Verbatim report of proceedings

Monday, 21 February 2005 - Strasbourg

12. One-minute speeches on matters of political importance

  Pęk (IND/DEM).   (PL) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have risen to speak because I am extremely concerned about the state of democracy in the European Union. We are being told that it can be considered a great success if a small proportion, or just over one quarter, of the citizens entitled to do so vote ‘yes’ in a referendum, the most important public expression of collective will. It is also coming to light that propaganda tricks were used during the campaign, for example that Spanish citizens were told that a vote against the European Constitution would be a vote against Europe, which is a blatant lie. We are particularly concerned about public money being spent on the ‘yes’ campaign, and about the plans to spend even more on it. This amounts to cheating Europe’s citizens, and we demand equality before the law.

  Tabajdi (PSE). (HU) The Community cereals market is in a critical state. At the request of Austria, backed by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Poland, Hungary and France, the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries at its last session expressed its concern over the grave situation facing European cereal farmers. The twenty-five Member States produced fifty-two million tons of surplus in cereals this year, more than seven million tons of which were offered for Community interventions. Half of this, more than three million tons, was offered by Hungary.

Three problems have arisen in the Community cereals market. First of all, there is the problem regarding the unfavourable changes in the Euro/Dollar exchange rate. Secondly, non-coastal countries, such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, are at a disadvantage when it comes to competition for tendering. Finally, my third point: the decrease in export aid presents further problems. I would like to ask Commissioner Fischer Boel to take effective measures towards solving the problems of the cereals market.

  Yañez-Barnuevo García (PSE). – (ES) Mr President, I agree with what has been said and I would like to thank the President of this Parliament for what he has said about the referendum held in my country yesterday. It was a lesson in democracy. The day passed without incident. Everybody in favour of a ‘yes’ vote, everybody in favour of a ‘no’ vote and also everybody in favour of abstaining participated fully.

Nobody can therefore give our country lessons in democracy, since everybody was free to act with total freedom. Furthermore, an important radio station owned by the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Catholic Church campaigned constantly for the ‘no’ camp and the results are there to see, but nobody stopped it from defending that position, which was as legitimate as any other.

  Karatzaferis (IND/DEM). – (EL) Mr President, a few days ago, the President of the Greek Parliament, addressing the new President of the Hellenic Republic, told him that, in the light of the referendum – in the light of the endorsement of the Constitution – Greece needed to restrict its national borders and its national sovereignty. This is dramatic. The Greek people need to be told why, for the prosperity of Europe, they need to be deprived of land and sovereignty. That is what was heard. A way has to be found of at least allaying the concerns of the Greek people. We want Europe to prosper, but not of course at the expense of the national borders of our country, at the expense of national sovereignty. We need to ensure that, if the Constitution is passed, Greece will not lose land, as – I repeat – the President of the Greek Parliament said.

As far as Spain's referendum is concerned, 33% of the Spanish people voted in favour. There was a very poor turnout ...

(The President cut off the speaker)

  Mote (NI). – Mr President, every professional criminal organisation in Europe must have jumped for joy at the European Central Bank's recent decision to double its printing of 500-euro banknotes. This year alone, 190 million more of the highest-value banknotes in the world will hit our streets, and a suitcase full of these is worth seven times as much as a suitcase filled with 100-dollar bills.

In today's electronic world, banks do not need large denomination notes: they are of value only to criminals. Why else did 10% of all the euros issued at its launch suddenly disappear into Russia? Why is it still the currency of choice for the Russian mafia? Why did Hussein invoice Iraq's secret oil sales in euros when he was trying to avoid sanctions? Last year, the number of counterfeit 500-euro notes rose by ...

(The President cut off the speaker)

  Papastamkos (PPE-DE). – (EL) Mr President, we hope that the unification of Europe, at least as far as its economic and monetary union is concerned, means the lifting of barriers, means the lifting of borders in the economic sector. This is the quintessence of the common market and of the single European market. Greek euro-scepticism is directed at exactly what the European Union is; a European Union which has not progressed with the same speed as far as its political union is concerned, as far as acquiring a genuine, authentic European defence identity is concerned. That is what the President of the Greek Parliament said. She stated the obvious; that the economic borders have been lifted and that there is a single, homogenous economic area.

