et arbejde, så mener vi socialdemokrater, at det ikke er hensynet til det total frie marked, der skal stå forrest. Vi mener, det indre marked fungerer allerbedst, når vi regulerer markedskræfterne. Det gælder også for de erhverv, der er reguleret ved lov.
               

                  Vi socialdemokrater ønsker ikke bare regulering for reguleringens skyld, begrænsninger for begrænsningens skyld. Vi mener, det er helt på sin plads, at hensynet til patienten på sygehuset, forbrugeren i hverdagen og vores alle sammens natur får lov til at få forrang. Til gengæld bakker så vi helhjertet op om, at når der bliver lavet regulering, også i medlemsstaterne, så skal der være fuld gennemsigtighed. Det skal være tydeligt for enhver, hvilke krav det er, vi stiller til hinanden. Vi bakker derfor også op om behovet for at lave nationale handleplaner. Det er dog helt centralt for os socialdemokrater, at dem, der møder reguleringen i deres hverdag, også inddrages i arbejdet. Det gælder i særdeleshed de faglige organisationer. Jeg vil gerne sige stor tak til hr. Danti for at sikre, at lige præcis disse hensyn er medtaget i betænkningen, så vi kan opnå balance og få et godt og velfungerende indre marked.
               

Sofia Ribeiro (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, a regulamentação das qualificações profissionais reforça o mercado único e a mobilidade laboral e, portanto, reforça a efetiva União Europeia.
               

                  É preciso recordar que o processo de Bolonha permitiu a convergência ao nível das qualificações académicas, a par do quadro europeu de qualificações, o que permite, a título de exemplo, que um jovem português, licenciado, veja reconhecida a sua licenciatura num outro qualquer Estado-Membro europeu. Mas esta convergência está incompleta.
               

                  O problema maior reside nas profissões especializadas que exigem um reconhecimento pelas ordens profissionais, e é por isso que defendo que se crie um quadro europeu de qualificações profissionais que harmonize os requisitos da atividade laboral. Defendo também, Senhor Comissário, que reforcemos, quando existam, e que criemos, nos casos inexistentes, as federações europeias das ordens profissionais, o que permita, também a título de exemplo, que um jovem português que se inscreva na Ordem dos Psicólogos em Portugal, veja automaticamente reconhecida essa capacidade e que também esteja automaticamente reconhecido pela Ordem dos Psicólogos, por exemplo, no Reino Unido, permitindo uma efetiva mobilidade laboral também nas profissões especializadas.
               

Olga Sehnalová (S&D). – Pokud chceme i nadále odbourávat překážky na vnitřním trhu, jednou z oblastí musí být i profesní mobilita. Společný postup na unijní úrovni by měl odstraňovat nepřiměřené překážky a zároveň garantovat vysokou kvalitu poskytovaných služeb. Profesní regulace je pro ochranu veřejného zájmu, bezpečnost pacientů a ochranu spotřebitelů důležitým nástrojem. Souhlasím, že zásadní je transparentnost a srovnatelnost kvalifikací pro regulovaná povolání a že hlavním měřítkem srovnávání by měla být kvalita služeb, nikoliv prostá čísla. Do konzultací o profesní regulaci by měly být více zapojeny všechny zúčastněné strany, v čele se sociálními partnery. Jen tak je možné posílit důvěru, která je pro fungování vnitřního trhu naprosto klíčová.
               

                  Vedle vzdělávání a rozvoje dovedností ovšem mysleme i na to, jak odborníkům zajistit odpovídající podmínky pro výkon jejich profese v rámci pracovní mobility i bez ní, tedy na domácím pracovním trhu.
               

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, domnule comisar, reglementarea privind serviciile și calificările profesionale este importantă pentru piața internă. Eu sunt surprinsă de poziția unor colegi care arată că, de fapt, ar bloca. Din contră – libera circulație a cetățenilor și mai ales a tinerilor care se pregătesc în anumite domenii ale serviciilor, să poată să profeseze în oricare stat membru – de fapt, asta înseamnă că suntem o Uniune Europeană și o piață internă, asta înseamnă.
               

                  Eu îl felicit pe colegul meu Danti pentru raport, pentru echilibru, foarte multe amendamente bune. Mulțumesc și domnului comisar. Și cred că este important să înțelegem că implementarea eficace și eficientă a acestui raport duce, pe de o parte, la competitivitate, servicii mai bune, prețuri mai mici și calitatea serviciilor mai bună pentru consumatori. Și mai cred foarte mult că, din contră, dacă votăm astăzi această reglementare și o și implementăm, aceasta va duce la eliminarea discriminării nejustificate și disproporționate, mai ales pentru tinerii profesioniști. Susțin raportul și sper să fie votat.
               

Catch-the-eye procedure


Milan Zver (PPE). – Hvala za besedo, spoštovana gospa predsedujoča, spoštovani gospod komisar. Tudi jaz čestitam kolegu Dantiju za dobro opravljeno delo. To je zelo občutljiva tematika, kot vemo. Na področju izobraževanja in usposabljanja nimamo veliko direktiv, to je ena izmed redkih, ki poskuša nekako standardizirati poklicne standarde po celi Evropi.
               

                  V državah članicah imamo zelo različne sisteme. Slišali smo prej gospoda Schwaba, ki pravi, da v Nemčiji imajo svoj tradicionalni sistem, kjer poklicna združenja določajo poklicne standarde in podobno. Imamo nekatere članice, kjer državni uradniki urejajo tovrstne naloge.
               

                  Torej, vsekakor pa potrebujemo na ravni Evropske unije bolj primerljiv sistem. Leta 2008 smo sprejeli evropski kvalifikacijski okvir, ki se še premalo implementira v državah članicah, in podobno. Vendar je treba biti vseeno tukaj zelo pozoren, gre za suverene politike nacionalnih držav, potrebno je najti ravnovesje med nacionalno suverenostjo in pa regulacijo s strani Evropske unije.
               

Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D). – Madam President, I welcome this very important report which highlights that high-quality professional services and an effective regulatory environment are of utmost importance for preserving the EU's economic, social and cultural model and for boosting the competitiveness of the European Union.
I would like to recall that regulated professions, which represent up to 22% of the labour force in the EU and cover many crucial sectors, constitute a significant element in the economy of the Member States, and rules on regulated professions are usually imposed to ensure the protection of general interest objectives such as public health, consumer protection or public security. Indeed in many cases the regulation is justified on the above-mentioned grounds.
However for a regulation to be fair for professionals and to ensure mobility within the European Union, the latter has to fully respect the principles of non-discrimination and proportionality, and the Member States must be transparent about the rules they put forward.
I conclude by stressing that irrespective of the model applied by each country, where restrictions may be removed or be rendered more proportionate, these tasks should be carried out for the benefit of European citizens.

Karin Kadenbach (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Kommissar! Ein ganz klares Bekenntnis zum Binnenmarkt und zu den vier Freiheiten – das inkludiert natürlich den freien Dienstleistungsverkehr. Und trotzdem – daher ist diese Diskussion heute so wichtig – gibt es Bereiche, die der freien Marktwirtschaft nicht einfach unterliegen dürfen. Das ist für mich der gesamte Bereich der Daseinsvorsorge und im Speziellen der Gesundheitsfürsorge. Darum freuen mich die Wortmeldungen, die wir heute gehabt haben. Wir brauchen in gewissen Bereichen Reglementierungen, wir brauchen Harmonisierung, aber auch unter dem Aspekt des Konsumentenschutzes, der Transparenz und der Verhinderung der Wettbewerbsverzerrung.
               

                  Ich glaube, dass das vorliegende Papier ein gutes, ausgewogenes Papier ist, dem wir uns voll anschließen können. Aber ich möchte noch eine Bemerkung äußern: Wenn ich Angst davor habe, dass es hier zu innereuropäischen Migrationsströmen kommt, dann kann die Antwort darauf nicht sein, dass ich diesen freien Dienstleistungsverkehr unterbinde, sondern wir müssen uns die Wurzeln dieser innereuropäischen Migration anschauen und dürfen nicht in Bereichen der Strukturförderung oder der Kohäsionsförderung den Sparstift in dem Maße ansetzen, dass wir Leute aus den Regionen, in denen sie eigentlich gerne leben und arbeiten würden, vertreiben.
               

Γεώργιος Επιτήδειος (NI). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, η οικονομική κρίση, η οποία εδώ και πολλά χρόνια μαστίζει την Ευρώπη, και κυρίως την Ελλάδα, έχει επηρεάσει σημαντικά την ομαλή άσκηση πολλών επαγγελμάτων. Μεγάλος αριθμός από αυτά έχουν εγκαταλειφθεί, κάποια άλλα βρίσκονται στα πρόθυρα της εξαφανίσεως, πολλοί εργαζόμενοι έχουν χάσει την εργασία τους και ειδικά οι νέοι επιστήμονες, όταν κατορθώσουν επιτέλους να βρουν εργασία, αυτή συνήθως δεν έχει καμία σχέση με το αντικείμενο της επιστήμης τους. Αυτή είναι μια κατάσταση που πρέπει να αντιμετωπιστεί και να βρεθεί λύση. Πρέπει οι νέοι να αποκτήσουν τα απαιτούμενα προσόντα για να ασκήσουν κάποια επαγγέλματα, κυρίως τα νομοθετικώς προστατευόμενα επαγγέλματα, πρέπει να αποκτήσουν την εμπειρία και τις δεξιότητες και όλα αυτά πρέπει να αποτελέσουν ευθύνη και αρμοδιότητα του κάθε κράτους. Διότι είναι το κράτος που γνωρίζει τα προβλήματα που αντιμετωπίζει και πώς πρέπει να τα επιλύσει. Στη συνέχεια, το κάθε κράτος, σε συνεργασία με τα υπόλοιπα κράτη μέλη και την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, θα διαμορφώσει ένα πλαίσιο το οποίο θα μπορεί στη συνέχεια να τεθεί σε εφαρμογή σε όλες τις χώρες της Ευρώπης.
               

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)


Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Madam President, I would like to thank the Members for this interesting debate. It is clear that we share the common aim of creating an effective legal environment so that we can ensure high-quality professional services.
The mutual evaluation exercise was an important first step, but it also showed that much work remains to be done. Analytical tools like the Restrictiveness Indicator can support us in this effort by pointing out possible instances of inadequate regulation or over-regulation. It is then for the Member States to examine the justification for these restrictions and to check whether there are alternative, less harmful measures. The proposed proportionality test will also be a key instrument for preventing the adoption of disproportionate professional rules.
The Commission thanks the House once again for your support for its policy initiative and looks forward to working with you to create competitive and high-quality professional services.

Nicola Danti,
relatore. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, in chiusura di questa discussione permettetemi intanto di ringraziare per la collaborazione tutti i relatori ombra di questa relazione e tutti coloro che sono intervenuti nella discussione di stamattina.
               

                  A conclusione di questa discussione, mi preme sottolineare una parola: equilibrio – è stato sottolineato da più interventi. Abbiamo a che fare con un mercato che molto spesso è stato forse il più chiuso di tutti i mercati europei, talvolta non solo a livello nazionale ma anche a livello locale. Il professionista spesso è stato individuato come colui che opera sul territorio, su una realtà locale, e abbiamo bisogno – e questo sono le direttive europee che lo chiedono, e il lavoro che stiamo facendo lo riaffermiamo in questa relazione – di ampliare la mobilità intraeuropea delle professioni, dare maggiori opportunità di mobilità intereuropea ai giovani, migliorare la qualità dei servizi, aumentare l'offerta all'interno dell'UE e la concorrenza. Ma allo stesso tempo abbiamo anche la necessità di far sì che le normative nazionali garantiscano la proporzionalità, siano proporzionali per l'accesso a queste professioni, a tutela dei cittadini, a tutela delle autorità pubbliche e a tutela dei consumatori.
               

                  Tuttavia a me preme, in questa fase finale, sottolineare un aspetto. Io credo, signora Presidente, signor Commissario e onorevoli colleghi, che la competizione non sarà tra i professionisti europei. Il mercato digitale sta aprendo al mondo il nostro mercato: ormai nel mondo si possono trovare online piattaforme che offrono servizi professionali da ogni parte del mondo, le barriere sono state abbattute. E allora io penso che il punto qualificante su cui vogliamo lavorare e che abbiamo inserito in questa relazione è che abbiamo bisogno di professionisti più forti, più capaci, più in grado di stare sul mercato internazionale, e questo si fa con la formazione, con la digitalizzazione, con la collaborazione tra il sistema professionale nazionale e all'interno di un sistema europeo.
               

                  Questo è quello che abbiamo davanti. La sfida è difficile, è una sfida sulla quale continueremo a lavorare e, credo, con la collaborazione della Commissione e con l'approvazione della prossima direttiva sul test di proporzionalità, avremo gli elementi per far sì che i professionisti europei abbiano le caratteristiche e la capacità di competere nel mondo globale.
               

President. – The debate is closed.
The vote will take place shortly.


Written statements (Rule 162)



Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg (S&D),
in writing. – The harmonisation of minimum training requirements of regulated professions (such as doctors, nurses, teachers and others) from 2005 was an important step in order to facilitate the free movement of those specialists across the EU. There is about 5 5000 regulated professions in the Union, standing for approximately 22% of all labour force, which were touched by this piece of legislation. Nevertheless, until now, the full clarity and transparency on the different national requirements, exceeding the minimum harmonisation, have not been achieved. Therefore, the Member States along with the European Commission should improve the overview of the further country-specific requirements and to develop a better comparing system in the publicly accessible database (Regulated Professions Database). I acknowledge the need to protect the national consumers and recipients of services. However, the Commission shall take action and launch infringement procedures to prevent adopting any kind of discriminatory or disproportionate laws that have or will appear at national states' level. Furthermore, I welcome the EC's recognition of need to evaluate the influence of modern technologies and digitalisation on professional services to secure a high level of competitiveness.

Danuta Jazłowiecka (PPE),
na piśmie. – W Unii istnieje ponad 5500 regulowanych zawodów, przy czym między państwami członkowskimi widać wyraźne różnice, jeżeli chodzi o restrykcyjność przyjętych rozwiązań. Przeprowadzone przez Komisję Europejską badania dowodzą, że państwa członkowskie mają problemy z oceną ich proporcjonalności. Jest to istotne, bowiem zawody te odpowiadają za 22 % siły roboczej we wszystkich gałęziach gospodarki. Niepokojące jest również to, że nie wszystkie przepisy dyrektywy 2005/36/WE zostały do tej pory w pełni wdrożone przez państwa członkowskie, i to pomimo upływu terminu.
               

                  Komisja Europejska w ostatnim czasie podjęła szereg działań mających przynieść pozytywne efekty w obszarze zawodów regulowanych i dotyczących stworzenia interaktywnej mapy, która umożliwia obywatelom sprawdzenie wymogów w zakresie dostępu do zawodów w całej Unii, czy wskaźnika restrykcyjności regulacji obowiązujących w państwach członkowskich.
               

                  Niemniej jednak, jak słusznie zauważa sprawozdawczyni, całościowa analiza ich wpływu powinna podlegać nie tylko ilościowej, ale także jakościowej ocenie. Komisja Europejska w najbliższym czasie powinna skupić się także na wpływie postępu naukowego, innowacji technologicznych i cyfryzacji na zawody regulowane. Zachodzące zmiany stwarzają nowe możliwości dla przedstawicieli tych zawodów, ale stanowią również wyzwania dla unijnego rynku pracy. Tym samym powinniśmy zacząć się zastanawiać, jak dostosować istniejące przepisy prawne w zakresie zawodów regulowanych do zmian technologicznych i społecznych, jakie nas dotkną w najbliższych latach.
               

Jarosław Wałęsa (PPE),
in writing. – There is no doubt that regulated professions represent an important element in our economy. Therefore, the overview of national systems of regulation of professions and of proportionality assessments conducted by Member States is very important. The report highlights the quality of professional services and the fact that this is of paramount importance in preserving the European economic, social and cultural model. It identifies the main aspects of the implementation of Article 59 of Directive 2005/36/EC and recalls the importance of professional regulations in relation to the protection of legitimate public interests. The report also indicates specific areas in which Member States are invited to consider improvements in their regulation.
It is also important that the Commission has developed a new indicator on the restrictiveness of professional regulation, which may be more effective. In the future, we should monitor the implementation of the recommendations. If necessary, we will be able to measure and address the remaining barriers – a point also underlined in the report. To this end we should also continue to reflect on the impact of scientific progress, innovation and digitalisation on regulated professions.
4.   Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (debate)
4.1.   Nigeria

President. – The next item is the debate on six motions for resolutions on Nigeria (2018/2513(RSP)).

Tunne Kelam,
author. – Madam President, 30 million Christians live in the northern part of Nigeria, where peace and stability have been dramatically undermined by ongoing attacks, murders and kidnappings by the Islamist Boko Haram group since 2009. During this period, more than 20 000 people, belonging to different denominations, have been killed and 2 million have been displaced.
According to the NGO Open Doors, two-thirds of the 3 000 Christians killed in the world in one year, up to November 2017, met violent deaths in Nigeria. The latest attack happened in Omoku, with 14 killed and many wounded after a New Year's Eve church service.
I urgently call on the Nigerian authorities to increase efforts to protect the Christian community and end violence there. Decisive efforts are needed to defend citizens' rights to worship freely and in safety.

Charles Tannock,
author. – Madam President, Nigeria is beset by multiple challenges, from geographical sectarian divisions to fighting brutal jihadi terrorism. Given its huge natural oil resources, nearly 200 million in population and strong economic position in Africa, it should be a role model for the rest of the continent. Whilst we are familiar with the tragic kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, the majority of whom are still missing, we must remind ourselves too of the thousands of others that have been killed and the 1.4 million that have been displaced by Boko Haram, a brutal terrorist organisation, since its inception in 2009.
The campaign against Boko Haram has had some success under President Buhari. However, attacks persist and there is still a lack of understanding about the group's underlying support base and where it gets its funding from. Corruption remains, of course, one of the biggest challenges for Nigeria, placed 136 out of 175 countries in the Transparency International index. Buhari's government needs to do far more to investigate and prosecute those guilty of corruption.
None of the challenges facing Nigeria are easy to overcome. We see in our own countries, even with the benefit of much greater resources at our disposal, the difficulties in defeating international terrorism. The EU must therefore continue to extend its offers of support and help, and to share our experience, in conjunction with the African Union, in supporting Nigeria.

Cécile Kashetu Kyenge,
autore. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, è di ieri la notizia del rapimento di due americani e di due canadesi nel nord della Nigeria, rapimento nel corso del quale sono stati uccisi i loro accompagnatori nigeriani. Quest'episodio testimonia l'insicurezza che prevale nel nord, con Boko Haram che continua ad operare.
                  

