Verbatim report of proceedings

Thursday, 19 January 2012 - Strasbourg

6. Other business

  President. – Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Mr Rübig has asked to take the floor for a point of order. Please proceed, Mr Rübig.

  Paul Rübig (PPE). – (DE) Mr President, as chair of the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel, I would like to congratulate Mr Steve Tolan – programme director for the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust in Zambia – on being awarded the Sustainable Energy Prize by Parliament’s STOA Panel. He is here, seated in the gallery, and I would like to ask for a round of applause in his honour.

  President. – Thank you, Mr Rübig. Of course, we join with you; the Presidency joins with the applause given by the Chamber as a whole. I will now give the floor to Mr Morganti.

  Claudio Morganti (EFD). – (IT) Mr President, I would like to ask for a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the accident involving the Concordia cruise ship near the island of Giglio in Tuscany. To date, 11 victims of various nationalities have been confirmed, but the problem is that there are still 29 people missing and therefore, the final tally could be even more serious.

  President. – Mr Morganti, the Presidency and the Chamber as a whole joins with your sentiments of extreme sadness and also incredulity at what has happened. I propose that we observe a minute’s silence.

(The House rose and observed a minute’s silence)

  Pat the Cope Gallagher (ALDE). – Mr President, I tried to draw the attention of the President on Monday, and your attention now, to sending a vote of sympathy to the Irish Fishermen’s Organisation who lost five fishermen when their boat Tit Bonhomme foundered off the coast of Cork last weekend. Miraculously, there was one survivor, but unfortunately five perished, so perhaps you, and the Members, would associate a vote of sympathy on this with the previous one.

  President. – Mr Gallagher, you were certainly right to stress this point, and we endorse it.