  Corbett (PSE). – Mr President, ever since this Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to endorse the European Constitution a month ago, some of those who were in the minority have sought to disrupt and discredit the position taken by the European Parliament.

They waved banners in this hall when we took our vote; they tried to disrupt the official launch of the European Parliament's information campaign; they have made the claim that it is somehow illegitimate for this Parliament to present its view and its conclusion to the outside world. Even when we have been invited by national parliaments to present our assessment of the Constitution, they have written to them and complained that we have accepted such invitations.

Today, we hear them claiming that the result of the referendum in Spain was somehow illegitimate. Of course it had a low turnout – it was not controversial and it had overwhelming and broad support. But the bottom line is endorsement by a huge majority, which I am sure will be repeated in other countries.

(Applause)

  Leinen (PSE). – (DE) Mr President, this House should wholeheartedly welcome the referendum held in Spain and the Spanish public’s clear ‘yes’ to the Constitution. I believe we should thank the Spanish Government, and everyone else involved, for having informed and engaged the public, and in particular for having involved civil society in the referendum campaign.

I myself spent several days in Spain with other Members of this House, and was able to see how openly, democratically and peacefully the referendum passed off, providing a genuine example of European democracy. What Mr Pęk has said in this House is utterly absurd, and I am sure that only a small minority of Members share his views.

At the same time, however, turnout for the referendum demonstrated the need for the public to be provided with even more information. Mr President, we should call on the governments and the Commission to pursue, once and for all, a policy of proactive information on what the Constitution contains. We have no more time to lose, as the dates for the next referendums have already been set.

  Krupa (IND/DEM).   (PL) Many thanks. In view of the disastrous state of the health service in Poland and the hunger strikes staged by health workers, I should firstly like to ask that health services no longer be viewed in market terms, and that medical services be excluded from the services directive. I would also like to put forward a proposal concerning the need for public funding for health services, and in particular for hospitals, as the latter are already in debt to the tune of over PLN 6 billion in Poland. Following liberal amendments to the Civil Code, debt collectors have seized PLN 2 billion, with the result that employees have not received their wages. The seizure of these meagre wages represents a violation of moral principles and of social justice. It is also a violation of many items of legislation, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I should like to ask whether the Commission intends to introduce a regulation making it possible for financial support ...

(The President cut off the speaker)

  Pahor, Borut (PSE). (SL) Mr President, recently the impression has been created that certain antagonisms and divisions from the past are being revived, something which we hoped would never be repeated and never burden relations between nations in the united Europe. By marking 10 February as a day of remembrance for the tragic events after the Second World War, the Italian Republic is commemorating the suffering of its compatriots, and it has every right to do so. Yet here, democratic Italy should not forget the suffering which the Fascist regime inflicted on other nations, including Slovenia. I would like to take this opportunity to support the appeal of democratic circles on both sides of the border that we should move beyond this trauma from our semi-distant history, by telling the whole truth. The truth, no matter how grievous, is the only way to prevent similar things in the future. It is also the only basis for coexistence and reconciliation. And if the conciliatory meeting of the presidents of three neighbouring countries can contribute to this, then I also welcome it. Moving beyond the revival of nationalist prejudices is to the essence of the European idea. It is also one of the foundations and reasons behind European cohesion and integration.

  Mitchell (PPE-DE). – Mr President, the recent tsunami disaster shocked the world and the huge loss of life it caused is almost inconceivable. Such disasters are not specific to South-East Asia. The worst European tsunami in recorded history occurred on 1 November 1755, when a powerful earthquake off Portugal's Atlantic coast sent waves crashing into Lisbon. Up to 30 000 lives were lost in the capital alone that day and the event signalled the decline of the city, which until then had been the fourth largest city in Europe and one of the richest. The waves also hit the coasts of Belgium, Britain, France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Twenty Member States of the EU have coastlines. Given that earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis have taken place in the past, would it not be prudent for the Commission to set up a benchmarking process to facilitate alert strategies to warn of natural disasters of this kind?