                     Dobbiamo riconoscere gli sforzi del presidente Buhari nella lotta contro il terrorismo. È un impegno difficile, contro un nemico abilmente feroce. Abbiamo condannato i conflitti etnici che oppongono pastori transumanti e agricoltori sedentarizzati nel nord del paese. La ricorsività di tali conflitti interetnici è segno che la pressione demografica richiede un cambio di modello economico.
                  

                     Chiediamo al governo nigeriano di favorire la mediazione dal basso, affinché questi conflitti cessino, e di definire al più presto le politiche economiche adatte alla crescita demografica. Sul versante dei diritti umani rimangono sacche di violazione che ci preoccupano e chiediamo al governo di impegnarsi per il rispetto della dignità e dei diritti umani in tutto il paese.
                  

Judith Sargentini,
Auteur. – Het bloedige conflict in Nigeria tussen nomadische veehouders en aan hun land gebonden landbouwers is een conflict over schaarste, een conflict over droogte. Het gaat over het klimaat. Mensen worden gedwongen met hun vee vruchtbare gronden in het zuiden op te zoeken, terwijl anderen daar hun planten en gewassen hebben.
                  

                     Als wij in Europa dat willen begrijpen en ons daarmee willen bemoeien, dan mogen we dit niet versimpelen tot een religieus conflict tussen moslims en christenen. Want dan doen we precies hetzelfde als wat nu gebeurt in Nigeria, waar politici gebruikmaken van het verschil in religie om deze strijd een andere connotatie te geven. Als we zoeken naar conflictoplossing, dan moeten we onderkennen dat we hier te maken hebben met een klimaatprobleem, met een probleem tussen twee levensstijlen, met een schaarsteprobleem.
                  

                     Een ander onderwerp waar de Groenen aandacht voor vragen als het gaat om mensenrechten, conflicten en Nigeria, is de situatie in de Nigerdelta. De rol van olie en oliemultinationals in Nigeria, in samenwerking met een corrupte regering, blijft het land verder destabiliseren. Het is dan ook de taak van ons en Europa om in ieder geval onze multinationals voor de rechter te krijgen – ik denk dan met name aan Shell – om ervoor te zorgen dat er gerechtigheid komt voor de bewoners van de Nigerdelta.
                  

                     Wij kunnen wat doen aan het stabiliseren van Nigeria, namelijk onze multinationals op het matje roepen en conflicten niet versimpelen tot religiedebatten.
                  

Miguel Urbán Crespo,
autor. – Señora presidenta, yo voy a preferir hablar de lo que no viene recogido justamente en la Resolución. Señorías, Nigeria es la mayor economía del continente africano, con grandes reservas de petróleo y gas y, a pesar de ello, el 80 % de su población vive en la pobreza y la riqueza se concentra en muy pocas manos.
                  

                     La mayoría de la extracción del petróleo está en manos de empresas europeas y muchas de ellas están denunciadas por violación de derechos humanos. Por poner algunos ejemplos: Shell, por complicidad en violaciones de derechos humanos contra el pueblo ogoni; Shell y Eni, por corrupción internacional —juicio que se está celebrando en Italia-; o Eni, por ejemplo, por los daños ambientales causados por la explosión del oleoducto en 2010.
                  

                     La mayoría de los grupos de este Parlamento no han visto pertinente mencionar —casualidades de la vida— la responsabilidad de las multinacionales europeas en la violación de los derechos humanos en Nigeria, justamente en una Resolución de urgencia sobre derechos humanos; ¡no vayamos a fastidiar algún negocio!
                  

                     Los intereses económicos de las multinacionales y sus Gobiernos cómplices están empujando a la gente a huir de Nigeria. Miles arriesgan sus vidas en las rutas migratorias hacia la Unión Europea y son víctimas de esclavitud y maltrato. Las mujeres nigerianas sufren explotación sexual tanto en el camino hacia Europa como dentro de nuestras fronteras. Mientras expoliamos los recursos naturales de Nigeria, levantamos muros y externalizamos fronteras para repeler las consecuencias de nuestro expolio; o abrimos un fondo fiduciario de nuestras limosnas para África en vez de cambiar nuestras políticas económicas y geoestratégicas, que es lo que tendríamos que hacer. No más limosnas, sino ser consecuentes con nuestras políticas.
                  

Marietje Schaake,
author. – Madam President, Nigerians have been suffering from increased violence caused by economic and political tensions between ethnic and religious groups, but they are all fighting over scarce resources. Many farmers and pastoralists have lost their lives and property. At the same time, the population is suffering from brutal attacks. Boko Haram has attacked Muslims, Christians and people of all faiths indiscriminately and, particularly terribly, has kidnapped and raped innocent young girls.
Today we urge the Nigerian Government, together with international partners, to increase efforts to bring terrorism and violence to a halt, to protect the rights of all citizens and to take action to resolve the devastating intercommunal conflicts. Effective tackling of corruption and ensuring a more even distribution of resources should benefit all Nigerians, and, in fighting terror, it is essential that state security forces respect human rights.

Andrzej Grzyb,
w imieniu grupy PPE. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Wolność wyznania to podstawowa wolność i podstawowe prawo człowieka, i musimy zawsze reagować tam, gdzie jest ono naruszane. Nigeria jest domem dla największej liczby chrześcijan w regionie, bo prawie połowa ze 186 milionów mieszkańców to są chrześcijanie. Znamy przykład dziewcząt, z których prawie połowa nie wróciła jeszcze do swojego domu, które zostały porwane w Chibok. Narastają też ataki grup islamistycznych na chrześcijan, porwania, porwania zakonnic, młodzieży, księży, wolontariuszy, no i ataki na niosące pomoc organizacje chrześcijańskie, ale również na ludzi, którzy uczestniczą w praktykach religijnych.
                  

                     Wydaje mi się, że społeczność międzynarodowa powinna tutaj reagować, aby powstrzymać, niezależnie od tego, że częstokroć również podstawy egzystencji ekonomicznej mogą być pretekstem do inspirowania takich sytuacji. Chcemy wezwać do większej presji między innymi w ramach prowadzonego z Nigerią stałego politycznego dialogu – jeżeli chodzi o układ z Kotonu – w sprawie praw człowieka i zasad demokracji, aby Nigeria wywiązała się z obowiązku ochrony osób, które żyją na jej terytorium.
                  

Neena Gill,
on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, like many other countries in Africa, Nigeria is a prime example of a country that should be rich but in reality is poor. It is Africa's largest oil producer, yet more than half of Nigerian people live on less than two dollars a day. The demographic explosion means scarce resources come under pressure and fuel conflict. This is not some faraway doom scenario. Last year hundreds of shepherds were killed or disappeared in violent clashes. Meanwhile, the impact of terror committed by Boko Haram continues to be felt.
The EU as a whole, and the UK in particular, have particular interests at stake in the country, whether it is managing migration flows or sealing lucrative business deals after Brexit, but these agendas will not get anywhere unless underlying problems in Nigeria are addressed: corruption, inequality and inter-ethnic tension. So my question to the Commissioner is the following: what measures are we taking, as part of our aid to Nigeria, to help tackle these root causes? Do you agree that close cooperation and coordination with the UK after Brexit are necessary in order to make sure we are not going on different strands?

Marina Albiol Guzmán,
en nombre del Grupo GUE/NGL. – Señora presidenta, la situación en Nigeria es de una violencia extrema. Hay más de dos millones de desplazados internos, la mayoría de los cuales no tienen acceso a comida, casa, educación o sanidad.
                  

                     Las mujeres y niñas sufren violaciones y explotación sexual en manos de Boko Haram, pero también de miembros de grupos de seguridad, de policía y soldados.
                  

                     Cientos de miles de nigerianos y nigerianas han abandonado el país en los últimos meses, huyendo de esta situación de violencia y de la situación de pobreza y falta de los derechos más básicos. En su ruta hacia Europa muchos se han visto atrapados en esos campos de detención de Libia, que financia la Unión Europea, donde se tortura y se esclaviza. ¿Y cuál ha sido la solución? ¿Darles asilo en Europa, tal y como marca la Convención de Ginebra y los Tratados internacionales? Pues no: deportarlos; esa ha sido la solución.
                  

                     Más de dos mil nigerianos y nigerianas han sido deportados desde Libia a Nigeria. Sacarlos de la violencia de Libia para meterlos nuevamente en la violencia de la que huyeron en Nigeria. Cualquier cosa les vale antes que abrir vías legales y seguras hacia Europa. Cualquier cosa ya.
                  

Ignazio Corrao,
on behalf of the EFDD Group. – Madam President, mismanagement of public resources and endemic corruption is having a direct and massive impact on the enjoyment of basic rights by Nigerians, about 54% of whom live in conditions of extreme poverty. Considering that Nigeria has been ranked 136 out of 175 countries in terms of perception of corruption, Nigerian authorities must strengthen measures to tackle corrupt practices, as there is a dangerous link between corruption and terrorism.
Those threats are pushing the country towards regressive steps. As affirmed by President Buhari, corruption has been largely responsible for previous failures to end the Boko Haram insurgency. The international community has improved its support for the Nigerian Government's efforts to fight the Boko Haram threat by increasing assistance. However, if the Nigerian Government fails to tackle corruption, all efforts to end violence will be trivial and a huge amount of the resources supplied will be lost. Worse, our money will fuel an evil system.

Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE). – Hovořit o situaci v Nigérii a nemluvit o náboženství, resp. nemluvit o křesťanství, je velmi zvláštní situace a trošku bych se chtěl ohradit proti tomu, co tady říkala paní Sargentiniová, protože křesťané, to je ta skupina, která v Nigérii je poměrně dlouho. Je pod velikánským tlakem, vždyť si vezměte, kolik desítek křesťanů za poslední roky zemřelo. Kolik desítek křesťanů bylo zavražděno. Vezměte si, kolik desítek křesťanů bylo uneseno a kolik desítek křesťanských žen bylo znásilněno.
                  

                     Neříkáme, že je to hlavní problém Nigérie. Nigérie má další problémy, nefungující státní správa, obrovská korupce a další věci, které jste tady zmiňovali. Ale proč kolegové nezmínit skupinu křesťanů, kteří tam žijí? Vždyť se nemáme za co stydět. Naše tradice stojí na křesťanství, a proto je potřeba vyzvat nigérijskou vládu, aby s tímto něco dělala.
                  

Michela Giuffrida (S&D). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, i crescenti conflitti interetnici nella regione della ‘middle belt’ tra pastori e agricoltori sono solo l'ultimo elemento di preoccupazione in Nigeria, dilaniata dall'offensiva terroristica di Boko Haram. L'intervento del governo nigeriano per garantire la gestione condivisa delle risorse economiche e naturali deve essere assolutamente immediato.
                  

                     L'Unione europea, oltre a condannare gli atti di sterminio e pulizia etnica, deve invitare l'ONU a indagare su ciò che sta accadendo in Nigeria. Forte deve essere l'intervento dell'Unione europea nei confronti del governo nigeriano perché ratifichi la Carta africana sulla democrazia, necessaria a garantire libere elezioni e a combattere la corruzione dilagante.
                  

                     La Nigeria è il più popoloso paese africano e presto diventerà il terzo paese più popoloso del mondo. L'Europa deve continuare a supportare il paese attraverso misure di lungo e breve termine, come il pacchetto destinato alla ricostruzione dello Stato di Borno, devastato da Boko Haram.
                  

                     Ma, signor Commissario, questo non basta perché è proprio sulla condivisione dell'impegno a garanzia dei diritti umani che si gioca la sfida dell'Unione europea in Africa.
                  

David Coburn (EFDD). – Madam President, over the last few years, the Islamic terrorist organisation Boko Haram has killed more than 20 000 people, many of them Christians. Thousands of women and children were enslaved and raped, and according to the International Criminal Court, there are reasonable grounds to believe the Boko Haram may have committed crimes against humanity. A majority in this Parliament wants, and I quote, ‘to monitor the situation in Nigeria to ensure that EU funding is spent effectively’. This is a very weak and naive position. Nigeria should be an extremely wealthy nation – that is how the British Empire left it. We left it wealthy.
Why are we giving EU taxpayers' money to a country which is one of the most corrupt nations on earth? Why are we still giving European humanitarian aid to a government that is completely unable or unwilling to stop these atrocities? The EU does not need to fund this type of failed state, nor do we need a European External Action Service to follow up on the situation in countries like Nigeria. I suppose the American President might unfortunately have a word for that, but fortunately not here.
It is up to the nation-state, in cooperation with the United Nations, to sort this out, not the European Union with European taxpayers' money. It's a total waste.

President. – Mr Coburn, you are close enough to catch my eye and to indicate that you are way over time.

Catch-the-eye procedure


Jiří Pospíšil (PPE). – Naváži na to, co říkal pan kolega Zdechovský. My v této kategorii v zásadě krátkých rozprav nad aktuální situací porušování lidských práv ve světě bychom neměli řešit všechny problémy, které Nigérie má.
                  

                     Kolegové tady v rozpravě zmiňovali problémy této obrovské bohaté země, chudoba lidí, problémy mezi severem a jihem, Boko Haram, které zabilo 20 000 lidí, spory mezi pastevci a zemědělci, ale my zde dnes máme debatovat tématiku potlačování práv a dokonce i vraždění křesťanů v této zemi. Já bych byl rád, kdyby toto téma opravdu zde jasně zaznělo. Reagujeme tak na incident, který proběhl v prosinci, před několika týdny, kdy několik desítek křesťanů bylo zavražděno poté, co se vraceli z bohoslužby. Toto je téma, které by zde mělo být zdůrazněno. My bychom hlavně dnes měli vyzvat vládu Nigérie, aby udělala vše pro možnosti svých občanů, aby mohli svobodně vyznávat svá náboženství, ať již křesťanské anebo muslimské, a chránit toto právo svobody víry.
                  

Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Madam President, we all know that Nigeria is a huge country, the most populated country in Africa, and we all know that it is devastated by injustice and violence, not only on religious grounds but also on social, economic and political grounds. That is why it happens that Nigeria is one of the five priority countries of the Migration Partnership and in that context I myself have been a member of a delegation to Nigeria on a number of occasions with some other colleagues here. Migration – illicit migration routes – is at the origin of massive and gross human rights violations aimed mostly at women and defenceless children.
This resolution tackles the call on the fight against Boko Haram and its terrorism, but also addresses the Nigerian authorities, calling for reform of the security forces, to make sure that they prevent extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detentions and torture, and reform of the criminal judicial system to make sure that the law is enforced to fight violence, terrorism and corruption, which is massive in Nigeria.

Νότης Μαριάς (ECR). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, η Νιγηρία είναι πολυπληθέστατη χώρα με τρομερή ανάπτυξη του πληθυσμού της. Από 33 εκατομμύρια κατοίκους το 1950 έχει φτάσει σήμερα τα 190 εκατομμύρια. Είναι μια ισχυρή οικονομική χώρα, η οποία έχει πλούσιους παραγωγικούς τομείς. Έχει πετρέλαιο, έχει φυσικό αέριο. Και όμως, φτάσαμε τώρα στο σημείο να γίνονται εισαγωγές πετρελαίου στη Νιγηρία. Επιπλέον, αυτή τη στιγμή υπάρχει μια σύγκρουση μεταξύ των γεωργών και των νομάδων, γιατί, επί της ουσίας, γίνεται μια προσπάθεια αρπαγής της γης. Επομένως, αυτές οι διενέξεις συνδυάζονται ταυτόχρονα και με θρησκευτικές συγκρούσεις. Υπάρχει μία δίωξη των 30 εκατομμυρίων χριστιανών της βόρειας Νιγηρίας. Υπάρχει η τρομοκρατική δράση της οργάνωσης Boko Haram, η οποία όμως έχει τη δυνατότητα να ασκεί σήμερα τρομοκρατική δράση επειδή η ίδια η διαφθορά του καθεστώτος αποτελεί ‘λίπασμα’ για την ανάπτυξή της. Θα πρέπει λοιπόν να υπάρξουν σημαντικές παρεμβάσεις διότι, συν τοις άλλοις, από τη Νιγηρία έχουμε τεράστιο πλήθος μεταναστών προς την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση.
                  

Krzysztof Hetman (PPE). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Od ponad ośmiu lat Nigeria musi konfrontować się z poważnymi zagrożeniami dla bezpieczeństwa swoich mieszkańców. Zamachy dokonywane przez Boko Haram, przemoc między grupami etnicznymi czy porwania stały się smutną codziennością tego kraju.
                  

                     Ze smutkiem przyjąłem informację, że ostatnie tygodnie przyniosły kolejną eskalację konfliktu między chrześcijanami i muzułmanami oraz pasterzami i farmerami. Prezydent Buhari poinformował, że dodatkowe siły bezpieczeństwa zostały wysłane w miejsce zamieszek, aby odnaleźć winnych i pociągnąć ich do odpowiedzialności oraz zapobiec kolejnym atakom. Będziemy się zatem uważnie przyglądać, czy prezydent Buhari dotrzyma swojego zobowiązania, gdyż dotychczasowe działania nie przyniosły niestety oczekiwanych rezultatów. Ponadto powinniśmy wezwać prezydenta Buhariego do przeprowadzenia reformy nigeryjskich sił bezpieczeństwa, które nie potrafią do tej pory zatrzymać fali przemocy.
                  

Puhetta johti HEIDI HAUTALA


varapuhemies


Carlos Iturgaiz (PPE). – Señora presidenta, conocemos los gravísimos problemas que están sucediendo en los últimos tiempos en Nigeria. El terrorismo yihadista se ha anclado en aquel país africano y junto a los salvajes atentados de Boko Haram, unidos a sus vergonzosos secuestros, se unen conflictos interétnicos, religiosos, con falta de libertades y violación de los derechos humanos en Nigeria.
                     

                        A través de esta Resolución, las instituciones europeas deben tomar nota de que miles y miles de nigerianos abandonan ese país en busca de un lugar donde puedan vivir en paz y en libertad. Y una parte, una gran parte de ellos, también, es la minoría cristiana, que, como en otros países africanos, están siendo perseguidos, acosados y asesinados.
                     

                        Por ello, nuestras instituciones europeas deben apoyar a ese colectivo de cristianos nigerianos y darles recursos para que puedan expresar su fe en completa libertad.
                     

Marek Jurek (ECR). – Pani Przewodnicząca! Nigeria ze względu na swój rozmiar, położenie, ludność zajmuje zupełnie kluczową pozycję w Afryce i jest miejscem, które odbija wszystkie geopolityczne, polityczne i społeczne problemy tego kontynentu. My musimy zrobić wszystko, żeby udzielić pełnego poparcia władzom Nigerii w walce z Boko Haram. To ma absolutne pierwszeństwo. Oczywiście trzeba oceniać to, w jaki sposób ta walka jest prowadzona, ale pierwszoplanowa jest ochrona ludzi przed terroryzmem. Oczywiście świat potrzebuje, Afryka potrzebuje Nigerii skonsolidowanej, ale napięcia ściśle polityczne powinny być rozwiązywane w drodze dialogu. Dlatego tak ważne jest to, żeby problemy związane z działalnością ruchu IPOB na południu były również rozwiązywane przez dialog polityczny. Przemocy należy przeciwstawić siłę, różnice należy rozwiązywać poprzez dialog.
                     

