Text tabled : A6-0361/2008

  Carlo Casini (PPE-DE). – (IT) Madam President, I feel I must explain more clearly why I disagree and consider it unjust that the amendments tabled by the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats in the Gebhardt report should be declared defunct because of the vote taken on an entirely different matter.

It is one thing to say that one can choose the law of any country in the world, provided that it does not breach human rights; it is quite another to say that one can choose from among the laws of the Member States of the European Union. The two things are different, and therefore I believe it is unjust that the amendments on the latter issue should be withdrawn.

I do approve, however – and I hope that as the debate on this regulation proceeds my argument will be accepted – of the efforts to create a European legal area, with European harmonisation. It does not make sense to apply Chinese law or the law of some remote Pacific state, for example, in such a delicate matter as matrimonial relations, when the pressing need is instead to unite the 27 countries of the Union.