  Ludford (ALDE). – Mr President, Parliament has consistently campaigned against illegal internment in Guantanamo Bay. Most of the EU nationals have now been released – certainly all nine British citizens – but around a dozen people who have legal residence in an EU country, for instance as refugees, are still there.

There are five people from the UK whose names we know: Bisher al-Rawi, Jamil al-Banna, Jamal Abdullah, Shaker Aamer and Omar Deghayes. Reports tell of degrading and inhuman treatment, even torture. Omar Deghayes claims that he has been blinded in one eye with pepper spray. Twenty years ago he came as a refugee from Libya, where his father was killed by the Gaddafi regime. Libyan officials have visited him and threatened him with deportation to Libya and death.

This was obviously done with the collusion of the US Government. In fact, it sent a plane to Tripoli to pick them up. It must have been done also with the collusion of the UK Government. It cannot be allowed to hide behind the Vienna Convention. It has a moral and – I contend – legal obligation to intervene and rescue these people or put them on trial. Otherwise the pretensions of the EU to have a human rights policy ring hollow.

  Rosati (PSE).   (PL) Mr President, in September 2004 the Russian Federation set limits on imports of food products from Poland. Polish companies exporting meat and dairy products were also obliged to undergo special inspections by Russian veterinary and plant health agencies. Out of a total of 74 dairy companies inspected, only two were authorised to export products to Russia. In spite of the fact that nearly four months have passed since the inspections were completed, Russia has still not provided Poland with a list of companies that passed the inspections and are permitted to export products. This is proof that Polish companies are being discriminated against on the Russian market. In January, Poland was assured that the European Commission would intervene to speed up procedures for allowing Polish companies into the Russian market. I should like to ask what measures the Commission has taken in this connection, what the outcome of those measures has been and when the discriminatory practices applied by the Russian Federation will cease.

  Batten (IND/DEM). – Mr President, referring to the proposed European Constitution President Bush has said that he is fascinated to see how the sovereignty of nations can be integrated into a larger whole. He can afford to be fascinated: it is not his country's freedoms, liberty and democracy that are being dismantled and abolished in that process of integration.

What he does take seriously, however, is Article 16 of the Constitution that commits Member States to a common foreign and security policy. He has rightly warned that this undermines NATO – and it is NATO that has kept the peace in Europe since 1949, not the European Union.

The British people need to know that the proposed common foreign and security policy will prevent Britain from ever again being able to act independently, militarily or politically, whether in alliance with the USA or not. That is one more good reason for the British people to reject the European Constitution when they have the opportunity to do so.

  Czarnecki, Ryszard (NI).   (PL) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Parliament recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations. At today’s sitting, I should like to express my wholehearted support for UEFA’s latest project, the aim of which is to ensure that rich and poor clubs in both the old and the new EU, and indeed in all of Europe, enjoy the same opportunities. The project involves a progressive introduction of quotas for club-trained players, with a minimum of two players in one year’s time, and eventually of four players. This is intended to force clubs to work with young players, and to prevent rich clubs from merely buying up talented players. There will also be quotas for players from the country in which the club is based, which are intended to promote national football. In practice, these quotas will also deter attempts by the richest clubs to build up football armies of hired ‘galácticos’ or superstars. UEFA’s proposals comply with the principle of solidarity, upon which the European Union is founded. It is worth sacrificing another of the EU’s principles that is in any case frequently violated, namely the principle of free movement of workers, for the sake of this principle of solidarity.

  Iturgaiz Angulo (PPE-DE). – (ES) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like briefly to insist on something that the President said at the beginning of this sitting. As you all know, tomorrow there will be an historic visit by George Bush, the President of the United States of America, to the European Commission, in the Berlaymont building in Brussels. We must acknowledge and thank the President of the Commission, Mr Durão Barroso, for the efforts and steps he has taken to ensure that, during this visit, Mr Bush receives the President of this European Parliament, which is you, Mr Borrell.