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Já bych chtěl nejprve ocenit pozitivní posun, k němuž došlo v Nigérii vlastně od 90. let. Poslední prezidentské volby, které proběhly v roce 2015 a kdy byl zvolen právě prezident Buhari, jsou hodnoceny jako nejtransparentnější za celé období tohoto demokratizačního procesu. Nicméně tím ten výčet pozitiv de facto končí, protože pokud se opravdu podíváme, jak bohatá na nerostné bohatství je Nigérie a jak málo se tohoto bohatství dostává do společnosti, tak si myslím, že to je základní problém, který je v Nigérii vidět.
                     

                        Chtěl bych se rovněž vyjádřit k útoku na křesťany. Základní povinností každé vlády je zajistit ochranu života a bezpečí pro své občany. Pokud dochází k útoku na křesťany jenom z důvodu toho, jaké vyznávají náboženství, tak je to samozřejmě nepřijatelné a musíme to s plnou razancí odsoudit a já se připojuji ke svým kolegům, kteří již tak učinili. Pokud jde o Boko Haram, musíme pomoci samozřejmě vládě, aby tuto situaci vyřešila. Je třeba vidět, že to základní vojenské úsilí opět spočívá na vládě Nigérie.
                     

Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – EP musí reagovat tam, kde se děje takové bezpráví. Minulý týden bylo v Benue zavražděno dalších 73 křesťanů. Jsou to oběti ozbrojených pastevců kmene Fulbů. Tito pastevci v souladu a v podstatě s podporou vládní politiky získávají pastvu pro svá stáda právě na úkor křesťanských zemědělců. Problém sucha se tedy stává problémem náboženských konfliktů a my se domníváme, že by vláda tuto situaci měla řešit a neměla by k tomu jen přihlížet. Proto žádáme vládu prezidenta Muhammada Buhriho, aby reagovala. Je to v podstatě podobné prohlášení, jaké vydali biskupové v Nigérii, kteří žádají nigerijskou vládu, aby ochránila své občany a potrestala nájezdníky. Vláda musí být zárukou bezpečí a prostředníkem dialogu.
                     

(Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot päättyvät)


Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, yesterday, suicide bombers killed at least 12 people in the northeast of Nigeria. On the same day, a Canadian and an American citizen were kidnapped in Nigeria, and two policemen were killed in the exchange of gunfire with the kidnappers. It is a sad reminder of how volatile the security situation in the country still is and how crucial it is to address the situation in order to unleash Nigeria's immense potential.
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and its largest economy. It is a country of great natural resources, but even more so, it is a country of entrepreneurs, artists, scientists and a country of innovation. We, as the European Union, are investing strongly to help the people of Nigeria bring their country forward. We invest in innovation, for instance, with the Digital4Development initiative, in energy efficiency, in local entrepreneurship, in the Green Economy and in the fight against climate change.
The European Investment Bank is about to increase its portfolio in the country. The visit of Vice-President Ansip to Abuja last year is a good illustration, among others, of this broad partnership. Yet, an unstable security situation is holding back Nigeria's potential. Boko Haram continues to carry out frequent attacks in the northeast of the country. The attacks have mostly affected the majority Muslim communities in the region, with little regard to the religious or ethnic origin of its victims.
Nigeria is now engaged in a major counter-offensive, alongside Niger, Chad and Cameroon. We have supported their multinational Joint Task Force since the very outset, both politically and financially. There is, however, a long way to go to secure peace, security and long-term stability in the country.
We are also firmly committed to the protection of human rights in Nigeria, including in conflict situations, and we have mobilised all our tools to achieve this goal: diplomacy, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Let us not forget that Nigeria is now home to 1.7 million internally displaced persons. The EU has already mobilised over EUR 155 million to address the humanitarian crisis, and an additional EUR 250 million for development in the northeast.
There are other violent conflicts in Nigeria, including in the southeast, the Biafra area, and the oil-rich Niger Delta. Clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the so-called middle belt have caused hundreds of deaths. While the herders are mainly Muslim and the farmers mainly Christian, the conflict reflects the limited access to land fuelled by climate change and demographic growth. We, however, share the concern that conflicts can turn more religious with time, with dire potential consequences.
The situation of minorities and vulnerable groups is also a concern to us, and a key subject for discussion. The European Union has made its views very clear that discrimination against certain religious, ethnic or gender groupings should not be tolerated and that it is the responsibility of any state to protect its citizens.
The upcoming elections in February 2019 will likely add to the complexity. I wish to thank the European Parliament for the pivotal role it has played in our election observation missions, cementing the role of the EU as a key political player. High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini hopes to visit Nigeria again in the near future for the next ministerial dialogue, in order to raise our shared concerns and to push our cooperation forward.

Puhemies. – Keskustelu on päättynyt.
                     

                        Äänestys toimitetaan torstaina 18.1.2018.
                     


Kirjalliset lausumat (työjärjestyksen 162 artikla)



Bogdan Brunon Wenta (PPE),
na piśmie. – Chciałbym wyrazić zaniepokojenie sytuacją w środkowej Nigerii, gdzie intensyfikacji uległy starcia pomiędzy grupami etnicznymi zajmującymi się hodowlą bydła a osiadłymi rolnikami. Konflikt ten nasilił się w ostatnich dekadach w konsekwencji wzrostu liczby ludności, zmian klimatycznych i związanych z tym fal suszy oraz postępującym pustynnieniem północnej Nigerii, a ostatnio również w wyniku aktywności grupy terrorystycznej Boko Haram.
                     

                        Czynniki te zmuszają przeważająco muzułmańskie ludy pasterskie do przemieszczania się w kierunku południowym, przez co wchodzą one w konflikt z głównie chrześcijańskimi osiadłymi grupami etnicznymi zajmującymi się rolnictwem. Chrześcijanie, mieszkający na tych terenach od wieków, muszą się zmagać z agresją grup napływowych, poszukujących terenów do wypasu bydła. W wyniku towarzyszących temu starć tylko w ubiegłym roku ponad 1,5 tysiąca osób zginęło, a 100 tysięcy zostało przesiedlone.
                     

                        Apeluję do prezydenta Nigerii, pana Muhammadu Buhari, o wypełnienie swoich deklaracji i podjęcie zdecydowanych kroków na rzecz stabilizacji w środkowej Nigerii, a także intensyfikację działań przeciwko Boko Haram na północy.
                     

                        Kluczowe jest stworzenie możliwości ekonomicznych dla grup pasterskich pozbawionych dostępu do pastwisk, a także przyspieszenie prac nad regionalnym projektem Wielkiego Zielonego Muru w celu ograniczenia postępującego pustynnienia północnej części kraju. Działania te pozwolą zająć się przyczynami konfliktu w perspektywie zarówno krótko-, jak i długoterminowej.
                     
4.2.   The cases of human rights activists Wu Gan, Xie Yang, Lee Ming-cheh, Tashi Wangchuk and the Tibetan monk Choekyi

Puhemies. – Esityslistalla on seuraavana keskustelu kuudesta ihmisoikeusaktivistien Wu Ganin, Xie Yangin, Lee Ming-chen, Tashi Wangchukin ja tiibetiläismunkki Choekyin tapauksia koskevasta päätöslauselmaesityksestä (2018/2514(RSP)).
                  

Molly Scott Cato,
author. – Madam President, economic interests have become increasingly important in EU-China relations, sadly overshadowing the EU's commitment to promoting human rights across the globe. In this context, the urgency resolution we are debating today comes as a timely reminder that we can, and must, reverse this trend.
This resolution underlines the need to shift our focus and finally engage in a meaningful discussion on the importance of fundamental freedoms in our bilateral relations. This is necessary if we wish to establish a sustainable partnership with China, our second biggest trading partner. Two Tibetans are named in the resolution: Tashi Wangchuk, a language rights activist, and the Buddhist monk Choekyi have been imprisoned and subjected to inhumane treatment merely for defending Tibetan culture. No evidence has been presented against Mr Wangchuk, while monk Choekyi's health is deteriorating without proper medical care.
Such treatment is clearly in violation of the Constitution of the Republic of China, which guarantees freedom of religion and upholds the rights of minority nationalities. The cases presented in this resolution have raised fears that Chinese criminal law might be abused to persecute minorities, and we should not remain silent on such developments. Rather, the EU must urge Beijing to end the repression of Tibetan culture through religious persecution, anti-Buddhist campaigns and the so-called patriotic education approach. In addition, it should call on the Chinese Government to resume the dialogue on Tibet's status with the Tibetan administration and finally reach a solution that grants it genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese Constitution.

Bas Belder,
Indiener. – Allereerst sluit ik mij volkomen aan bij de slotparagrafen 16 en 17 van de gezamenlijke resolutie over de noodzaak en urgentie van een eendrachtige, krachtige stellingname van alle 28 EU-lidstaten inzake de ernstige situatie van de mensenrechten in China. Ter illustratie noem ik de ontvoering en veroordeling op Chinees grondgebied van de Taiwanese burger Lee Ming-cheh. De stellingname van diens dappere echtgenote Li Ching-yu geef ik hier graag mee om over na te denken. Ik citeer: ‘Als China meent dat de acties van mijn man – verspreiding van democratische waarden en hulp aan de families van politieke gevangenen – een bedreiging vormen voor China's nationale veiligheid, dan zullen de burgers van Taiwan zich niet alleen nog sterker keren tegen enige aansluiting bij China, maar ook aarzelen om nauwe relaties te onderhouden met China.’
                  

                     Mevrouw de voorzitter, collega's, om over na te denken, hier, binnen en buiten China.
                  

Jo Leinen,
Verfasser. – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! China hat im Laufe seiner Entwicklung der letzten 30 Jahre große Fortschritte gemacht bei wirtschaftlichen Rechten und bei sozialen Rechten seiner Bürgerinnen und Bürger. Aber leider stellen wir fest, dass bei den politischen Rechten und bei den Menschenrechten in den letzten Jahren das Gegenteil der Fall ist: Es gibt einen Rückschritt, es gibt viel mehr Repressionen, es gibt viel weniger Freiheit für die Meinungsäußerung. Ich schließe mich den Kollegen an, die sagen: Das steht eigentlich im Gegensatz zu der Verfassung Chinas. China sollte seine eigene Verfassung ernst nehmen, in der die Freiheit der Meinungsäußerung und der Schutz der Minderheiten garantiert sind. Das ist heute nicht der Fall – weder im Umgang mit den Menschen in Tibet noch im Umgang mit den Uiguren und anderen Minderheiten, und erst recht nicht bei Menschen, die eine andere Auffassung haben als die herrschende Meinung im Land. Dagegen müssen wir uns wehren, und das ist der Ausdruck dieser urgency.
                  

                     Die EU versteht die Menschenrechte als integralen Teil ihrer Außenpolitik. Und ich schließe mich auch hier den Kollegen an, die an alle Mitgliedsländer appellieren, dass wir in dieser fundamentalen Frage auch einheitlich vorgehen, und dass nicht der ökonomische Druck aus China weiche Knie verursacht, wo einzelne Länder nicht mehr mitmachen bei dem Wertekonsens, den wir haben. Das ist ganz wichtig. Es gibt nicht viele Länder in der Welt, die diese Menschenrechte verteidigen. Die EU muss es tun, und wir appellieren an China, seine eigene Verfassung ernst zu nehmen.
                  

Puhemies. – Jo Leinen, annoin Teille vähän ylimääräistä aikaa, vaikka ei olisi pitänyt, mutta olette sentään Kiinan valtuuskunnan puheenjohtaja.
                  

Frédérique Ries,
auteure. – Madame la Présidente, cette année encore, il n'y aura pas eu de trêve des confiseurs pour les tribunaux chinois. Au contraire, je dirais. Ils ont, comme d'habitude, condamné à tour de bras pendant que le monde avait la tête à la fête.
                  

                     Xie Yang et Wu Gan viennent de rejoindre la liste des condamnés de Noël, liste noire sur laquelle figurait notamment l'an dernier le prix Nobel de la paix Liu Xiaobo, qui est mort en détention, on le sait, nous en avons parlé. Exactement ce que l'on redoute maintenant pour le bonze Choekyi, embastillé depuis deux ans après avoir célébré l'anniversaire du dalaï-lama, et aujourd'hui gravement malade en prison. Tashi Wangchuk, lui, attend sa sentence, qui devrait tomber d'un moment à l'autre – jusqu'à 15 ans de prison peut-être, pour avoir défendu l'usage du tibétain à l'école. Je n'oublie pas, bien entendu, Lee Ming-cheh, le Taïwanais dont nous parlions l'an dernier aussi.
                  

                     Des confessions télévisées qui sont scriptées, imposées, des actes de torture, un taux de condamnation des tribunaux chinois qui frôle les 100 %: voilà à quoi ressemble la Chine de Xi Jinping.
                  

                     Quatre ans après l'adoption – en fanfare! – d'une réforme pour un État de droit, le président chinois resserre de plus en plus l'étau autour de ceux qui tentent la critique, jusqu'à reléguer la Chine dans le peloton de queue mondial pour ce qui est du respect des droits fondamentaux et ceci, selon le classement du World Justice Project.
                  

                     Pékin doit libérer ces prisonniers de conscience. La diplomatie européenne doit peser de tout son poids pour que le régime garantisse enfin les droits fondamentaux de ses citoyens, des droits qui sont inscrits dans la constitution chinoise. Bref, il est temps de voir le géant chinois passer d'un État de loi à un État de droit.
                  

Michaela Šojdrová,
Autorka. – Dnes budeme hlasovat o lidech, kteří nenásilně v Číně bojují za lidská práva. Je to např. Wu Gan, který byl odsouzen na 8 let za publikování článků. Je to Xie Yang, právník, který se specializuje na lidská práva a za svoji činnost byl mučen. Je to Lee Ming-che, demokratický aktivista z Taiwanu, který byl odsouzen na 5 let, přestože je fakticky občanem jiné země. Taši Wangčuk je ve vězení za to, že obhajoval právo Tibeťanů na studium ve svém vlastním jazyce. Tibetský mnich Čhökji byl zatčen za oslavu narozenin dalajlamy. Situace v Číně a v Tibetu se z pohledu lidských práv zhoršuje, minimálně od doby, co současný prezident Si Ťin-pching se pevně chopil moci. V Číně jsou tisíce politických vězňů, 7 500, a my se zmiňujeme jen o některých.
                  

                     Já bych chtěla poděkovat všem spolupracovníkům za spolupráci na tomto prohlášení a za jeho podporu.
                  

Tőkés László,
a PPE képviselőcsoport nevében. – Elnök Úr, Hszi Csin-ping elnök uralma alatt az emberi jogok helyzete végletesen megromlott. A tibeti és az ujgur kisebbségi közösségek tagjait a szeparatizmus jogcímén üldözik, kínozzák meg és vetik börtönbe. A kínai ellenzékieket viszont az államhatalom felforgatásának vádjával részesítik hasonló bánásmódban. A jogszerűnek álcázott hamis vádak az elnyomott kínai társadalom, ezen belül is a kisebbségek megfékezésére szolgálnak. A kínai kormány a totalitárius, kommunista rezsimek jól ismert módszereit alkalmazza a saját alkotmánya által is biztosított alapvető emberi jogok sérelmére. Sőt mi több, felelős nemzetközi, demokratikus vállalásait sutba dobva jogsértő gyakorlatát immár Tajvanra is igyekszik kiterjeszteni. Mindezeket figyelembe véve követeljük, hogy a kínai kormány haladék és feltétel nélkül bocsássa szabadon fogvatartottjait, közöttük is Ilham Tohti jeles ujgur értelmiségit, a békés interetnikai párbeszéd zászlóvivőjét.
                  

Ana Gomes,
em nome do Grupo S&D. – Senhora Presidente, a repressão dos ativistas chineses e do monge tibetano que hoje aqui debatemos demonstra como a República Popular da China continua a dar tiros no próprio pé ao tentar silenciá-los.
                  

                     A União Europeia tem de, em público e em privado, persuadir Pequim para que abandone a censura e a repressão contra ativistas e representantes de minorias como no Tibete.
                  

                     A União Europeia não pode olhar para o lado enquanto Pequim se prepara para aprovar um pacote de leis que, a pretexto de combate ao terrorismo, restringe liberdades e direitos fundamentais ou uma lei sobre a gestão de ONG internacionais que visa colocar associações e defensores de direitos humanos à mercê das autoridades do Estado.
                  

                     Temos, de forma concertada e estratégica, de pressionar para que, durante a revisão periódica universal da República Popular da China que se avizinha, assegurar que a sociedade civil chinesa é ouvida e participa no processo. A União Europeia tem ainda um interesse estratégico numa relação leal com a China em matéria de segurança global, nas quais Pequim tem de contribuir de forma construtiva e não escudar-se no seu estatuto do Conselho de Segurança para agir num quadro internacional paralelo e para violar as suas próprias obrigações em matéria de direitos humanos, nos termos da Carta das Nações Unidas e de todos os outros instrumentos convencionais que a China subscreveu.
                  

Anna Elżbieta Fotyga,
w imieniu grupy ECR. – Pamiętamy o masakrze Tiananmen, broniliśmy Liu Xiaobo, prześladowanego do końca swojego życia. Teraz kolejna lista tybetańskich mnichów, prawników jak Wu Gan, a nawet tajwańskich obrońców praw człowieka. Nie zapominajmy, że państwo, które wykazuje się szczególnym okrucieństwem wobec swoich najlepszych obywateli, a również obywateli innych państw, jest naszym strategicznym partnerem.
                  

                     Dialog w sprawie praw człowieka nie jest wystarczającym instrumentem oddziaływania Unii Europejskiej. Te działania Republiki Chińskiej, o których dzisiaj wspominamy, powinny być przedmiotem szczególnego potępienia ze strony wszystkich państw Unii Europejskiej.
                  

Ilhan Kyuchyuk,
on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Madam President, unfortunately, this case involving human rights activists again shows us that China is systematically violating a wide range of fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, association and religion and minority rights. Therefore, I call on the Chinese authorities to end all cases of human rights violations and to release immediately and unconditionally all human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, journalists and petitioners who have been detained for their human rights work.
The Chinese authorities must immediately stop harassing minorities in the country, which for years have been under pressure. As a matter of fact, very recently, together with other colleagues, we nominated Ilham Tohti for the Nobel Peace Prize because of the continuing crackdown on the Uighur minority and his efforts to protect the rights of his ethnic group.
China is an important strategic partner of the EU but the country has to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens who think differently and have opinions about government policies.
Last, but not least, I call on the EU to put the protection of human rights defenders at the top of the agenda of the next EU-China Dialogue on Human Rights.

