One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
President
The next item is the one-minute speeches on matters of political importance.
Carlos José Iturgaiz Angulo
(ES) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to pass on a message to you all from Oswaldo Payá, who was awarded the Sakharov Prize by Parliament.
'Dear friends, the people of Cuba want change, they want to enter peacefully into a new phase of their lives, leaving behind anything that involves hate, violence, repression, lies and fear, opening themselves up to reconciliation and ready to take the path of progress in every respect.
These changes, which are being imposed on us by law, are already present in the hearts and minds of the Cuban people, but the civil and political rights of the people need to be respected. There need to be free and democratic elections, and freedom to travel, work and participate in the economic, political and cultural life of the country.
Changes are rights, and those rights are lacking in Cuba, where many people are still being persecuted for promoting the rights of the Cuban people and also imprisoned for that cause.
The European common position is focused on solidarity and that position should be maintained. You should know that although the Cuban Government is not initiating the changes that many Cubans who are supporting the Varela Project and other civil initiatives desire, there are people working to achieve these peaceful changes at the moment. These are the initiatives that you must support, while remaining consistent with the common position so that it is also a joint approach.'
Monika Flašíková Beňová
(SK) Protecting human rights, respecting differences between people and demonstrating this respect are as important in a democratic society as the fight against violence.
If a person occupying a high position in society, a person whom people naturally respect, fails to accept these principles in his public speeches, or even makes fun of them, this can encourage or support aggressive behaviour in society. If the Head of Government of a European Union Member State makes jokes at a public gathering about Hitler and his atrocities, and gives them a positive context, such behaviour must therefore be publicly condemned, because any failure to condemn it may lead to the general social acceptance of such behaviour. I therefore call on Silvio Berlusconi to reconsider not only his idiotic jokes about Hitler, but also his tasteless and - I might add - stupid recommendations to young women, which are perhaps the result either of a partial loss of judgment, or of a lack of decency and respect for women.
Sonia Alfano
(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on Saturday, the Italian newspaper Il fatto quotidiano published a document signed by the Mafioso former mayor of Palermo, Vito Ciancimino, in which he wrote that Marcello Dell'Utri and Silvio Berlusconi were cut from the same cloth as him; that they belonged to the same mafia-dominated political system.
This news comes to the attention of the magistracy as the truth emerges about the mafia massacres of 1992, which saw the deaths of judges Falcone and Borsellino, namely, the State negotiated with the mafia for the end of the 'season of bombs' and this favoured, as appears to be the case, the establishment of the Prime Minister's party, Forza Italia, which was indeed founded with the help of Dell'Utri, sentenced to seven years for mafia association and still a senator in the Italian Parliament.
In the light of this and in the light of the recent murder of Mayor Angelo Vassallo by the Camorra, I reiterate the importance of the request made by the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe which, as a result of my continual pressure, has once again asked the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs for a report on organised crime at European Union level.
Europe cannot continue to turn the other cheek for fear of tackling a problem which is no longer local but globalised, and which right now closely affects the government of a Member State.
Michail Tremopoulos
(EL) Mr President, as you know, green spaces are of vital importance to the urban environment. In fact, specialists insist on 7 to 10 square metres per inhabitant, which is the same as the European average. However, large Greek towns are suffocating nowadays, with just 25-35% of this requirement and urgently need far more green spaces.
One obvious solution would be for existing public spaces to be used at least for green spaces. These would include the many army barracks trapped within towns and the former Hellenikon Airport in Athens.
The memorandum between the Greek Government and the Commission and the International Monetary Fund makes provision on page 28 for the possibility of using public property to pay off the public debt to be re-examined. If limited land reserves are ultimately used for this purpose, this will drastically tip the environmental balance in Greek towns, the cost of which will be paid for by generations to come.
Every European policy on the urban environment is cancelled out by just a few words in a document imposed on a Member State by the Commission itself. I ask: are the European institutions willing to accept this?