We in our group naturally hope that this meeting is a success and also that it serves to improve relations between the European Parliament and the United States of America.

  Pittella (PSE). – (IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, since the Barroso Commission has been doing its job for months now and has appointed all its staff, including the spokespersons, it really is hard to believe that they have not yet succeeded in finding an Italian spokesperson. How can that be? What steps has Mr Barroso taken, even after all the parliamentary questions, the urging by Commissioner Frattini and the request made by the whole body of Italian journalists accredited with the Commission and the other European institutions?

Ours is not a religious battle and much less a return to sterile nationalism. We are proud of our language: our Dante Alighieri is the envy of all. That is precisely why we cannot understand the failure to appoint an Italian-speaking spokesperson.

  Hegyi (PSE). – Mr President, last week I participated in the 'Berlinale', the 54th Berlin Film Festival. Most of our Member States were represented with new productions either in the competition or in other sections of the festival. It was amazing to see how many talented film-makers we have in Europe, but it was even more encouraging to see how many people were interested in non-Hollywood films made in Europe or elsewhere in the world. European films were more popular with the audience than American ones.

The whole event showed me that there is a great interest in European cinema, in spite of the fact that our promotion of cinema production is weaker than that of American movies. There is a huge need to improve European media and cinema policy. The protection of our cinema heritage and the production of new films deserve more support, both financially and in terms of legislation.

  Figueiredo (GUE/NGL). – (PT) The lack of rain in recent months in Portugal is causing a major crisis both in terms of autumn-winter crops and livestock feed, and in terms of the low expectations for spring-summer crops. At the same time, there have also been cases of what is known as ‘bluetongue’ in animals, and the necessary quarantining, seizures and bans on movement have exacerbated the problems of selling livestock. Producers and farmers have thus been forced to keep animals much longer than planned and to feed them at extra cost, which has led to financial crises that many of them cannot cope with. I therefore call on you, Mr President, to notify the Commission of the seriousness of the agriculture situation in Portugal and of the need to bring forward the payment of livestock and crop aid. The shortage of pasture due to the drought is also causing problems and it is therefore necessary to authorise grazing on land banned under Community regulations, in order to reduce livestock deaths.

  Schlyter (Verts/ALE). (SV) Mr President, this week sees the third anniversary of Ingrid Betancourt’s abduction by Colombia’s FARC guerrillas. It was 23 February 2002 when Ingrid Betancourt, mouthpiece for my Colombian sister party and a presidential candidate, was abducted while she was on the way to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict between the government and FARC.

The Colombian Government must stop having recourse to military means. It must instead sign a humanitarian agreement with FARC in line with the Geneva Convention so that Ingrid and 3 000 other prisoners can be released. I should be very grateful if you could act on Parliament’s behalf and convey our concern about the breaches of human rights in Colombia.

  Patrie (PSE). – (FR) Mr President, I should have liked to have taken advantage of the presence of Commissioner Barroso, who will join us later, to question him about the recent statements to the press by the Commissioner for Regional Policy. Mrs Hübner stated, in fact, that, in her view, it was necessary to facilitate relocation within Europe so that European companies might reduce their costs. At a time when we are in the middle of debating the EU’s political priorities for 2005, can Mr Barroso tell us whether he supports this approach?

According to the latest figures from Eurostat, the highest rates of unemployment in the EU are in the new Member States. Seen in this light, of course, the strategy proposed by Mrs Hübner is perfectly understandable. What she said illustrates the reality of an enlargement that has taken place without any new budgetary resources. What the Commissioner is proposing to us is that we rob Peter to pay Paul. Might Mr Barroso be in favour of institutionalising social and fiscal dumping within the EU?