Fabio Massimo Castaldo,
a nome del gruppo EFDD. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, quindici anni di prigione, con l'unica colpa di essere un tibetano: è la pena che rischia di essere inflitta a Tashi Wangchuk, un negoziante che ha avuto la sfrontatezza di rivendicare in un video del New York Times il sacrosanto diritto dei tibetani a studiare nella propria lingua nativa. Tashi viene così accusato di incitare al separatismo e incarcerato per ben due anni. Adesso rischia che la sua pena venga estesa a quindici anni e, quando il tasso di condanna è del 99 %, il rischio è praticamente una certezza.
                  

                     Come Tashi, anche Wu Gan, Xie Yang, Lee Ming-che, Choekyi e tanti altri ancora, ennesime vittime della repressione dell'educazione patriottica di Xi Jinping nei confronti di chiunque si discosti dalla sua linea. Giornalisti, difensori dei diritti umani, monaci buddisti e minoranze religiose come quelle degli uiguri e dei Falun Gong.
                  

                     La lotta al terrorismo è sempre un'ottima scusa per attuare una sorveglianza e una censura sempre più rigide. Forse la Cina diventerà davvero, entro la metà del ventunesimo secolo, la prima potenza mondiale, come prevede Xi Jinping, ma deve esserlo anche e soprattutto dello Stato di diritto, non solo del commercio.
                  

Thomas Mann (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin! Vor zwei Jahren wurde der Mönch Chökyi aus dem Kloster Phurbu festgenommen und zu einer vierjährigen Freiheitsstrafe verurteilt. Sein sogenanntes Verbrechen: Er feierte den achtzigsten Geburtstag des Dalai Lama. Während der Haft verschlechterte sich sein ohnehin angegriffener gesundheitlicher Zustand erheblich. Familienmitgliedern ist es ja bei ohnehin limitierten Besuchen nicht einmal gestattet, Medikamente mitzubringen. Wir fordern die Freilassung dieses Mönches!
                  

                     Ein zweiter schwerwiegender Fall betrifft den Menschenrechtler Tashi Wangchuk. Er kämpft seit Jahren für den Erhalt der tibetischen Sprache und gegen die Unterdrückung der tibetischen Kultur. Im März 2016 wurde er Separatismusvorwürfen angeklagt. Ihm drohen 15 Jahre Gefängnis.
                  

                     Es wird Zeit, dass sich China nicht nur im Rahmen des Dialogs mit der EU von Einschüchterungen, von Verhaftungen, von der Unterdrückung von Meinungsfreiheit und Religionsfreiheit distanziert. China mag wirtschaftlich eine Macht sein, humanitär ist es keine.
                  

Csaba Sógor (PPE). – Madam President, a shopkeeper who advocated for the teaching of the Tibetan language so that future generations of Tibetans would not grow up unable to speak their mother tongue is charged with ‘inciting separatism’ and risks one-and-a-half decades of his freedom. A monk is jailed for celebrating the birthday of his spiritual leader, and is forced by prison authorities to perform hard labour despite failing health, while his family is restricted from meeting him or bringing him medicine. Peaceful human rights activists are imprisoned and reportedly subjected to torture. Events like these are the norm in China.
What is the EU's response? Just recently it agreed on an EU-China Tourism Year. In the face of such grave human rights abuses, it is vital for us to keep a firm, principled and united response, especially in the light of China's assertive foreign policy that aims to silence criticism through informal investment agreements on the one hand and bullying and intimidation on the other.

Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot


José Inácio Faria (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Comissário, caros Colegas, não é a primeira vez que debatemos casos que refletem a deterioração da situação dos direitos humanos na China, que se têm intensificado desde a tomada do poder do Senhor Xi Jinping, em 2012. Em 2017, depois de termos apelado às autoridades chinesas para que libertassem, para tratamento médico, o Nobel da Paz Liu Xiaobo, recebemos a triste notícia da morte deste dissidente que bradou mais alto e mais claro do que todos pela democracia.
                  

                     Hoje, uma vez mais, falamos do caso de 5 ativistas que têm em comum lutarem pela defesa dos direitos humanos, na China, e serem eles próprios vítimas de repressão, que denunciam, todos, acusados de subversão e incitamento ao separatismo pelo regime chinês.
                  

                     Caros Colegas, no próximo ano celebramos o trigésimo aniversário do massacre de Tiananmen, um infeliz marco na história da China, que retrata bem a repressão de expressão religiosa, cultural e política da China moderna.
                  

                     A União Europeia não pode deixar de apelar às autoridades chinesas para que respeitem os direitos humanos e libertem imediatamente estes presos políticos.
                  

Jean-Paul Denanot (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, oui le mastodonte chinois, avec son énorme puissance commerciale et industrielle, séduit autant qu'il effraie.
                  

                     Cette volonté de puissance fait passer au second plan la question des droits de l'homme et, si les dirigeants chinois acceptent la mondialisation économique, ils refusent obstinément de prendre en considération les droits humains, la démocratie et la justice, qui ébranleraient naturellement leur pouvoir.
                  

                     L'Union européenne doit dénoncer avec vigueur ce qui se passe en Chine, et demander avec insistance la libération immédiate des militants et des avocats incarcérés sous des prétextes fallacieux.
                  

                     Les droits de l'homme sont une des valeurs fondamentales de l'Union européenne et chaque dirigeant européen, chaque dirigeant des États membres de l'Union européenne, lorsqu'il est en visite en Chine, se doit d'exprimer cela.
                  

                     J'aurais aimé, pour ma part, que le président de la République française, lors de sa récente visite, aborde publiquement ces questions, seule façon de faire comprendre au gouvernement chinois que nous n'accepterons jamais que le business prime sur les droits de l'homme.
                  

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Já bych chtěl také ve svém vystoupení podpořit všechny politické vězně, kteří jsou perzekuováni vládním režimem v Číně. Jejich výčet podala paní kolegyně Šojdrová, já se pouze na něj odkážu. Samozřejmě každý, kdo je neprávem stíhaný, by měl zasloužit naši podporu a je třeba mu vyslovit solidaritu. To, co já považuji za důležité, je sdělení, že skutečně politická práva jsou v Číně naprostou iluzí. To, co potřebuje jednotná EU, je právě apelovat na členské státy o jednotný postup vůči Číně.
                  

                     Myslím si, že bychom si také ale měli sáhnout do svého vlastního svědomí a říci si, kolik delegací vysíláme do Číny a kolik delegací mluví a nastolují otázku lidských práv. Je naší povinností nebát se mluvit, my můžeme, tak prosím při těch našich cestách i do Číny toho využívejme.
                  

(Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot päättyvät)


Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Madam President, the five cases we have discussed today raise serious concerns about due process and respect for the rule of law in China, and more generally about the state of human rights and freedom of expression in the country. During the trials of peaceful campaigners Lee Ming-cheh and Tashi Wangchuk, blogger Wu Gan, and lawyer Xie Yang, we observed procedural irregularities that are inconsistent with China's criminal procedural law and constitution. We have followed all these cases very closely and we have voiced our concerns both with public statements and in our direct contacts with the Chinese authorities.
When accounts came to light that Xie Yang and Wu Gan had been tortured, we immediately called upon the Chinese authorities to investigate promptly and to punish those responsible. Lee Ming-cheh has recently been sentenced to five years in prison for exercising his freedom of expression. This right should be guaranteed under China's constitution, and not punished. We call for the release of all the individuals mentioned, not least of Tashi Wangchuk, who is still on trial and is facing up to 15 years in prison for allegedly inciting separatism. The main prosecution evidence against him appears to be a video published by the New York Times where he did no more than advocate the rights of Tibetans to study in their mother tongue.
The Tibetan monk Choekyi was reportedly arrested for celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday in 2015. The news of his deteriorating health situation is troubling. We urge the Chinese authorities immediately to grant him parole on humanitarian grounds and to allow him to receive the necessary medical assistance.
Already last summer at our human rights dialogue with China, we emphasised the deteriorating situation in relation to civil and political rights in China. Such deterioration contrasts very starkly with the significant improvements in the Chinese people's standard of living.
We have witnessed improvements in the sphere of some civil rights and we have welcomed the commitment by the Chinese authorities to ensure legal representation for greater numbers of criminal defendants. The Chinese authorities have committed to promoting law-based governance and to the creation of a modern and prosperous society, but these goals are impossible to achieve when the full range of human rights is not guaranteed. There can be no sustainable development without a fair justice system and without freedom of expression for all. This continues to be our message to the Chinese authorities and we will keep raising all these individual cases until justice is finally done.

Puhemies. – Keskustelu on päättynyt.
                  

                     Äänestys toimitetaan keskustelujen päätteeksi tänään.
                  


Kirjalliset lausumat (työjärjestyksen 162 artikla)



Mark Demesmaeker (ECR),
schriftelijk. – De N-VA is bezorgd over de mensenrechtensituatie in China. Onder leiding van president Xi Jinping richt China zich tot de wereld, maar glijdt het land steeds verder af naar een dictatuur. Het harde optreden tegen vreedzaam protest en de vervolging van honderden moedige demonstranten zijn daar het bewijs van.
                  

                     De N-VA-delegatie betreurt dit en steunt daarom de voorliggende resolutie waarin de aan activisten Wu Gan en Lee Ming-che, mensenrechtenadvocaat Xie Jang en verdedigers van de Tibetaanse identiteit Tashi Wangchuk en monnik Choekyi opgelegde straffen scherp worden veroordeeld.
                  

                     Economische voorspoed moet hand in hand gaan met democratische hervormingen. Wij dringen er daarom bij Xi Jinping en zijn regering op aan om alle onschuldige politieke gevangenen vrij te laten, de internationale mensenrechtenverdragen na te leven en de culturele identiteit van alle volkeren te eerbiedigen.
                  

                     Tot slot vragen wij de Europese instellingen en de lidstaten om in hun betrekkingen met China de mensenrechten blijvend onder de aandacht te brengen en het regime onder druk te zetten om de nodige hervormingen door te voeren.
                  
4.3.   Democratic Republic of Congo

Puhemies. – Esityslistalla on seuraavana keskustelu seitsemästä Kongon demokraattista tasavaltaa koskevasta päätöslauselmaesityksestä (2018/2515(RSP)).
                  

Monica Macovei,
Autoare. – Doamnă președintă, este necesar și cerem ca președintele Joseph Kabila să se angajeze să organizeze alegeri parlamentare înainte de 23 decembrie 2018. Și alegeri prezidențiale. Numai așa conflictul din Congo poate slăbi în intensitate. Regiunea a fost și este puternic destabilizată. Forțele guvernamentale vor să reducă la tăcere protestele civice. În 2016, numai în trei zile, 62 de protestatari au fost uciși de forțele de ordine. În noiembrie 2017, 59 de activiști, jurnaliști și alți oponenți politici erau încă deținuți în mod ilegal. Normal, cerem să fie eliberați. Copii sunt recrutați în armată, torturarea populației continuă.
                  

                     Toate acestea trebuie să se oprească și cei vinovați să plătească. Trebuie extinse sancțiunile și investigațiile pentru cei mai înalți demnitari și orice persoană responsabilă care trebuie să răspundă pentru crime de război și crime împotriva umanității.
                  

Soraya Post,
author. – Madam President, the recent arrests and killings of peaceful demonstrators and human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of Congo are of great concern. In a country where human rights, democracy and the rule of law are extremely under threat, our support for strengthening civil society is crucial. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, tens of thousands of children are working in mines for multinationals, and militias are using them as soldiers. The high incidence of rape and other forms of sexual violence against women is shocking.
We ask the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo to release immediately and unconditionally all detained human rights defenders and to hold free and fair elections in the coming year. Human rights activists must be able to carry out their work for democracy, equality, social justice and the rule of law without fear.
We stand with the Congolese people in their fight for democracy and peace.

Marie-Christine Vergiat,
auteure. – Madame la Présidente, ‘La RDC, ou le désordre comme art de gouverner’ titrait un grand journal du soir de mon pays.
                  

                     Ce pays est malade de ses richesses. Son président, en poste depuis 17 ans quasiment jour pour jour, veut se maintenir au pouvoir à tout prix.
                  

                     Au seul Kasaï, là où ont eu lieu les pires massacres de ces derniers mois, on dénombre près de 5 000 morts, 89 charniers et 1 000 000 de déplacés.
                  

                     Le gouvernement modifie le code minier pour que les Congolais bénéficient de l'exploitation minière – sic. On pourrait en rire, si ce n'était pas aussi dramatique. Les régions minières sont ravagées par les conflits; la responsabilité des multinationales ne cesse d'être pointée par les rapports internationaux. Les anciennes colonies semblent perdre la main, ce qui explique sans doute que la Belgique va y revoir fondamentalement sa coopération.
                  

                     Alors comment aider le peuple congolais? Sans doute en soutenant une enquête internationale sur les massacres, mais surtout en obligeant les entreprises européennes à respecter les droits de l'homme, à commencer par la législation sur les minerais de sang.
                  

Marietje Schaake,
author. – Madam President, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to deteriorate. The elections keep being postponed and, worse, there is violent repression, and there are killings and widespread human rights violations, such as rape and torture. Protests held in December against the President were met with live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets fired by security forces.
Meanwhile, the UN is denied access to hospitals, morgues and detention facilities and has not been allowed to observe the demonstrations, and human rights defenders are being arrested without warrants.
So we call on the Congolese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience, and to carry out independent investigations into the violent repression of protests. We urge the UN, too, to play a role here, as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC), looking into the claims that criminal activities and crimes against humanity have been perpetrated by the security forces in Kasai Province.
It is good to see that the EU has now adopted targeted sanctions. Individuals who perpetrate human rights violations must be held to account.

Judith Sargentini,
Indiener. – Op 29 en 30 december 2017 werden zeven mensenrechtenactivisten gearresteerd. Zij zitten nog steeds vast. Ik wil ze hier allemaal noemen: Carbone Beni, Mino Bompomi, Roger Katanga Mwenyemali, Bony Dickson Mputu, Grâce Tshiunza, Cedrick Kalonji en Arciel Beni. Zij zijn allemaal actief voor de Filimbi-beweging.
                  

                     Ook maak ik me zorgen over het lot van Palmer Kabeya. Niemand lijkt te weten waar deze mensenrechtenactivist gebleven is. De verkiezingen in Congo worden keer op keer uitgesteld en president Kabila slaat steeds harder in op activisten en de oppositie. Mensen met lef die na decennia geweld nog steeds de moed niet opgegeven hebben. Mensen die het beste met hun land voorhebben.
                  

                     Ondertussen voltrekt zich in het land een humanitaire ramp: zo'n 4 miljoen kinderen lopen het gevaar ernstig ondervoed te raken. Miljoenen mensen zijn intern in het land op de vlucht en met name in de provincies Kasaï en Tanganyka is de situatie heel erg. Ondertussen is er een enorm tekort aan geld bij de hulporganisaties. Wie trekt er nog de portemonnee voor dit land? Wie ziet daar nog toekomst in?
                  

                     Afgelopen kerst las ik eindelijk dat boek van Naipaul, ‘A bend in the river’, een bocht in de rivier. Naipaul schetst een enorm naar beeld van het land. Er spreekt een vorm van berusting uit. Het wordt nooit meer wat! De Congolese bevolking kan zich die berusting niet permitteren. En dat kunnen wij ook niet.
                  

Ignazio Corrao,
autore. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, siamo qui, di nuovo, ancora, per l'ennesima volta, a parlare della situazione dei diritti umani nella Repubblica democratica del Congo. Tutte le passate risoluzioni che abbiamo discusso, votato e approvato in questa Camera non hanno purtroppo portato a nulla di buono.
                  

                     È scoraggiante che passino gli anni e la situazione rimanga sempre la stessa: un intero paese in balia dei continui rinvii di un leader attaccato alla poltrona e che adesso è giunto fino al punto di far sparare sulla folla che protesta, chiedendo il rispetto dell'accordo secondo il quale si sarebbe dovuto votare entro il 2017.
                  

                     Le nuove elezioni sono fissate per dicembre 2018: abbiamo davanti un altro anno in cui sperare che la situazione non si deteriori ulteriormente, un anno in cui sarà fondamentale che la comunità internazionale intervenga con tutti i mezzi diplomatici per scongiurare un peggioramento della situazione che potrebbe portare ad ancora più gravi disordini. Un anno per garantire finalmente delle elezioni a cui questo popolo ha diritto in base alle norme internazionali e alla sua stessa Costituzione.
                  

Bogdan Brunon Wenta,
autor. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Myślę, że dzisiaj wszyscy jesteśmy zjednoczeni. Temat sytuacji w Demokratycznej Republice Konga od początku naszej kadencji ciągle powraca. Pojawił się także przy okazji omawiania konfliktu minerałów, tzw. krwawych minerałów. Mówimy tu o kraju bardzo bogatym, o dużych możliwościach, gdzie jednak aktualna sytuacja polityczna i humanitarna oraz bezpieczeństwo i warunki życia obywateli są na najniższym poziomie, z jednego tylko powodu, a mianowicie dlatego że prezydent Kabila próbuje przedłużać swoją kadencję, łamiąc konstytucję i nie spełniając warunków zaproponowanych we wspólnych deklaracjach przez kongres biskupów, organizacje społeczne czy obrońców praw człowieka.
                  

                     Dlatego sądzę, że w tym momencie bardzo istotne jest, aby zagwarantować obywatelom bezpieczeństwo w obliczu licznych morderstw i atakowania demonstrantów przez siły bezpieczeństwa. Wszystko to sprawia, że ponad 6 milionów ludzi zagrożonych jest głodem i wystąpiły już pierwsze przypadki epidemii cholery. Ten bogaty kraj jest w niebezpieczeństwie, dlatego spełnienie warunków decydujących o wolnych wyborach może być jedynym rozwiązaniem i drogą do tego, aby przywrócić stabilność w Demokratycznej Republice Konga, a jednocześnie pozwolić Unii Europejskiej i Komisji wzmocnić pomoc humanitarną, która tak bardzo jest teraz w tym kraju potrzebna.
                  

Seán Kelly,
thar ceann an Ghrúpa PPE. – A Uachtaráin, ní hé seo an chéad uair atáimid ag caint faoi Phoblacht Dhaonlathach an Chongó agus is dócha nach é an uair dheireanach é, agus ní dea-scéal é.
                  

                     Personally, I am deeply concerned at the worsening security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and I condemn all acts of violence. The evidence from human rights organisations of violence perpetrated on women and children by the Congolese security forces and government-backed militias is overwhelming.
                  

                     When you do not have elections, as happened last year – the elections in 2017 were postponed – it is hard to get progress, so I strongly urge the Congolese Government to hold presidential elections on 23 December 2018, and I also urge it to align any bills with the consolidation of international human rights standards, and to establish an electoral timetable in order to ensure progress and the support of the European Union.
                  

                     I welcome investigations into the attacks on UNESCO troops which left 15 peacekeepers dead, and I urge the EU and its Member States to make human rights values a priority in finding a solution to the conflict in the DRC, and also, from a humanitarian point of view, to deal with the outbreak of the cholera epidemic there.
                  

