Verbatim report of proceedings

Friday, 20 September 1996 - Strasbourg

1. Approval of the Minutes

  President . – The Minutes of yesterday's sitting have been distributed.

Are there any comments?

  Green (PSE). – Madam President, I should like to raise a point which I think is of enormous concern to the people of the European Union and that is the reports which have come out this morning about the decision by the British Government last night to end the cull of British cattle believed or suspected to be infected with BSE. It is a very serious concern and you will know the enormous impact this will have on the fears of the European people about their public health and consumer safety.

I would like to ask the European Commission immediately to respond as to how they are going to react to the action taken by the British Government, which seems to be a complete about‐turn on the action plan that was presented by the British Prime Minister to the European Council when it last met.

  President . – Mrs Green, it is quite obvious that we cannot just improvise a debate like that. What I would suggest – if the Commission agrees, of course – is that any comment by the Commission on this matter could be made in connection with Mr Funk's report, which appears on this morning's agenda. It might well be possible for this question to be brought in in connection with that report, but you must surely understand that we cannot just improvise a debate like that at the start of the sitting.

I am now going to give the floor to Mr Poettering, who will tell me whether he agrees with my suggestion.

  Poettering (PPE). – (DE) Madam President, what Pauline Green has suggested in her capacity as President of the PSE Group also reflects the view of the PPE Group. This is a very serious matter, and we must take note of it. What is at issue here is not just health but the community of law that is the European Union – once a legal decision has been made, no Member State can unilaterally revoke it. We support your suggestion, Madam President, that the Commission should make a statement on this in connection with Mr Funk's report.

  President . – Thank you, Mr Poettering. I can see that Mrs Green also agrees with this suggestion.

  Provan (PPE). – Madam President, I am surprised to hear Mrs Green making these remarks this morning. It is these sort of remarks that add to the problems which the beef sector is currently going through. That is the sort of inflationary, inflammatory type of remark which is creating the problem and making it even worse.

Let me assure the Members of this House that the decision taken by the British Government overnight concerns a more effective cull to get rid of the BSE problem more quickly and in that way we will all be able to get back to normality as quickly as possible.

(Applause)

  President . – Mr Provan, I have said that we are not going to debate the matter now.

  Green (PSE). – Madam President, what has been raised here is a matter of immense concern to European people. Of course none of us wants to damage further the beef industry but it is remarks like those we have just heard that have done such damage to the whole of the beef industry. It is completely ridiculous that representatives of the British Government speaking here are not truthful about the fact that this is a major concern. Their deception over many years has actually led to this problem. It is time they faced up to that reality and treated the European people with some respect.

(Applause)

  President . – Ladies and gentlemen, we will discuss all this when we come to debate Mr Funk's report.

  Martinez (NI). – (FR) Madam President, my point concerns the vote on Mr von Wogau's report on excise duties. Mr Pasty, two days earlier, did rightly warn us about the risks of clashes between the votes, parliamentary procedure and the committee meetings.

It now transpires, Madam President, that the vote on the report on excise duties was carried by a single vote. The increase in excise duties on wine was carried by one vote. Well, many members of the Committee on Agriculture, who are consequently most concerned by this matter, not to mention myself as representative of LanguedocRoussillon, the largest European wine growing area, were at that time attending a meeting of the Committee of Inquiry into bovine spongiform encephalopathy. You yourself are a lawyer, Madam President, and you will agree that what we have here is a case of ‚vice of consent’, or consent given in error, in the form of a manoeuvre comprising the simultaneous arrangement of a committee meeting and voting, a manoeuvre which allowed a vote to be hijacked. This is a perfect example of vice of consent, and of a vote which is null and void. I find the use of these methods simply to fabricate a majority, methods which I fear I can only describe as somewhat crooked, to be unacceptable.

Madam President, perhaps we should find a different form of words and hold that vote again, since the result is fraudulent.

  President . – Mr Martinez, your point has nothing to do with any change to the Minutes. At present we are in the process of adopting the Minutes, and I would therefore ask you to be kind enough to confine your remarks to the Minutes.

Having said that, I must admit that you have raised a basic, general problem. What I suggest is that the Bureau consider this matter and say whether it is actually standard practice for other meetings to be held during voting time. I believe that we should abide by the strict rule that no other meetings should be held during voting time – and I note, incidentally, that the group presidents share this view. I also believe that it is important for this matter to be discussed within the conference of presidents.

Are there any comments on the Minutes?

  von Wogau (PPE). – (DE) Madam President, I have a comment on the Minutes, and on yesterday's vote to which Mr Martinez referred. At the end of that vote, there was a very great deal of uncertainty as to what had actually been adopted. I should like to take this opportunity to make it clear that we yesterday rejected, by a single vote, a motion calling for the introduction of a tax on wine, so that that part of Mr Martinez's remarks is certainly incorrect.

  des Places (EDN). – (FR) Madam President, please excuse me, but what I have to say does not concern the Minutes. I would simply like to support....

(The President cut the speaker off)

  Arias Cañete (PPE). – (ES) Madam President, in the roll‐call vote on Amendment No 15 to the von Wogau report, my name appears as a vote in favour. I voted against.

  President . – Mr Arias Cañete, we shall be looking into all this and making any necessary corrections.

Are there no more comments?

(Parliament approved the Minutes)

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(1) Documents received – Texts of agreements forwarded by the Council – Authorization to draw up reports – Referral to committees: see Minutes