  Piotrowski (IND/DEM). (PL) Thank you, Mr President. In view of the forthcoming anniversary of the end of the Second World War, I should like to alert this House to fresh attempts that have been made to falsify and manipulate history for short-term political goals. Evidence of this can be seen in recent statements made by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the infamous Yalta Conference. The latter divided the European continent into two spheres of influence, in so doing subjecting many of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe, whose representatives are sitting in this House today, to nearly half a century’s oppression under an inhuman totalitarian system. The root cause of this was the German-Soviet Pact of August 1939, and responsibility for starting the Second World War rests not only with Germany, but also with Russia, as the heir to the Soviet Union. Yet while Germany has demonstrated its desire to face up to its tragic past, Russia still lacks the courage to do so. I hope the European Parliament will support this motion for a resolution, which, inter alia, condemns the Yalta Agreement. This would be a symbolic gesture of reparation towards the nations from behind the former Iron Curtain.

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) Mr President, Spain treated the referendum on the European Constitution with disdain, with the lowest turnout in our history. This has been the case partly because there has not been a sufficiently pluralist debate in the media. If we want passion, we need controversy. And the future does not look promising.

The government of my country is promoting a law which will allow a friend of the Socialists, Jesús de Polanco, to control half of all radio in Spain. Furthermore, this gentleman already has a monopoly of satellite television and now he is seeking a further slice of the analogue advertising cake. Ladies and gentlemen of the left, Polanco makes Berlusconi look like a pauper. If we do not defend plurality in the media, we will very soon find ourselves in a situation in which the European Union’s information strategy is no longer debated in this Parliament: it will be decided on by four men in an expensive restaurant, with the capacity to impose uniform thinking on 450 million Europeans.

  Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE). – (FR) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to draw your attention to the case of Mrs Aissata Bint-Karamoko and, above all, request the European Parliament’s support for her. Mrs Karamoko applied for refugee status in France three years ago. She is now seven months pregnant and suffering from hepatitis, and is at present in hospital here in this very city of Strasbourg. Yet the French Government is behaving unacceptably by attempting to return Mrs Karamoko to her country of origin, Mauritania, in so doing violating her fundamental right to obtain treatment within the European Union.

In the name of respect for human rights and in accordance with our Charter of Fundamental Rights, I should like us to inform the French Government that it must respect human and fundamental rights by allowing Mrs Karamoko to obtain treatment here in France and, above all, to give birth in the best conditions.

  Rogalski (IND/DEM).   (PL) Mr President, I hope that this House has recovered from its infatuation with Ukraine’s ‘Orange Revolution’, and that the time has now come to look facts in the face. Yushchenko’s ‘Our Ukraine’ coalition has tabled a vetting bill, one of the provisions of which states that anyone who criticises the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or the UPA for short, will be prevented from holding a public position. The UPA has become a symbol of patriotism, yet during the Second World War it gained notoriety for murdering Poles, Jews and Russians. This vetting provision is an attack against national minorities in Ukraine, the majority of whom are Poles. These Poles are critical of the UPA because they believe it to be a criminal organisation. The proposal is supported, however, by the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists and its paramilitary wing, the UNA, some of the members of which fought as mercenaries in Chechnya. The Nationalists have made contact with Germany’s neo-fascist National Democratic Party, invoking their brotherhood in arms during the Second World War. National minorities in Ukraine are in danger, they are afraid and they are calling for help.

  Allister (NI). – Mr President, when this Parliament last met it quite properly condemned the Nazi atrocities epitomised by Auschwitz. Sadly and shamefully, the head of state of an EU member country – President McAleese of the Republic of Ireland – chose that 60th anniversary to launch a vicious and vindictive attack on the majority community in Northern Ireland when she shamefully equated Nazi hatred of Jews to the attitude of Protestants towards Roman Catholics.

Nothing equates to the Nazi holocaust. In the name of the peace-loving majority in Northern Ireland, I take this opportunity in this international forum to refute and reject that vile attack upon those I represent. References to the struggle against fascism fall particularly ill from the lips of a President, one of whose predecessors expressed condolences upon the death of Hitler.