Elena Valenciano,
en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señora presidenta, en algunos escenarios mundiales la Unión Europea muestra de manera brutal su incapacidad, su impotencia. La República Democrática del Congo es uno de esos países. Cuántas veces hemos abordado en este Pleno lo importante que es que la República Democrática del Congo no caiga en un agujero definitivamente hostil, lo fundamental que es ese país para la región y para todo el continente, que se producen injusticias una detrás de otra y que somos absolutamente incapaces de frenarlas.
                  

                     Solamente dos mensajes en un minuto que tengo. Primero: hay que mantener, a toda costa, la fecha de las elecciones en diciembre de 2018; ya se ha acabado el tiempo para los congoleños. Y, segundo, al Gobierno congoleño: cesen de masacrar a su juventud, paren ya de detener, torturar y asesinar a su juventud, protejan a su juventud y protejan a su país.
                  

Mark Demesmaeker,
namens de ECR-Fractie. – Op 19 januari 2015, morgen precies drie jaar geleden, startten duizenden Congolese studenten hun moedige protest tegen het uitstellen van de presidentsverkiezingen. Door middel van allerhande vertragingsmanoeuvres zit president Kabila nog altijd op zijn troon en vloeit er helaas nog altijd bloed door de straten van zoveel Congolese steden.
                  

                     Eind 2017 bereikte dit bloedvergieten een absoluut dieptepunt, toen een demonstratie geleid door de Congolese kerk hardhandig werd neergeslagen. Bijzonder tragisch, in het bijzonder omdat de kerk altijd een verzoenende en opbouwende rol heeft gespeeld. De Europese veroordeling van het geweld was op zijn plaats, maar schoot eenvoudigweg te kort. Na drie tumultueuze jaren waarin talloze opposanten het leven lieten, mogen we als Europese Unie niet langer wegkijken.
                  

                     Dat Europese bedrijven en Europese lidstaten ondertussen met Kabila contracten blijven ondertekenen voor energiebevoorrading, infrastructuurwerken en militaire samenwerking, is cynisch en werkt de politieke crisis in Congo verder in de hand. Ik roep de EU op om doelgerichte sancties tegen de corrupte leden van het Congolese regime verder uit te breiden en ik dring er bij de lidstaten op aan om hun banden met Kabila te herzien.
                  

Javier Nart,
en nombre del Grupo ALDE. – Señora presidenta, la Unión Europea lava con hipócritas condenas su voluntaria impotencia. Yo ya estoy harto de denuncias y harto de condenas que son irrelevantes para el presidente Kabila y para su cleptocracia. Además de condenar, tenemos que hacer. ¡Y podemos hacer!, ¡y debemos hacer!
                  

                     Hay un holocausto en la República Democrática del Congo. Y ese holocausto tiene una contestación. Primera, el artículo 96 del Acuerdo de Cotonú, que exige un comportamiento democrático para que sigan teniendo los beneficios que da la Unión Europea. No lo hacemos. Estoy harto de condenas. La segunda, en los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea, donde residen los activos de la cleptocracia del Congo, sencillamente acudir a los tribunales, embargarlos y quitarles la riqueza a los cleptócratas asesinos que son el Gobierno del Congo.
                  

                     Si no tomamos actitudes concretas, sinceramente, otro papel para nada me produce un infinito —yo le diría- rechazo. Estoy harto de hipocresía en la Unión Europea. No quiero ni una condena más. Quiero acciones.
                  

Lola Sánchez Caldentey,
en nombre del Grupo GUE/NGL. – Señora presidenta, la República Democrática del Congo afronta graves crisis simultáneas. A la gravísima situación política social y humanitaria se añaden atroces inundaciones que han destruido los hogares de miles de personas o un brote de cólera que acecha al país, además del constante expolio salvaje de sus recursos naturales y las violaciones de derechos humanos que las acompañan, muchas de ellas cometidas por empresas, por empresarios europeos. Además, los actos de violencia ocurridos durante el aniversario de los acuerdos de Año Nuevo se cobraron la vida de numerosos manifestantes.
                  

                     La Unión Europea debe exigir al Gobierno que abandone el uso de la violencia contra manifestantes pacíficos, que se respete la libertad de expresión, tal y como recoge su Constitución —incluido el libre acceso a redes sociales—, y que se garantice la libertad religiosa. Aunque modestos, son imprescindibles los compromisos alcanzados por la Unión Europea a través del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo y dirigidos a áreas tan prioritarias como el sistema sanitario, el medio ambiente y la agricultura o el refuerzo de la gobernanza democrática y el Estado de Derecho. Es lo mínimo que se merece el pueblo congoleño tras décadas, primero, de expolio colonial y, ahora, de expolio neoliberal.
                  

Jean-Luc Schaffhauser,
au nom du groupe ENF. – Madame la Présidente, ceux qui ont placé Joseph Kabila au pouvoir ne savent plus comment s'en débarrasser. Le président tire profit de la division de son opposition et de l'insécurité pour se maintenir au pouvoir. Les forces qui ont participé aux accords de paix et de transition, dont l'Église, sont excédées par le comportement du pouvoir en place. Un régime de sanctions européen, malheureusement, risque d'être inefficace: il est contre le droit, il soudera une partie de l'opinion congolaise derrière son président et sera un exemple du principe des ‘deux poids, deux mesures’ car, lorsque le criminel Paul Kagamé, ou encore M. Sassou-Nguesso – et il y en a d'autres –, changent la constitution pour se maintenir au pouvoir, on ne dit rien!
                  

                     La seule solution, c'est une action du Conseil de sécurité qui prenne en compte l'ensemble de la situation des Grands Lacs pour obtenir, par la diplomatie et la force, un processus négocié. La France, la Russie et les États-Unis peuvent porter cette initiative, entamer un travail de fond liant sécurité et développement pour que la paix revienne dans l'Afrique des Grands Lacs, et si c'est nécessaire, l'imposer par la force.
                  

Maria Arena (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, la République démocratique du Congo est un pays qui, en Afrique centrale, devrait jouer un rôle essentiel: un rôle politique, un rôle économique, un rôle de développement. Malheureusement, ce géant aux pieds d'argile est plutôt facteur d'instabilité dans la région et ce, depuis des décennies.
                  

                     Les guerres qui s'y sont déroulées, et qui n'ont jamais vraiment cessé, ont fait des millions de morts, des millions de déplacés, ont occasionné des viols, et j'en passe. Et tout cela au profit, tout simplement, des exploitants de ressources naturelles et des kleptocrates.
                  

                     Aujourd'hui, la situation est à nouveau très inquiétante, pour la population congolaise en premier lieu. Comme vous le savez, le mandat du président Kabila est venu à échéance en 2016 en vertu de la constitution. Depuis, les autorités n'ont cessé de prendre des dispositions qui repoussent l'organisation des élections et ce, malgré l'accord de la Saint-Sylvestre, signé en décembre 2017.
                  

                     Il est vrai que la décision a été prise d'organiser des élections pour le 23 décembre 2018, qu'un enrôlement est en cours et qu'un certain nombre de choses, de moyens sont aujourd'hui mis en place.
                  

                     Pourtant, le doute subsiste, et pour cause: la répression des récentes manifestations pacifistes est inacceptable; les rapports de l'ONU et de la FIDH sur les atrocités dans le Kasaï exigent une réaction et des enquêtes.
                  

                     Les menaces de mort qui planent aujourd'hui sur la tête des militants des droits de l'homme sont condamnables. La détention de prisonniers politiques, par centaines, est intolérable et je peux continuer la liste de l'inacceptable en République démocratique du Congo.
                  

                     Les autorités, si elles veulent être crédibles, à la fois auprès de la population congolaise, mais aussi sur la scène internationale, doivent donner des moyens à une CENI indépendante, doivent libérer les prisonniers politiques, doivent juger les auteurs de violences et doivent garantir l'organisation de ces élections, libres et inclusives.
                  

Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot


Jiří Pospíšil (PPE). – Já se připojuji k těm poslancům, kteří se domnívají, že ta debata má nějaký smysl, pokud povede k nějakému konkrétnímu řešení, ke konkrétním krokům, které EU bude schopna prosadit. Tady padala slova o tom, že bychom měli zmrazit úspory zločinným představitelům konžského režimu, že bychom měli přehodnotit naši pomoc tomuto státu, zkoumat nakolik peníze, které do Konga posíláme, nekončí v rukou zkorumpovaných představitelů tamní státní moci, ale pokud a zda vůbec pomáhají prostým občanům této země, kteří žijí v hrozných podmínkách.
                  

                     My samozřejmě tu situaci nevyřešíme, to je jasné, ale alespoň vyvinout konkrétní tlak a ne pouze přijmout usnesení by mělo být důsledkem tohoto dnešního jednání. Tlačit na prezidenta Kabilu, aby konečně udělal prezidentské volby a aby v tomto roce proběhly – pokud možno – řádné volby tak, aby došlo ke změně ve vedení této země, protože rok 2017 je vnímán jako nejhorší rok soudobého Konga s největšími násilnostmi vůči civilnímu obyvatelstvu.
                  

(Řečník souhlasil s tím, že odpoví na otázku položenou zvednutím modré karty (čl. 162 odst. 8 jednacího řádu).)


Maria Arena (S&D),
question ‘carton bleu’
                        . – Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec vous sur la question de la réorientation de l'aide et peut-être le fait d'aller vers plus d'aide humanitaire, mais vous savez, les questions de corruption en République démocratique du Congo ne se font pas sur le dos de l'aide au développement. Les problèmes de corruption que nous avons au Congo sont produits par des entreprises internationales qui exploitent les ressources humaines et qui remplissent les poches des kleptocrates congolais.
                  

                     Par conséquent, je demande au PPE de permettre l'adoption et le soutien de mesures contraignant les entreprises européennes à ne pas être corruptrices. Je vous pose donc la question, Monsieur: quelles sont les actions que le PPE est prêt à soutenir en la matière?
                  

Jiří Pospíšil (PPE),
odpověď na otázku položenou zvednutím modré karty. – Já jako právník neuznávám princip kolektivní viny. Já nesouhlasím s tím, že označíme podniky a priori bez toho, že bychom měli důkazy o konkrétních kauzách, že někdo je korupčník, jenom proto, že je podnikatel a že někde podniká.
                  

                     Pojďme řešit to, jak pomoc do Konga konkrétně plyne, jak je konkrétně využívána. Komise by měla mít informace o tom, jak jsou evropské peníze v Kongu využívány. Pokud konkrétní podnik způsobí trestnou činnost, korupci, ať je samozřejmě postižen, ale prosím, neplatí princip kolektivní viny postavený na ideologii, že kapitalisté a priori korumpují.
                  

Cécile Kashetu Kyenge (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, lassé du bal masqué du gouvernement congolais, Monseigneur Laurent Monsengwo a dû formuler un pamphlet: ‘Que les médiocres dégagent’. Il faisait référence aux dirigeants en place devenus des champions de l'imbroglio politique mais, en même temps, incapables de respecter les principes démocratiques. Comment expliquer que l'on soit arrivé à jeter des gaz lacrymogènes dans les églises, à tuer des manifestants pacifiques qui réclamaient le respect des accords de la Saint-Sylvestre, promus et non respectés?
                  

                     Il faut le reconnaître, le calendrier électoral publié par la CENI a tout l'air d'une farce et l'Histoire nous le dira.
                  

                     Aujourd'hui, tous les acteurs politiques congolais doivent se retrouver autour d'une table pour un pacte de non-violence pour que le pays puisse se ressaisir.
                  

                     Avec Monseigneur Laurent Monsengwo, il y a vraiment lieu de dire: ‘que les médiocres dégagent’.
                  

Νότης Μαριάς (ECR). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, το Κονγκό είναι μία πλούσια χώρα με πλουτοπαραγωγικές πηγές, με ορυκτό πλούτο. Δυστυχώς όμως οι ίδιοι οι κάτοικοι του Κονγκό δεν επωφελούνται από αυτή την πλούσια χώρα. Και αυτό γιατί υπάρχει υπερεκμετάλλευση από τις διάφορες πολυεθνικές. Όλο το πρόβλημα σε πολιτικό επίπεδο δημιουργείται διότι ο Kabila επί 17 χρόνια βρίσκεται στην εξουσία, αρνείται να διεξαγάγει εκλογές – έχουμε συζητήσει επανειλημμένα το ζήτημα του Κονγκό εδώ. Υποτίθεται ότι είχε αναλάβει στα τέλη Δεκεμβρίου του 2017 τη δέσμευση να γίνουν εκλογές. Τελικά, αυτές θα γίνουν το 2018, αν γίνουν ποτέ. Έτσι προκαλούνται συγκρούσεις, έχουμε πάρα πολλούς θανάτους. Το βέβαιο είναι πλέον ότι πρέπει να αντιμετωπιστεί η ηγεσία του Κονγκό, πρέπει να επιβληθούν κυρώσεις, πρέπει να υπάρξει πάγωμα των περιουσιακών στοιχείων του Kabila και της παρέας του, και πρέπει να υπάρξουν κυρώσεις και κατά των ευρωπαϊκών πολυεθνικών οι οποίες παίζουν εκεί το παιχνίδι και αξιοποιούν ακόμη και τη παιδική εργασία.
                  

Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, mi chiedo quante altre risoluzioni dobbiamo votare in questa Plenaria, quante altre parole dobbiamo ascoltare di fronte a un paese che collassa sempre di più, un paese in mano a un criminale, il suo attuale Presidente, che si fonda a sua volta su un circolo di cleptocrati razziatori della cosa pubblica, che stanno privando intere generazioni di un futuro, di un sogno e di una vita normale e dignitosa. Un personaggio che sta permettendo, in questo momento, che si spari sui manifestanti, che si violino persino i luoghi di culto.
                  

                     Quante altre volte dobbiamo discuterne? La realtà è che, forse, la nostra stessa Unione è molto ipocrita sulla vicenda. Forse, in un paese che è benedetto dalla natura e maledetto dall'uomo, un Kabila fa comodo. Fa comodo alle nostre imprese, diciamo la verità. Fa comodo a chi non vorrebbe sanzionarle.
                  

                     E io vi dico che continueremo a fare altre 500 risoluzioni, nei prossimi anni, finché non avremo il coraggio di congelare i beni di questa classe dirigente vergognosa che oggi governa in Repubblica democratica del Congo e finché non puniremo le nostre imprese, sanzionandole direttamente. Basta prenderci in giro e basta parlare di Cotonou, se non abbiamo alcuna voglia di applicarlo!
                  

Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Já se připojuji ke svým předřečníkům. Před chvílí jsme zde hovořili o situaci v Nigérii, ale situace v Kongu je skutečně naprosto jiná a daleko horší. Připojuji se ke svým kolegům, kteří odsoudili násilí páchané vládními silami, včetně toho sexuálního násilí neuvěřitelných rozměrů na ženách, odkládání voleb a neustálé zhoršování situace, to je samozřejmě symptomem dnešního Konga.
                  

                     Na druhou stranu myslím, že je možné souhlasit s tím, jak hovořil pan kolega Castaldo nebo pan kolega Nart, my musíme být schopni konkrétní akce, protože to je to, co od nás očekávají nejen naši voliči, ale i lidé právě v Kongu. Takže pojďme prosím zkusit nejen psát usnesení, já je vítám, ale rovněž tedy vyjádřit ty konkrétní postupy, včetně zmrazení účtů, apelu na členské státy, aby postupovaly jednotně. To je myslím, že naše úloha.
                  

Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, domnule comisar, mă alătur și eu colegilor care spun că nu putem fi indiferenți față de ceea ce se întâmplă acum în Congo. De altfel, nu putem fi indiferenți față de orice încălcare a drepturilor omului. Până la urmă, noi spunem în Uniunea Europeană că avem valori legate de drepturile omului, de pace, de statul de drept și, sigur, cazurile grave care se întâmplă acum în Congo, eliberarea prizonierilor, trebuie să aibă loc cât mai repede. Trebuie să găsim pârghiile prin care putem să intervenim pentru că eu cred că aici trebuie să fie o acțiune unitară a instituțiilor internaționale. Mă refer aici și la ONU, care stă pasiv. UE nu trebuie să ezite să acorde tot sprijinul cetățenilor congolezi. Trebuie să vedem cum, pentru că sistarea ajutoarelor către Congo ar avea efecte asupra cetățenilor și nu cred că aceasta vrem noi. Vrem să fie dreptate, vrem să se respecte drepturile omului și să fie pedepsiți cei care încalcă drepturile omului.
                  

(Pyynnöstä myönnettävät puheenvuorot päättyvät)


Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Madam President, Parliament is demonstrating, with this urgency resolution, its keen commitment to addressing the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We have been regularly discussing the DRC here, every six months since mid-2016, and you have passed resolutions expressing grave concerns, which have unfortunately been growing with time. The international community has been worriedly watching, over the past couple of years, one of the largest countries in Africa edging towards collapse due to a compounded political, security, humanitarian and socioeconomic crisis.
The Council has also been paying attention to the DRC. On 11 December 2017, Foreign Ministers adopted EU conclusions that assess, without any indulgence, the situation in the country and clearly set the strategic course for the months to come. In the meantime, the Commission, through its humanitarian aid department ECHO, is responding to the growing needs of the 13 million Congolese affected by the humanitarian crisis, including 4.35 million internally displaced persons and 1.9 million undernourished children.
The EU is very aware of the importance of monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in a country in crisis. It has repeatedly emphasised that human rights monitoring and reporting is a crucial part of the mandate of United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and especially the UN's Joint Human Rights Office in Kinshasa. The EU promotes regular coverage of DRC issues at the UN Human Rights Council. We were at the forefront in pushing, at the 35th session of the Council in June 2017, for a resolution on the investigation into the events in Kasai. The EU has also internalised in EU law the EU-UN sanctions regime, targeting perpetrators of human rights abuses in the Great Lakes Region.
Development aid is carried out through projects which are constantly evaluated and in which funds are set aside for specific purposes. They are currently focusing on food security, health and infrastructure development. EU aid is indeed already focused on supporting the population of the DRC. It should be noted that the EU does not provide budget support to the Congolese Government. Having recourse to Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement would create huge transaction costs for alternative delivery mechanisms. National systems delivering basic social services cannot function on NGO support alone. The impact of EU support to the health system and to rural development benefits the poor, ordinary people of the DRC, who should not be victimised. As you know, there are complex and entrenched causes for the chronic fragility in the Congo, not least linked to the governance of strategic natural resources.
There is, however, international consensus around one issue. Elections are needed to end the current political situation, whereby President Kabila has stayed one full year beyond the end of his mandate. In that context, the European Union has chosen to work closely with the United Nations, the African Union and other essential partners so as to speak and act as one in this direction. There is now a calendar, with elections planned for 23 December 2018; there is a budget; voter registration has made progress; and there is a wealth of technical support provided to the Congo.
Yet many possible hurdles could still emerge, representing as many occasions to divert the country from this key objective. Security threats have recently resurfaced in Kasai and with the unprecedented massacre of 15 Tanzanian UN peace-makers in the east on 7 December. We have to be careful and ensure that, while MONUSCO is empowered to respond and neutralise negative forces, there is no manipulation and no distraction. For elections to be credible, full observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms is also needed, as well as clear confidence-building measures on the part of the Congolese authorities. The incidents of 31 December 2017, with the disproportionate use of force by security forces, constitute a sombre development that you rightly stigmatised in the resolution tabled, as did the international community, including the African Union.
In conclusion, I reiterate the EU's commitment to contribute to the stabilisation of this crucial country in Africa. In order to do so, we shall be ready to use not only dialogue and constructive support but also the sanctions instrument, if and when that proves to be the only effective way to create incentives for an environment conducive to elections.

