(The sitting was opened at 9.05 a.m.)

  Pervenche Berès (PSE). – (FR) Mr President, I should like to talk about our agenda. The issues that we are going to discuss this morning are absolutely essential, and I am delighted that our House is able to do so calmly and in a spirit of mutual understanding.

Nevertheless, other subjects had been proposed for inclusion on the agenda, in particular the analysis of the impact of Mittal Steel's hostile bid for Arcelor on the European Union as a whole. I believe that it would have been appropriate for our House to have given its opinion on that subject.

(The President cut off the speaker)

  President. Mrs Berès, this is not a point of order. I appreciate that you wish to talk about this issue, but if you have risen on a point of order, I am afraid that the Presidency must inform you that this is not one and that unfortunately I cannot allow you to carry on speaking.