  Medina Ortega (PSE). – (ES) Mr President, I was surprised by the comments of Mr Herrero-Tejedor. He gives the impression of coming from a completely different country, since he appears to have forgotten that the People’s Party government controlled the whole of the public and private media for eight years.

The Socialist government is currently trying to re-establish democracy, establishing plurality in the media which was not guaranteed by the last People’s Party government.

Finally, Mr Herrero-Tejedor, does your comment imply that your colleague, Mr Berlusconi, is controlling the media in Italy?

(Applause)

  Drčar Murko (ALDE). (SL) Thank you, Mr President. Together with several other Members, Mr Cashman advised in a letter to Mr Barroso, and I quote: ‘… that in Slovenia politicians are obviously publicly encouraging discrimination against minorities …’, end of quote, and proposed that the Commission should launch an investigation into this together with the Slovenian Government. As a liberal Member from Slovenia I wish to draw the attention of Parliament additionally to the fact that the current Slovenian government has also expressly refused to implement the decision of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, whereby homes in Slovenia taken illegally from them in 1992 should be returned to 18 305 citizens of the former Yugoslavia. This is not therefore simply a case of discrimination against minorities, but also a violation of the fundamental principles of a state ruled by law.

  President. Mr Herrero-Tejedor has the floor for a point of order.

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) For a personal statement, Mr President. A remark has been made about me and I would like to exercise my right to reply, if only for thirty seconds.

  President. Which Rule of Procedure are you invoking?

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) Rule 27 B.

  President. Did you say Rule 27 B?

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) Mr President, I appreciate that you should know the Rules of Procedure better than I. Perhaps I have suffered a lapse of memory ...

  President. Mr Herrero, Rule 27 B relates to the work of delegations. What does that have to do with personal statements?

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) It is clearly not that Rule, Mr President, but ...

  President. Which Rule are you invoking?

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) The Rule which establishes the right to respond to personal comments, Mr President, whichever Rule that is. I have that right and I expect you to ensure that I can exercise it, Mr President.

  President. I simply asked you which Rule you are invoking and you mentioned a Rule that has nothing to do with the issue we are talking about. Mr Herrero-Tejedor, I am not responsible for your words, you are. I imagine you are referring to Rule 145. Is that the case, Mr Tejedor?

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) It is Rule 145, Mr Borrell Fontell.

  President. You have thirty seconds.

  Herrero-Tejedor (PPE-DE). – (ES) I simply wished to say to Mr Medina that, in fact, Mr Berlusconi has a control over the media in Italy which my party and myself in particular have severely criticised. And I would therefore ask that the same yardstick be used in relation to Spain.

With regard to the point about the People’s Party controlling the whole of the private media, does that mean that it also controlled all of Mr Polanco’s media, Mr Medina? Are you trying to make fools of the honourable Members? Goodness gracious me!

  President. Mr Herrero-Tejedor, I have given you the floor in order to avoid pointless arguments, but I must tell you that Rule 145 relates to accusations made against a Member on a personal level. That was not the case in any way, but despite that, the Presidency has given you the floor in order not to give you the impression that our interpretation of the Rules of Procedure is biased.

  De Rossa (PSE). – Mr President, I do not have the rule book in front of me but I simply want to add a clarification to the statement on Northern Ireland made by Mr Allister who criticised President McAleese of the Irish Republic for remarks she made concerning the Protestant community in Northern Ireland. I want to point out that President McAleese apologised fulsomely and without reservation within hours of making the remarks. She had not intended the interpretation which has been made and I would appreciate it if this could be noted in the record of the House.

  President. Alright, Mr de Rossa, that is what we will do. However, in the future, all the honourable Members should generally have sufficient knowledge of the Rules of Procedure to be aware that the Rule in question allows Members to speak in response to personal accusations, not to references to a Member within the context of a debate on issues relating to third parties.

Please take note of the fact that the Presidency will not give the floor in future unless a Member has been affected by an issue that relates to them personally.