Puhemies. – Keskustelu on päättynyt.
                  

                     Äänestys toimitetaan torstaina 18.1.2018.
                  

(Istunto keskeytettiin klo 11.45.)



Kirjalliset lausumat (työjärjestyksen 162 artikla)



Ivo Belet (PPE),
schriftelijk. – De migratiedruk in Afrika zal de komende jaren en decennia alleen maar toenemen. De bevolking in Afrika groeit spectaculair, maar de economische groei houdt daarmee geen gelijke tred en de toestand in heel veel regio's is labiel en conflictueus.
                  

                     Velen die getroffen worden zullen ook blijven proberen naar Europa te komen. De Democratische Republiek Congo heeft het hoogste aantal nieuwe ontheemden wereldwijd. Vorig jaar alleen al moesten meer dan 1,9 miljoen Congolezen hun huis ontvluchten als gevolg van oplaaiend geweld in Kasaï en repressie door het regime.
                  

                     De bijkomende 28 miljoen euro aan Europese noodhulp die vorig jaar is vrijgemaakt is belangrijk voor het verbeteren van de leefomstandigheden in de opvangkampen en het redden van levens, maar is uiteraard bij lange na niet genoeg.
                  

                     Het is duidelijk dat de EU tegelijk een grotere rol op zich moet nemen om de wortels van al die ellende aan te pakken: niet alleen op politiek, maar ook op economisch vlak. Er moet een ambitieus hulpprogramma komen voor de kwetsbaarste gebieden in Afrika. Er is een echt Marshallplan voor Afrika nodig. Een economisch herstelplan, dat voortbouwt op het Trustfonds voor Afrika en kansen en een perspectief schept voor de getroffen bevolking.
                  

Jiří Maštálka (GUE/NGL),
písemně. – Dnes jsme se zabývali alarmující situací v Demokratické republice Kongo. Celková situace v zemi se od roku 2016 neustále zhoršuje zejména ve spojitosti s tím, že současný prezident odmítl odstoupit na konci svého funkčního období daného ústavou. Represe, násilí jsou na denním pořádku. Alarmující je rovněž fakt, že OSN označila situaci nejvyšším stupněm humanitární krize úrovně 3. V rezoluci vyzýváme všechny strany konfliktu k dialogu, ukončení násilí a nalezení mírového řešení ve prospěch všech obyvatel.
                  

Rolandas Paksas (EFDD),
raštu. – Užtikrinti aukštą žmogaus teisių standartų apsaugą yra kiekvienos valstybės narės pareiga, kuri reiškia, jog valstybė privalo imtis aktyvių veiksmų tuo atveju, jeigu jos gyventojų sveikatai, gyvybei iškyla pavojus. Noriu pabrėžti, jog tai taip pat reiškia, kad privalo būti sudarytos visos įmanomos ir būtinos sąlygos humanitarinei pagalbai tiekti: aprūpinama būtinomis higienos priemonėmis, maisto, vandens atsargomis. Mano tvirtu įsitikinimu, Kongo socialinio, ekonominio, politinio vystymosi sėkmę įmanoma pasiekti tik tuo atveju, jeigu bus imtasi taikių, politinių konflikto sprendimo būdų: užkirstas kelias šalyje daromiems nusikaltimams, atlikta masinių žudymų prevencija, ginkluotų susirėmimų skatintojams ir vykdytojams pritaikyta atitinkama atsakomybė. Politinės padėties stabilizavimas Konge prisidėtų prie taikios Pasaulio politinės atmosferos kūrimo, kuri yra gyvybiškai būtina tolesniam tiek Europos, tiek viso pasaulio valstybių augumui ekonomikos ir visose socialinėse sferose.
                  

VORSITZ: RAINER WIELAND


Vizepräsident

5.   Resumption of the sitting

(Die Sitzung wird um 12.03 Uhr wieder aufgenommen.)

6.   Voting time

Der Präsident. – Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Abstimmung.
               
6.1.   Nigeria (RC-B8-0045/2018, B8-0045/2018, B8-0049/2018, B8-0050/2018, B8-0051/2018, B8-0052/2018, B8-0053/2018) (vote)
6.2.   The cases of human rights activists Wu Gan, Xie Yang, Lee Ming-cheh, Tashi Wangchuk and the Tibetan monk Choekyi (RC-B8-0043/2018, B8-0043/2018, B8-0044/2018, B8-0046/2018, B8-0047/2018, B8-0048/2018) (vote)
6.3.   Democratic Republic of Congo (RC-B8-0054/2018, B8-0054/2018, B8-0055/2018, B8-0056/2018, B8-0057/2018, B8-0058/2018, B8-0059/2018, B8-0060/2018) (vote)
6.4.   Marrakesh Treaty: facilitating the access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled (A8-0400/2017 - Max Andersson) (vote)
6.5.   Jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility, and international child abduction (A8-0388/2017 - Tadeusz Zwiefka) (vote)
6.6.   Implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative in the Member States (A8-0406/2017 - Romana Tomc) (vote)
6.7.   Implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the need for reform in professional services (A8-0401/2017 - Nicola Danti) (vote)

(Damit ist die Abstimmungsstunde geschlossen.)

7.   Explanations of vote
7.1.   Marrakesh Treaty: facilitating the access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled (A8-0400/2017 - Max Andersson)

Mündliche Erklärungen zur Abstimmung


Alex Mayer (S&D). – Mr President, I recently had the pleasure of visiting the fantastic charity ‘Support 4 Sight’, in Saffron Walden, which assists visually impaired people to maintain their independence and quality of life. They showed me Braille, large print and e-books. Sadly, though, the so-called book famine means that only 5% of published books are ever made accessible to the visually impaired in richer countries, and less than 1% in poorer ones. E-books and the digital revolution ought to help end this by allowing more accessible books to be shared easily and cheaply. That is why copyright law keeping pace with technology is so vital.
The ratification and implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty will benefit visually impaired British and European citizens and people in developing countries, so today I also call on the UK Government to ensure that Britain will be a signatory to this Treaty post-Brexit as well, and that it does so with no unreasonable commercial availability checks for charities and libraries.
Let us get some clarity on this issue and hear what action they intend to take.

Момчил Неков (S&D). – Г-н Председател, напълно подкрепям решението на Съвета за сключване на Маракешкия договор. Това е важна крачка към улесняване на достъпа до печатни издания на хора с нарушено зрение и други зрителни увреждания. Този изключително важен акт в областта на авторското право ще помогне на близо 285 млн. хора по цял свят да си набавят по-лесно широк набор от произведения.
                  

                     Материалите с достъпен формат са изключително скъпи за произвеждане, а Европейският съюз е лидер в това отношение. В този смисъл сключването на Маракешкия договор от страна на Европейския съюз ще има силно позитивно социално въздействие в световен мащаб. Достъпът до образование и култура е основно човешко право, а не лукс, който трудно можеш да си позволиш. Нещо, което ние приемаме за даденост, най-сетне ще стане достояние и на хората със зрителни проблеми и дислексия.
                  

Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Г-н Председател, подкрепям препоръката за сключване от името на Европейския съюз на Маракешкия договор за улесняване достъпа до публикувани произведения за слепи хора, лица с нарушено зрение или други увреждания, които не позволяват четенето на печатни материали. Наложително е да се направи всичко възможно, за да бъдат сведени до минимум пречките, затрудняващи живота на хората с тези увреждания.
                  

                     Достъпът до публикуваните произведения, достъпът до образование, достъпът до култура продължава да бъде една от задачите и целите, които трябва да защитаваме тук в тази зала. Разбира се не трябва да забравяме, че понякога в стремежа да се постигне напредък, е възможно да се създаде тежест върху носителите на права.
                  

                     Радвах се да видя, че опасенията бяха посрещнати с голямо уважение, сериозен подход и в крайна сметка се озовахме пред внимателно обмислена и добре структурирана препоръка. Затова повтарям: съгласен съм и подкрепям сключването на този Маракешки договор.
                  

Daniel Hannan (ECR). – Mr President, a happy new year to you. It is very nice to see you back in the chair, and thank you for chairing the session so deftly.
This debate is a very interesting little example of the way in which international rules and regulations are presented at regional or continental level. I do not think anyone in this House is going to disagree with the substance of the Marrakesh Treaty, with the exemption from certain copyright rules for visually impaired people, and so on. The only difference is that, at the moment, the United Kingdom is represented in all of that process by one 28th of the Commission whereas, from now on, we will have an independent voice. I think it is worth celebrating the fact that there will be a friendly, independent voice alongside that of our neighbours and allies in the EU27, pushing for a stable and orderly world system based on rules.

Jiří Pospíšil, (PPE). – Já jsem podpořil dnešní přistoupení k Marrákešské smlouvě. Už to říkali moji kolegové, tato smlouva je dobrým mezinárodním kompromisem. Na jedné straně ochrany autorských práv a na druhé straně přístupu občanů se zrakovým handicapem k jednotlivým autorským právem chráněným dílům. Je to dobře, že se EU k této smlouvě takto přihlásila. Mezi naše evropské hodnoty patří ochrana občanů, kteří mají určitý zdravotní handicap, a v rámci této naší filozofie je dobře, že přistupujeme k této smlouvě.
                  

Seán Kelly (PPE). – A Uachtaráin, Dar ndóigh vótáil me i bhfabhar na tuarascála seo agus is dóigh liom gur maith an obair atá déanta, go háirithe ag an bhFeisire Anderson.
                  

                     Gan dabht ar bith, caithfimid i bhfad níos mó a dhéanamh do dhaoine atá dall nó do lucht lagamhairc, agus tá suas le 50 000 díobh siúd i mo thír féin agus meastar go bhfuil
                  

                     30 000 000 duine lagamhairc nó dall san Aontas, ach níl teacht acu ar leabhair, ach ag idir 7% agus 20% díobh.
                  

                     Dá bhrí sin, is dul chun cinn an-tábhachtach é seo; táimid ag tabhairt an seans sin dóibh teacht ar leabhair gan cur isteach ar chearta na n-údar. Agus freisin, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an dul chun cinn atá déanta i mo thír féin agus san Aontas, maidir le daoine go bhfuil an mháchail seo orthu.
                  
7.2.   Jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement of decisions in matrimonial matters and matters of parental responsibility, and international child abduction (A8-0388/2017 - Tadeusz Zwiefka)

Mündliche Erklärungen zur Abstimmung


Monica Macovei (ECR). – Domnule președinte, în Uniunea Europeană, anual sunt raportați ca dispăruți circa 250 000 de copii, un copil la fiecare două minute. Pe locul doi în ceea ce privește aceste dispariții, se află furtul unui copil de către unul dintre părinți și ducerea acelui copil într-o altă țară – așa ne arată cifrele de la Missing Children Europe. Interesul copiilor trebuie protejat indiferent de procedurile judiciare dintre părinți – poate sunt în divorț sau au alte probleme – și indiferent de conflictele dintre părinți. Avem nevoie de măsuri urgente pentru a îmbunătăți în sensul de a recunoaște efectiv hotărârile judecătorești în materie civilă – mai ales cele de încredințare a copiilor, dacă este cazul, pentru că atunci au loc multe răpiri de către celălalt părinte – și trebuie simplificat accesul în justiție în astfel de cazuri. Pur și simplu trebuie soluționate rapid litigiile transfrontaliere cu copii răpiți.
                  

Andrejs Mamikins (S&D). – Mr President, I welcome the report drafted by my colleague Tadeusz Zwiefka. This subject comes really close to the core social values of European society, namely safeguarding the interests of children.
Although Parliament's role in this matter is limited to consultation, I am happy that we managed to achieve a more concrete legislative framework for parental responsibility and cross-border child abduction cases. It is crucial that the best interests of the child are guaranteed in matrimonial matters and therefore I particularly welcome the introduction of the child's right to be heard. Although it remains to be decided how to abolish, in effect, the principle of exequatur in matters of parental responsibility, I am glad to see that the Commission's initial proposal has been expanded to include more consideration of children's rights. Therefore I voted in favour.

Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE). – Pane předsedající, k tomuto projednanému materiálu: já jsem ho samozřejmě podpořil, ale mám spoustu výhrad, protože on neřeší veškeré problémy, které jsou spojené s přeshraničními rozvody a únosy dětí. Samozřejmě, že je potřeba především zrychlit práci soudců, také zkvalitnit, udělat soudce, kteří se budou touto problematikou skutečně zabývat a orientovat se, a ne soudce, který jednou řeší trestní věci a pak jde do občanskoprávních sporů a vůbec neví, jak třeba má vyslýchat dítě a jak má být dítě slyšeno.
                  

                     Chtěl bych tady dát jeden dobrý příklad z Německa. To je tzv. cochemská praxe, která se snaží vést rodiče k tomu, aby se domluvili, nesoudili. To si myslím, že v této legislativě, tzn. něco takového pozitivního, chybí a je potřeba to do budoucna ještě dále doplnit.
                  

Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Като докладчик в сянка гласувах в подкрепа на доклада на колегата Цвиефка – компетентност, признаване и изпълнение на решения по брачни въпроси и въпроси, свързани с родителската отговорност и относно международното отвличане на деца.
                  

                     Макар и да съм твърд привърженик на премахването на прекомерната неоправдана бюрокрация, особено когато тя засяга най-уязвимите членове на нашето общество, признавам значението на субсидиарността и други взаимно договорени законодателни актове по отношение на въпроси, свързани със семейното право. Те са чувствителни, най-малко заради естеството им. И компетенциите на държавите членки не трябва да бъдат пренебрегвани.
                  

                     Затова силно насърчавам по-добро, по-широко и широкообхватно сътрудничество, за да предоставим на децата най-добрата възможна грижа, възможна правна защита и процедурна защита.
                  

Anna Záborská (PPE). – Vážený pán predseda, v rozprave o tomto nariadení som včera vyjadrila obavy, že niektoré z návrhov obsiahnutých v tejto správe obmedzia právomoc členských štátov v otázkach manželského a rodinného práva. Po vysvetlení spravodajcu pána Zwiefku boli niektoré z mojich obáv rozptýlené, jedna však zostala. Pozmeňujúce návrhy 19 a 49 smerujú k tomu, že súd nebude môcť odmietnuť uznať rozhodnutie iného členského štátu v manželskej veci. Keďže za rozhodnutie sa považuje aj verejná listina, prijatím týchto pozmeňujúcich návrhov by štáty museli uznávať aj sobášne listy vydané v inom členskom štáte, a to aj v prípade, že ich vlastný právny systém obsahuje inú definíciu manželstva. Štáty si musia zachovať právomoc určiť, aký zväzok považujú za manželstvo. Preto som návrh nepodporila.
                  
7.3.   Implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative in the Member States (A8-0406/2017 - Romana Tomc)

Mündliche Erklärungen zur Abstimmung


Monica Macovei (ECR). – Domnule președinte, rata șomajului în rândul tinerilor în Uniunea Europeană a scăzut constant. În 2017, rata șomajului este de 17 %, comparativ cu 24 % în 2013. Sigur că este un lucru îmbucurător, însă trebuie să continuăm.
                  

                     Consider că Inițiativa pentru ocuparea forței de muncă în rândul tinerilor și Garanția pentru tineret sunt două instrumente puternice în lupta împotriva șomajului și pentru încurajarea tinerilor. Tinerii trebuie să învețe încă de la școală să facă cercetare, inovație, să le dezvoltăm spiritul liber și spiritul de antreprenoriat, iar apoi, desigur, trebuie beneficii tocmai pentru a putea să pună în aplicare ceea ce au învățat, să facă cercetare, inovație, fiindcă numai așa vine progresul unei țări și, evident, se creează locuri de muncă pentru ei.
                  

                     Inițiativa completează finanțarea națională, așa că nu trebuie să ne bazăm numai pe bani europeni, ci trebuie să finanțăm și la noi acasă.
                  

Момчил Неков (S&D). – Г-н Председател, има значително спадане на нивата на безработица сред младите. Оценката за изпълнението на инициативата за младежка заетост, обаче, трябва да се базира не само на количествени, но и на качествени показатели. Докладът на Европейската сметна палата разкрива, че към момента е трудно да се даде реалистична оценка за постигнатите резултати. Това се дължи най-вече на липсата на системи за мониторинг и на механизми за проследяване на участниците, които излизат от схемата за гаранция за младежта.
                  

                     Инициативата за младежка заетост трябва да достига и да бъде от полза не само за високо квалифицираните хора, които живеят в големите градове като София и Пловдив. Те имат по-лесен достъп до информация за възможностите за професионално развитие. Младите хора в малките населени места и тези в неравностойно положение трябва да имат същите възможности. Именно това е най-голямата пробойна на младежката инициатива. Трябва да работим в посока на преодоляване на тази тенденция.
                  

Andrejs Mamikins (S&D). – Mr President, even if the EU is starting to show the first signs of recovery from the economic crisis, in a number of Member States tackling youth unemployment it still remains a great challenge. Integrating young people that are not in employment, in education or training into the labour market would have benefits in terms of both deepening the internal market and maintaining high social standards.
The specific budgetary allocation for the Youth Employment Initiative does not require any cofinancing from the Member States. Therefore, this initiative should also be particularly welcomed by the Member States. In my country, Latvia, for example, on 55% of the planned financing for the period 2014-2020 has so far been implemented, while 70% of the EU's payment has already been delivered.
Considering this, I welcome the report and I have voted in favour. However, I believe that the initiative should be completed with closer scrutiny over implementation, and better information coverage should be ensured at the national level.

Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE). – Já jsem tuto iniciativu podpořil, ale i včerejší debata ukázala, že se opětovně vlamujeme do otevřených dveří a že řada států si myslí nebo řada kolegů si myslí, že když dáme někam více peněz, že ten problém vyřešíme, ale ten problém nevyřešíme.
                  

                     Ten problém není přeci v tom, že by bylo málo peněz na různé programy. Problém je v tom, že řada mladých lidí se nevzdělává v oborech, které mají uplatnění na trhu. Řada rodičů také nechápe, že když nemá jejich dítě titul, tak se může stejně dobře uplatnit jako to dítě, které má vysokoškolské vzdělání. A to si myslím, že tato zpráva nepostihuje, a dlouhodobě ta debata o zaměstnanosti mladých se prostě neorientuje na pracovní trh, a proto já mám k této zprávě řadu výhrad, a proto bych se chtěl připojit v tomto vysvětlení hlasování k tomu, aby v příštích zprávách jsme tuto skutečnost zohlednili.
                  

Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Г-н Председател, гласувах в подкрепа на изпълнението на инициативата за младежка заетост в държавите членки. Последното десетилетие и съпътстващите го икономически проблеми доведоха до рязкото увеличаване на броя на безработните. Най-уязвими в това отношение са младите хора. Нивото на младежка безработица в Европа нарасна от 15% през 2008 г. до 24% през 2013 г. Отговорът е създаване на младежка гаранция с бюджет за програмния период 2014-2020 г. от 6,4 млрд. евро, с което държавите членки поемат ангажимент да гарантират, че младите хора ще получават добро предложение за работа. Продължаване на образованието, чиракуване или стаж след като останат без работа и напуснат системата на формалното образование.
                  

                     Подкрепям тази инициатива, но същевременно не съм съгласен с прекомерната намеса на Комисията в компетенцията на държавите членки, която ги обвързва със задължение за решения, които е редно да бъдат вземани на национално ниво. Това е и причината, поради която гласувах с ‘въздържал се’ по този доклад.
                  

Janusz Korwin-Mikke (NI). – Panie Przewodniczący! Głosowałem przeciwko temu sprawozdaniu, nie tylko dlatego że jest to bełkot dość wyjątkowy nawet jak na standardy tego Parlamentu, ale z przyczyn zasadniczych. Proszę zauważyć, że Unia walczy z bezrobociem i mamy duże bezrobocie. Unia szczególnie walczy z bezrobociem wśród młodzieży i bezrobocie wśród młodzieży jest jeszcze wyższe. Powodem tego bezrobocia jest działanie Unii Europejskiej.
                  

                     Przykładowo w kwestii młodzieży. Posyłamy młodzież niemal na siłę na rozmaite studia i potem młodzież jest za stara, żeby pracować. Człowiek mający 22 lata jest za stary, żeby uczyć się zawodu. My specjalnie powodujemy bezrobocie wśród młodzieży, a później dziwimy się wynikom. Na miejscu młodzieży powiedziałbym krótko: Panie Boże chroń mnie od przyjaciół, przed wrogami obronię się sam.
                  

Seán Kelly (PPE). – A Uachtaráin, bhí áthas orm vótáil ar son na tuarascála seo agus tacaíocht a thabhairt dár bhFeisire Romana Tomc, ó mo ghrúpa féin an EPP; rinne sí an-jab.
                  

                     Dar ndóigh, is é an t-aos óg is mó a bhí thíos leis i rith an chúlaithe eacnamaíochta agus i mo thír féin bhí ar a lán den aos óg dul ar imirce. Chuaigh siad go Ceanada, chuaigh siad go dtí an Astráil, mo mhac féin san áireamh; ach anois tá feabhas mór tagtha ar an scéal de bharr Scéim Fostaíochta na nÓg anseo ón Aontas agus dea-pholasaithe an Rialtais ag baile.
                  

                     Mar a dúirt ár dTaoiseach Leo Varadkar inné, tá na daoine óga ag teacht ar ais anois go hÉirinn arís agus ag fáil jabanna. Ní mar sin atá ina lán áiteanna eile san Aontas, tá suas le seacht déag faoin gcéad den aos óg dífhostaithe trasna na hEorpa agus caithimid díriú orthu siúd, agus go háirithe áiteanna tútacha agus daoine ar a bhfuil máchail.
                  

                     Tá sé de cheart againn ár ndícheall a dhéanamh chun jab a thabhairt do chuile dhuine.
                  

Anna Záborská (PPE). – Vážený pán predsedajúci, za správu som hlasovala, lebo iniciatíva na podporu zamestnanosti mladých ľudí prináša aj pozitívne výsledky a treba v tomto programe pokračovať. Je však dôležité, aby sme kontrolovali využívanie prostriedkov na tento program, upozorňovali na jeho nedostatky a navrhovali zlepšenia. Táto správa sa snaží práve o to. Upozorňuje na viaceré nedostatky, od nepripravenosti členských štátov čerpať prostriedky cez nedostatočnú metodiku na určenie cieľových skupín programu až po sklon nahrádzať vlastné financovanie opatrení na podporu mladých nezamestnaných európskymi zdrojmi. Správa Dvora audítorov ukazuje, že v naplnení tejto iniciatívy, v naplnení tohto programu máme ešte veľké rezervy.
                  
7.4.   Implementation of the Professional Qualifications Directive and the need for reform in professional services (A8-0401/2017 - Nicola Danti)

Mündliche Erklärungen zur Abstimmung


Monica Macovei (ECR). – Domnule președinte, am adoptat astăzi Directiva privind calificările profesionale și necesitatea reformei în sectorul serviciilor profesionale în Uniunea Europeană. Avem nevoie de această reformă pentru că progresul științific și tehnologic are un impact permanent, puternic asupra serviciilor, asupra profesiilor. Practic, trebuie să învățăm să facem lucrurile altfel în fiecare zi sau să facem lucruri noi, pe care până acum nu le-am mai făcut. Toate astea aduc oportunități profesioniștilor – sigur, celor care vor să învețe lucrurile noi – și provocări pe piața muncii și în domeniul ocupării forței de muncă.
                  

                     De asemenea, calitatea serviciilor este afectată în bine sau în rău în funcție de progresul pe care, personal, fiecare specialist îl face. Statele membre trebuie să facă o analiză de piață pentru a asigura că furnizorii de servicii se adaptează la necesitățile pieței și trebuie să elaboreze politici care să facă serviciile profesionale din Uniune competitive la nivel mondial.
                  

Andrejs Mamikins (S&D). – Mr President, the EU needs a clear legal framework to guarantee fair and effective regulation of professionals. If we want to achieve common European social standards, we need to make sure that workers belonging to the same profession enjoy the same benefits across the EU. Common standards for specific professions would also enhance labour mobility inside the EU and consequently improve our competitiveness.
It has to be said that there is still is a huge divide in qualification standards, salaries and working conditions in the EU, but we need to tackle these imperatives and make our citizens feel European, because being European also means having equal labour rights. We have chosen the goal of achieving the social pillar, not because it is an easy task but because it is essential for transmitting EU values into the everyday life of every citizen in the European Union.
I voted in favour of this report and I would like to thank my colleague, Nicola Danti, for this work, but I hope that the EU will be able to deliver more concrete results concerning professions. Professional life is a crucial element of human dignity, and we need to make sure.

Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE). – Já bych chtěl poděkovat za tuto zprávu a chtěl bych poděkovat Komisi, že se tímto problémem zabývá. Máme tady na galerii mladé lidi a můžou vidět, že EU je dynamická a reaguje na některé problémy, které spatřujeme nejenom jako poslanci, ale dříve jako ředitelé firem, kdy jsme často viděli, že dva členské státy, které si byly poměrně dost příbuzné v jazyku, třeba Německo a Rakousko, nebyly schopny některé kvalifikace lidí, kteří jsou vyškoleni podobným systémem, uznat. Proto si myslím, že tato směrnice o uznání odborných kvalifikací a nutnosti reformy odborných služeb je krok dobrým směrem. Je potřeba v této reformě neustále pokračovat, protože jen tak zajistíme to, že nebudeme vydávat zbytečné peníze na nezaměstnanost mladých lidí.
                  

Jiří Pospíšil (PPE). – Já jsem také podpořil tuto zprávu. Myslím si, že je to přesně úkol EU a tato zpráva je přesně příkladem, kde můžeme lidem vysvětlovat, co pro ně EU dělá. Odbourávání bariér při výkonu určitých povolání mezi jednotlivými členskými státy je podle mého názoru mimořádně důležitá agenda. Nemělo by se skončit pouze u zprávy, která v zásadě nemá normativní charakter, ale měli bychom být odvážní, zvláště Komise, a předložit další legislativní opatření, která povedou k tomu, že občané mající určité vzdělání, vykonávající určitou profesi, budou moci tuto profesi vykonávat v jiném státě EU a nebudou narážet na tamní právní předpisy, tamní právní úpravu. Myslím si, že určitý posun přinese směrnice o testu přiměřenosti v regulovaných povoláních, kterou jsme projednávali na výboru IMCO, nicméně byl bych ještě odvážnější a do budoucna bude třeba více zasáhnout do národní legislativy v zájmu volného pohybu osob a práce.
                  

Lucy Anderson (S&D). – Mr President, regulated professions represent a very significant proportion of the labour force within the European economy. Ensuring their correct regulation is essential for the smooth running of public-interest services such as health care, legal aid and education. Therefore, I supported this report and the positive amendments to it, including those emphasising the need to improve transparency and consultation of professional workers and consumers.
In the light of the planned exit of the UK from the EU, it is also important that regulations protecting standards in professional services and training for workers are maintained in my country. This point should be properly and explicitly addressed in the negotiations around the withdrawal agreement.

Anna Záborská (PPE). – Vážený pán predsedajúci, privítala som túto správu, ktorá hodnotí smernicu o uznávaní odborných kvalifikácií. Pre Európu aj pre Slovensko je voľný pohyb odborníkov len na prospech. Je preto dôležité, aby existovali pravidlá, ktoré tento pohyb zjednodušia. To platí aj o regulovaných povolaniach. Samozrejme, z pohľadu Slovenska to zároveň znamená vytvoriť také podmienky, že odborníci budú prichádzať k nám, nie od nás odchádzať. Táto hodnotiaca správa Parlamentu konštatuje, že členské štáty majú stále nedostatky v rozhodovaní o primeranosti regulácií. Niektoré si dokonca dodnes nesplnili povinnosť oznámiť do európskej databázy tie povolania, ktoré regulujú. Správa upozorňuje aj na to, že sa musia prijať ďalšie opatrenia, aby sa zlepšila porovnateľnosť regulovaných povolaní medzi jednotlivými štátmi. Túto správu som podporila.
                  

Der Präsident. – Soweit die Stimmerklärungen zum Bericht des Herrn Kollegen Danti.
                  

                     Mein besonderer Dank gilt den Kollegen Wałęsa und Nagy, die den Stimmerklärungen gefolgt sind, obwohl sie selber keine eigenen Stimmerklärungen hatten. Ansonsten danke ich allen Kollegen, die bis jetzt noch hier waren, sowie den beteiligten Diensten.
                  
8.   Corrections to votes and voting intentions : see Minutes

(Die Sitzung wird um 12.44 Uhr unterbrochen.)


PRZEWODNICTWO: RYSZARD CZARNECKI


Wiceprzewodniczący

9.   Resumption of the sitting

(Posiedzenie zostało wznowione o godz. 15.00)

10.   Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting : see Minutes
11.   Major interpellations (debate)
11.1.   EU-Norway dispute on snow crab fisheries in Svalbard

Przewodniczący. – Kolejnym punktem porządku dziennego jest debata nad interpelacją dotyczącą kwestii pierwszorzędnych wymagającą odpowiedzi na piśmie skierowaną do Komisji zgodnie z art. 130b Regulaminu przez Alaina Cadeca w imieniu Komisji Rybołówstwa w sprawie sporu między UE a Norwegią dotyczącego połowów kraba śnieżnego na wodach Svalbardu (O-000077/2017).
                  

Jarosław Wałęsa,
author. – Mr President, thank you very much for the floor and thank you, Commissioner Vella, for being here with us. I would like to present this major interpellation on the snow crab fishing conflict with Norway on behalf of the Committee on Fisheries.
Today, after the last round of negotiations with Norway and after the Council of Ministers, we already have the answers to two of the three questions I posed before. First of all, the European Commission never truly intended to include the snow crab as the sub-protocol to the EU-Norway Agreement and nor did some of the Member States that are beneficiaries of this agreement support such an idea at all. Also, having no other recommendations from the European Commission, the Council has decided to roll over its decision from last year about the creation of a European snow crab fishery sector.
I presume such a decision was again based on the formal recommendation of the legal services of the European Commission and the Council. So again, this new sector has been included in the tax and quotas regulation, but just on paper for the moment.
This decision cannot be implemented by Member States because European fishermen are being prevented from operating by Norwegian authorities. This is not only the result of the unilateral action of this third country but also because the European Commission failed in the negotiations with Norway and also failed in internal dialogue with the Member States.
The Commission failed to find a practical solution that would let the European fleet start catching snow crab immediately. As a result, European fishermen continue to lose out and Norway is still disrespecting the European Union as a partner. In this situation, the first of the three questions addressed to European Commission still needs a very clear answer. Let me repeat it again. How does the Commission intend to proceed to obtain a fair solution allowing EU vessels to fish for snow crab in Svalbard?
Taking this opportunity, I wish to address one additional issue. Following very carefully this case for years now I cannot resist the impression that all the parties participating in this discussion are focusing on the legal side and their own interests only, and are forgetting the environmental aspect of this matter.
According to scientific researchers, the self-producing population of this invasive species is migrating from the eastern to western part of Barents Sea towards Svalbard. The biomass and density of the snow crab is increasing and is expected to reach a level close to the estimated carrying capacity of the Barents Sea. Snow crab is spreading and may threaten the Barents Sea's fragile benthic ecosystem.
The conclusion seems to be obvious. It would be wrong to take a purely political or business-driven approach to the present and future commercial exploitation of snow crab. Appropriate and exhaustive measures should be agreed and based on the most recent scientific and catch data. By blocking the European Union's efforts to enable European vessels to collect catch and scientific data, Norway is increasing the risk of damaging this ecosystem.
Having mentioned this, I insist that all parties to today's discussion should seek common ground for cooperation and compromise to enlarge necessary knowledge about the snow crab population, for the sake of the necessary protection of the Barents Sea ecosystem.
To conclude, I would like to add one more thing. We have to respect the law, that's the bottom line. We have to respect the law that is in place. According to international procedures, international treaties, I think, we have the higher ground, we the Europeans and Member States who are party to the Paris Treaty, which is in effect.
That being said, I believe that if we cannot reach the proper conclusions in a very short time, maybe it will be time to move forward with legal action against Norway. I would like to avoid this situation, but maybe it will be the only way to convince our partners in Norway to respect and uphold the law.

Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I would like to thank Mr Wałęsa as well for his remarks. The Commission concluded its annual consultations with Norway on 2018 fishing opportunities at the beginning of last December. On 13 December, the Council reached an agreement on tax and quotas for 2018, which also reflects the agreement with Norway.
Today's debate on the snow crab fishing disagreement between the EU and Norway is therefore particularly timely. It gives me the opportunity to reassure you that the Commission has been working very hard to try to come to a practical arrangement with Norway which would allow the unblocking of the current situation. Several contacts with Norway took place at different levels, even since the seizure of the Latvian vessel ‘Senator’ in January 2017. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, no satisfactory solution has been reached so far.
Let me now reply precisely to the three questions raised in your major interpellation. You first asked the Commission how it intends to proceed to obtain a fair solution allowing EU vessels to fish for snow crab in Svalbard; secondly, you asked what action the Commission would recommend to the Council for 2018; and thirdly, you asked whether we would include snow crab in the annual EU-Norway consultations. I think the three questions are very closely linked, so let me start by confirming the EU's legal position.
Our position is that the parties to the Treaty of Paris have a right to non-discriminatory access to snow crab in the waters of Svalbard. As you know, this position is not shared by Norway. Norway's legal position is that the continental shelf around Svalbard is part of the Norwegian continental shelf and only Norway can authorise fishing for snow crab there.
Since the seizure of the Latvian vessel in early 2017, we have firmly defended our legal position. We remain convinced that the right solution would be for Norway to allow EU vessels to fish for snow crab in Svalbard under the same conditions as Norwegian vessels. However, our Norwegian partners see this differently. Therefore, what the Commission has been trying to do for more than a year now is to come to a pragmatic arrangement with Norway that would allow the resumption of fishing activities for snow crab without prejudice to the EU's legal position. All this while still maintaining our good working relations with Norway as a key partner for fisheries.
One of your questions suggest that we could have included snow crab in the annual EU-Norway consultations. These consultations took place during the last week of November last year as part of the preparations for the December Fisheries Council. This possibility was indeed explored with Member States ahead of the consultations. During the Fisheries Council in October, ministers exchanged views on the upcoming annual consultations between the European Union and Norway. However, no request was made to include snow crab fisheries in these consultations. I have to stress that linking Svalbard to our bilateral agreement with Norway – which is essentially about exchanges of quotas and access rights – would imply giving up the European Union's legal position.
Under the Treaty of Paris, there should not be any compensation for access to snow crab around Svalbard. As a part of these consultations, Norway did indeed offer 500 tons of snow crab which could be fished on the entire Norwegian continental shelf. Member States, however, rejected the idea of an exchange. Consequently snow crab was not included in the agreed quota exchanges for this year 2018.
So, what action has the Commission recommended to the Council for 2018? Our proposal for the fishing opportunities regulation maintained the same language concerning snow crab as the regulation for 2017: namely, it contains a recital asserting our interpretation of this Svalbard Treaty and the provision granting 20 fishing authorisations to EU vessels.
On 13 December, the Council reached a political agreement on the basis of this proposal. However, the Commission has also emphasised that the position of Norwegian authorities on this matter is unlikely to change in the near future. Therefore, operators wishing to operate in this fishery in 2018 should be duly informed of the risks that this may entail. Member States should warn interested operators of the risks involved before issuing the licenses for this fishery. Indeed, Norway has already reacted to the inclusion of fishing authorisations for snow crab in the 2018 fishing opportunities regulation. They reiterated their protest, repeated their legal position, and argued that any license issued without Norway's consent is without legal effect.
The Norwegian Fisheries Minister has also publicly stated that he considers this the end of the informal talks on snow crab. Considering the Norwegian reaction, it is now unlikely that we will find a solution soon which would allow for the resumption of fishing activities for snow crab in the area in the near future in line with our position on Svalbard.

Gabriel Mato,
en nombre del Grupo PPE. – Señor presidente, señor comisario, escuchen este headline: ‘Noruega arresta en Svalbard a un buque europeo que pesca legalmente cangrejos de las nieves, ante la indiferencia de la Unión Europea’. Este es un titular llamativo que resume perfectamente la situación y que la vuelve a poner de actualidad, aunque sea un año después. Y creo que no es del todo justo —usted lo ha dicho—. Quiero pensar que la Comisión Europea está intentándolo. Pero es muy alarmante.
                  

                     Los pescadores europeos se sienten totalmente discriminados frente a los operadores extranjeros y abandonados por las mismas autoridades que les pedimos constantemente que cumplan la estricta legislación de la Unión Europea. Veinte buques, después de haber hecho grandes inversiones tras la decisión de la Unión Europea de autorizarlos a pescar en 2017, permanecen desde entonces en el puerto, entre otros, el buque español Adexe Primero, mientras que los buques noruegos continúan capturando este valioso recurso.
                  

                     Muchos empleos y familias de la Unión Europea dependen directamente de esta actividad y no tienen otra alternativa. La actitud agresiva y las intimidaciones de Noruega, que se niega de manera provocativa a cumplir los acuerdos internacionales, son política y legalmente inaceptables. Así lo han dicho también los tribunales noruegos, diciendo que son ilegítimas y contrarias a las obligaciones internacionales asumidas por Noruega.
                  

                     Entiendo que la Comisión está tratando de encontrar una solución pragmática —decía el comisario— con Noruega que permita continuar con la pesca sin poner en tela de juicio la posición sobre la interpretación del Derecho internacional aplicable. Sin embargo, si bien es importante mantener esa posición de la Unión Europea, es igualmente importante encontrar una solución viable para nuestros operadores.
                  

                     La Comisión debe, sin duda alguna, continuar sus esfuerzos hacia esa solución pragmática, pero no puede ser pasiva y, sobre todo, no puede ser tan precavida. Las acciones deben llevarse a cabo al más alto nivel. La situación es muy grave y se tienen que tomar medidas con urgencia. La solución, señor comisario, no es solo avisar a los pescadores de que van a ser arrestados. Los pescadores esperan algo más de nosotros.
                  

Andrejs Mamikins,
on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, I would like to ask our dear colleagues whether they have wondered why we in the European Parliament have pay attention to a dispute between the EU and Norway over snow crabs. In practice, the question is not just about snow crabs, but also about control of Arctic mineral resources
As a signatory to the Svalbard Treaty, the EU has the right to issue licenses for the harvesting of snow crabs. In 2016 the European Commission explicitly issued such licenses to 11 Latvian vessels, more than to any other EU Member State. This practice will have further implications and will go further than just crabs. Soon we will have to speak about petroleum, minerals and gas on the continental shelf surrounding Svalbard.
Climate change will lead to changes in the Arctic landscape and will uncover new resources. In addition, new maritime routes will appear in the region, which will affect the major economic interests of all the signatories of the Svalbard Treaty.
Colleagues, if you fail to arrive at a sustainable agreement with Norway on snow crabs we are going to have much more important disputes with Norway and other signatories of the Svalbard Treaty, like the United Kingdom and Japan, for example.
A lot has changed since 1920 when the treaty was signed, and the time has come to create new arrangements. In many aspects, Norway is closely integrated into EU policies. Despite not being a Member State of the EU, Norway is a part of the EU variable geometry and represents many characteristics we require from our European Member States. Losing this balance would mean jeopardising the close partnership and relations constructed during the last decades.
The EU urgently needs an agreement with Oslo on a specific legislative scheme for snow crab fishing, otherwise strong confrontation will arise and others will take the EU's position as an international trading partner. In addition, this situation calls into question the importance of the EU regulations in fisheries sectors. We cannot deprive our businesses of new opportunities related to snow crabs just because our legislative framework is incomplete.
The European Commission must guarantee the legitimate rights of the Member States granted licenses for fishing snow crab in Svalbard waters. The situation where EU vessels stay in ports out of fear of being arrested is unacceptable.

(The speaker continues in Latvian)

2017. gada janvārī saistībā ar sniega krabju zveju Norvēģijas teritoriālās Svalbāras (Špicbergenas) ūdeņos arestēts Latvijas zvejas kuģis ‘Senators’. Arests pārkāpj 1980. gadā apstiprināto Eiropas un Norvēģijas vienošanos par zvejniecību. Turklāt Norvēģijas valdība ir pārkāpusi nediskriminēšanas principus, kuri minēti Parīzes 1920. gada līgumā. Saskaņā ar 1920. gada Špicbergenas vienošanos arhipelāgs atrodas norvēģu suverenitātes zonā, tomēr valstis, kuras parakstījušas vienošanos, ir tiesīgas izmantot dabas resursus, tostarp arī tos, kas atrodas teritoriālajos ūdeņos.
Eiropas Savienība nav veikusi nekādus pasākumus sakarā ar Latvijas kuģa arestu un nepievērš lietai praktiski nekādu uzmanību. Latvijas krabju ķērāju zaudējumi sasniedz ap 100 miljoniem euro, un kopā ar nesaņemto peļņu tie ir mērāmi aptuveni ap 200 miljonos euro.
Latvijas minētais precedents ir ieguvis arī diplomātisku nokrāsu. Esam nonākuši pie tā, ka norvēģi uzskata Latvijas zvejniekus par maluzvejniekiem, bet mūsējie norvēģus — par pirātiem. Man ir ļoti žēl, kolēģi, ka Eiropas Komisijas neiesaistīšanās dēļ šīs problēmas risināšana starp Latviju un Norvēģiju notika divpusējā kārtībā un tikai aiz slēgtām durvīm. Norvēģijas pozīcija ir izskaidrojama ar bažām, ka neierobežota sniega krabju zvejniecība Špicbergenas ūdeņos var radīt precedentu, kas ļaus pēc tam ārzemju kompānijām patvaļīgi izmantot resursus. Tomēr sniega krabju jautājums nav jāizskata kā spiediena mēģinājums uz Norvēģiju.
Eiropas Savienībai ir jāieņem stingra pozīcija un jāaizstāv Eiropas zvejnieki no turpmākiem zaudējumiem, un ir jāgarantē Norvēģijai, ka tālāka resursu ieguve tiks saskaņota atsevišķas vienošanās ietvaros.
Mr President, this is a question of our external and internal credibility. Now it's time to start negotiations with Norway. If we do not agree about snow crabs now, it will be extremely difficult to arrive at a beneficial agreement on the EU's resources.
Dear Members of this Parliament, by pretending not to see the gravity of this problem we undermine our own interests. Thank you for keeping this in mind in further contacts with Norway.

Urszula Krupa,
w imieniu grupy ECR. – Panie Przewodniczący! Wydaje mi się, że problem przedstawiony w interpelacji jest natury czysto prawnej. Zgodnie z art. 2 traktatu paryskiego dopuszczalne jest, by państwa jako strony traktatu mogły swobodnie dokonywać połowów i polowań na wyspach i wodach terytorialnych, co także dotyczy krabów. W traktacie napisano także, że rząd norweski ma prawo podejmować działania prawne i faktycznie mające na celu ochronę przyrody i łowisk pod warunkiem, iż wprowadzone restrykcje obejmować będą każdy z krajów objętych traktatem w jednakowy sposób. W traktacie też podano możliwość organizowania przedsiębiorstw, jakie mogą być zakładane przez podmioty pochodzące z państw, które ratyfikowały traktat, gdzie także obowiązuje zasada równości z zakazem organizowania monopoli. Wszystkie kraje, które są stronami traktatu, mają prawo zarówno do połowów na wodach terytorialnych, jak i do ewentualnego wydobywania ropy czy gazu znajdujących się pod dnem morskim, jednak powinny przestrzegać norweskiego prawa.
                  

                     Warto podkreślić, że Unia Europejska jako całość nie stanowi podmiotu, który jest stroną traktatu, i fakt, że prawie wszystkie kraje unijne ten traktat ratyfikowały, nie zmienia niczego z prawnego punktu widzenia. Unia jako taka na razie nie jest podmiotem żadnych praw przewidzianych w traktacie, co prawdopodobnie jest powodem, że Norwegowie sprzeciwiają się połowom dokonywanym tam przez statki państw członkowskich, które miały licencje wydane przez Unię Europejską, a nie przez dane państwo jako stronę traktatu. Każdy z krajów, który ratyfikował traktat, może korzystać z możliwości, czego przykładem jest działanie Norwegii i Federacji Rosyjskiej, które wydobywają tam węgiel kamienny, czy Polski, która posiada na Spitsbergenie własną stację badawczą. To Komisja powinna doprowadzić do zmiany przepisów prawa.
                  

Ivan Jakovčić,
u ime kluba ALDE. – Gospodine predsjedniče, ovo je još jedan primjer kada nejasna politika ne djeluje na vrijeme, kada još jednom, nažalost, mi ovdje izabrani i kada Europska komisija ne djeluje na vrijeme u zaštiti europskih ribara. Norveška je naš partner i prijatelj. Po mnogo čemu imamo isprepletene interese i naravno da mogu razumjeti ponekad neke situacije koje znače jednu vrstu izolacionizma i egoizma i vlastite zaštite. Međutim, ona nije u skladu s ničim. U tome je glavni problem. Zato očekujemo od Vas, gospodine povjereniče, očekujemo od Europske komisije da zaštiti interese ribara, europskih ribara, u tom prostoru, u tom moru koje je blizu našeg kontinenta, blizu naših obala i da naši ribari budu zaštićeni i da snježna rakovica bude dio prava na izlov i na području Svalbarda.
                  

                     Ja se gospodine povjereniče ne mogu oteti dojmu da globe koje dobivaju ili koje je dobila latvijska ribarica pomalo sliče na ono što se, nažalost, dešava između dviju članica Europske unije, između Hrvatske, iz koje ja dolazim, i drage, prijateljske, susjedne Slovenije. Zadnjih nekoliko mjeseci slovenska policija, slovenske vlasti, izdaju globe hrvatskim ribarima. To je između dviju članica Europske unije. Europska komisija ne reagira, nijema je i to nije dobro za ribarsku politiku, dobrosusjedske odnose, prijateljstvo među zemljama članicama. Mi nešto tu moramo napraviti. Mi očekujemo od Vas, gospodine povjereniče, i od vas iz Komisije da djelujete i reagirate, jer to je neodrživo stanje u ovom trenutku u tom dijelu Jadrana.
                  

                     Isto tako, kada govorimo o važnoj temi koja je direktno vezana uz ribarstvo, a to je pitanje ekologije mora, jasno je da u ovom slučaju kad govorimo o snježnoj rakovici imamo situaciju po kojoj invazivne vrste koje dolaze uglavnom s istoka gotovo da požderu sve na što nailaze. Međutim, mi s druge strane moramo upravo imati i odgovor na takve teme jer nismo učinili dovoljno za zaštitu naših mora. Prije neki dan imali smo izvještaj gospodina Matoa u kojemu je bilo niz ekoloških tema iz zaštite nedorasle ribe. Ja sam glasovao za mogućnost izlova mrežama plivaricama, glasovao sam za mnoge stvari koje su direktno vezane uz ekologiju i pomažu ekosustavima u moru. Međutim, ja mislim da moramo staviti ruku na srce i sami sebi reći da nismo dovoljno učinili, ni u slučaju Norveške, Jadrana i mnogih situacija u kojima smo se našli i zato očekujem od Vas da zaista brzo reagiramo.
                  

Seán Kelly (PPE). – Mr President, this, in many respects, is extraordinary. Here we have a situation where we have an international agreement going all the way back to 1920, where fishing boats from the European Union are entitled to equal access to the Svalbard fishing resources and they are being denied it. And it seems that we cannot or will not do anything about it.
This just isn't acceptable, especially with a country like Norway, which while not being in the European Union has all the benefits, as such, of the European Union. You would, therefore, imagine it would be obliged to uphold the rules and laws, especially in relation to a treaty that, as I said, goes back to 1920.
If another country decided something else: let's say within the European Union, if a country said: ‘we don't believe in the free movement of people, we're not going to do it’, our legal advice is that this shouldn't be the case, and yet they just continue on.
This is where I agree with my colleagues Jarosław and Mr Mato, that the European Commission has to be stronger in this. It is not their fault. It is Norway's fault, but we have to look to them to solve the problem. And, with respect to the Commissioner saying that Norway is unlikely to change in the future, and therefore the 20 vessels that Mr Mato spoke about should really not bother going up there, because they could be, like the Latvian vessel, Senator, arrested, ordered to pay a seizure fine of EUR 100 000 and fined afterwards.
So that is your advice to them? Who stands for these people? These are people who want to have a livelihood. Snow crab fishing is their livelihood, and we are saying ‘oh, we're the powerful European Union which represents 500 million people’, but when a little country like Norway won't comply with us so our advice to you is ‘sorry lads, wait until Norway changes its mind’.
This is ridiculous and I think that there must be some way outside of the confines of Commissioner Vella's portfolio to broaden this issue, and to say to Norway ‘you have benefits in the European Union, now if you don't comply with this agreement, we're going to have to look at those’.
That is the only way, because if we wait for them to change their mind, as the Commissioner said, we will be disappointed: they're as happy as Larry now because they have what they want. Our boats will not go there. We tell them not to go there because Norway won't accept it, and that's just what Norway wants.
So either we decide to do something about it or we stop talking about it. One or the other. I'm not blaming Commissioner Vella; we should be supporting him and using all the powers of the European Union to get this solved, because the European Union is about everybody, big and small. The fishermen here are the small, and the big must come to their aid. That's what I want to see happening.

Ангел Джамбазки (ECR). – Г-н Председател, г-н Комисар, както стана ясно причината за днешния разговор е спорът между Европейския съюз и Норвегия относно улова в Свалбард. Правото на равен достъп до ресурсите там се гарантира от клаузата за недискриминация, заложена в Парижкия договор от 1920 година, в който участват повечето от държавите – членки на Европейския съюз.
                  

                     Въпреки това траулерите и риболовните кораби на ЕС, които извършват тази риболовна дейност в Свалбард, са възпрепятствани от норвежките власти, въпреки че разполагат с валидни разрешителни от Европейския съюз. Наскоро латвийският плавателен съд, за който говориха останалите колеги, беше задържан в продължение на месеци и глобен с 200 хиляди евро.
                  

                     Уважаеми г-н Комисар, тук става дума за работни места, тук става дума за икономика. Съвсем очевидно е, че Комисията не е положила достатъчно усилия, за да може да гарантира разрешителните и двустранните отношения с Норвегия, така че това, което ние изискваме от Вас, е да положите повече усилия, така че Норвегия да признава европейските разрешителни и да гарантира тези работни места.
                  

Artis Pabriks (PPE). – Mr President, dear Commissioner, unfortunately the situation is not only about snow crabs and our relationship with Norway. It is about something more. It is about European citizens' trust in the European Commission and institutions; it is about jobs, and it is about money. I understand that we are involved in a big legal battle with Norway, and I believe that we can find enough good lawyers to win this battle. If we cannot we can fire the existing ones and find better ones.
In the meantime, our fishermen are losing jobs and money, and the small Latvian company which owns the ship, which has been held for more than a year now, has incurred direct losses of more than EUR 2 million. This undermines our trust, and the trust of our citizens, in the European Commission's work and the European Union. For a long time now, they have been unable to solve this issue or implement their promises. If we are, through our regulation, giving a permit for licenses we should implement this law and abide by it.
While you are waging these battles and trying to find a pragmatic solution, you also have to find the courage to pay money and compensation to these fishermen. We will sort out who will ultimately pay whom afterwards. However, besides the legal issues, there is also the necessity of covering those expenses which people are seeing every minute, hour and year. This is the Commission's mandate: you have to pay for that.

(The speaker did not agree to take a blue-card question under Rule 162(8) from Andrejs Mamikins)


Zgłoszenia z sali


Maria Grapini (S&D). – Domnule președinte, domnule comisar, sper că ascultați, lucrurile sunt mult mai extinse decât subiectul de astăzi. Evident că discuția de astăzi ne aduce în față o problemă pe care o regăsim și în alte cazuri: puterea de negociere a Comisiei Europene în acorduri comerciale cu țările non-europene. Ne așteaptă și acordul Brexit cu Marea Britanie, avem și cu Elveția probleme, dar iată că neînțelegerea dintre Norvegia și Uniunea Europeană aduce prejudicii economice, sigur, și o dimensiune de mediu.
                  

                     Eu vă mulțumesc că ați fost foarte corect, domnule comisar, și ne-ați informat că încă n-ați ajuns la niște soluții. Întrebarea și dezbaterea de astăzi aveau rolul să aflăm când și de ce Consiliul amână și de ce dumneavoastră nu găsiți o soluție. Noi nu putem să ne rugăm de Norvegia. Există un acord și trebuie respectat. Nu putem să avem pierderi economice în spațiul european, sigur, de la cei mai mici pescari – ne referim aici la bugetele naționale ale statelor care acum nu pot să beneficieze de acordul care este în vigoare între Uniunea Europeană [și Norvegia].
                  

                     Și cred, domnule comisar, că dumneavoastră trebuie să vă întoarceți la Comisie și să spuneți foarte clar că nu este singurul caz. Comisia trebuie să înțeleagă că trebuie să rezolve în timp foarte scurt aceste litigii pentru a nu aduce prejudicii suplimentare. Și așa durează de atâta timp și acest lucru, așa cum spuneam, se regăsește și în alte cazuri.
                  

(Koniec zgłoszeń z sali)


Karmenu Vella,
Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members, as I said in my introduction, the Commission has endeavoured to reach a pragmatic arrangement with Norway that would have allowed the resumption of fishing activities for snow crab without prejudice to the EU's legal position on Svalbard. To protect the interests of our fishermen, we have been working at each stage of the process, in close cooperation with Member States. Every step has been prepared and established by consulting all Member States and keeping them regularly informed.
We were not able to conclude successfully, partly because of the narrow margins of manoeuver defined by Member States, and partly because Norway focused on one single solution, which is a quota exchange for the entire Norwegian continental shelf.
You should nevertheless appreciate that we managed to preserve our position on Svalbard, as requested by Member States, and that we managed to avoid an escalation. In particular, we were able to conclude successful bilateral fisheries arrangements for 2018 to the satisfaction of Member States and Norway.
I think a number of you, including Mr Wałęsa, asked why the European Union was not taking Norway to court. Here I would like to underline, as MEP Krupa, mentioned that the European Union is not party to the Paris Treaty and therefore it cannot take Norway to court for non-compliance with that treaty.
Mr Pabriks also mentioned the issue of compensation. Direct compensation for such losses is not possible under any of the EU funds in this case. However, the EMFF can assist fishermen who want to seek other fishing opportunities to adapt their vessels and gears so as to avoid staying idle in port.
The issues, and this has also been pointed out by Mr Mamikins, at stake around Svalbard go beyond fisheries interests and are too important to allow the conflict to drift towards an escalation, so prudence is important. From our side, we are prepared to continue the talks with Norway, but obviously we will need to wait for a new window of opportunity.
I would like to conclude by thanking you very much for your kind attention and, as Mr Kelly mentioned, your support as well.

(Applause)


Przewodniczący. – Zamykam debatę.
                  
12.   Decisions concerning certain documents: see Minutes
13.   Documents received: see Minutes
14.   Petitions: see Minutes
15.   Forwarding of texts adopted during the sitting : see Minutes
16.   Dates of forthcoming sittings : see Minutes
17.   Closure of the sitting

(Posiedzenie zostało zamknięte o godz. 15.39)

18.   Adjournment of the session

Przewodniczący. – Ogłaszam przerwę w obradach Parlamentu Europejskiego.
               


ELI: 
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)