Ryszard Czarnecki
(PL) In Poland, the public is concerned about delays to the inquiry into the crash of the Polish President's plane near Smolensk on 10 April. It is unacceptable to be in a situation where the Russian side fails to pass on documents, or does so very slowly, clearly playing for time. I think that the inquiry should become an international matter so that the European Union, including the European Parliament, may use its influence to speed up the investigation and to exert more international pressure on Russia. I am afraid that without international pressure and without pressure from the European Parliament and the European Union, the matter will never be clarified. That is why I appeal for a certain level of solidarity with Poland in this matter.
João Ferreira
(PT) After the disaster caused by unchecked financial speculation, after months of inaction and promises about the measures to be imposed on the financial markets, confirmation reached us this week from the European Commission. Basically, everything will continue as before. Financial speculation will continue, its principal instruments will continue: derivatives, unsecured sales, swaps or CDS (credit default swaps); there is to be no end to the toxic rubbish. Tax havens, about which there is now a deathly silence after all the fuss and empty promises that a stop would be put to them, will continue to exist.
All this in contrast to the profound violence with which heavy sacrifices were imposed on the workers and the people, called on to support the abuses of financial capital. The response to the fact that the European Union clearly has no idea what it is doing about the consequences of a crisis that it helped create is here, in Portugal, France, Greece, Spain and all over Europe as people rise up and fight against the profound social regression that the European Union wants to impose upon them.
President
The next speaker is Mr Batten, who has the distinction of being the first politician in history to wear his party colours.
Gerard Batten
Mr President, it seems that Nick Clegg, the UK Deputy Prime Minister, will soon announce the coalition government's decision to comply with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights and grant the vote to inmates of Her Majesty's prisons.
A spokesman for Mr David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has reportedly said that it would be 'unfortunate' if the blanket ban was lifted entirely. He did not go on to explain why a partial ban might be more acceptable morally and why a thug, burglar or thief should have the vote rather than a murderer, rapist or paedophile.
It is an insult to the law-abiding and the victims of crime that those who break the law should also have the right to elect lawmakers. I can say one thing with absolute certainty, which is that in the next manifesto of the UK Independence Party, there will be a commitment to repeal any such law.
President
Depending on who is the leader of UKIP.
Andreas Mölzer
(DE) Mr President, today, I would like once again to mention the cross-border, central European Alps Adriatic Region, consisting of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Slovenia and Carinthia. This region reflects the linguistic and cultural diversity of Europe and demonstrates how serious historical differences can be overcome. For example, the Carinthian Consensus Group has been working for many years to maintain the peaceful coexistence of the German majority population and Slovenian minority in Carinthia and was also awarded the European Citizens' Prize by this Parliament for its work.
However, it was detrimental to this peaceful cooperation for Slovenia to claim, ahead of the referendum on the border agreement with Croatia in Ljubljana, that Slovenian Carinthia, Trieste and Gorizia had been taken, even though the people from south Carinthia decided to become part of Austria in a fully democratic referendum in 1920, in other words, exactly 90 years ago. Moreover, Slovenia is in no way the legal successor of the former Yugoslavia and therefore a signatory power to the Austrian State Treaty. At most, it is following in Yugoslavia's footsteps with the retention, contrary to international law, of the AVNOJ Decisions, and that is not a good thing.
Rareş-Lucian Niculescu
(RO) I would like to highlight an extremely urgent issue prevalent in Romania at the moment, but which I believe exists in all EU Member States in certain forms. I am talking about a serious situation affecting small businesses and destroying their chances of growing and recovering after the economic crisis.
The National Council for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises estimates that 8 out of 10 companies which have received European funding drop out of projects due to a lack of cofinancing. This situation applies to all the programmes involving European funding. I believe that in these circumstances, the EU, on the one hand, and Member States, on the other, are obliged to identify and implement new measures to support small businesses, bearing in mind in particular that 70% of the workforce employed across the EU work in these companies.
Silvia-Adriana Ţicău
(RO) We will soon be starting the mid-term review for the 2007-2013 multiannual financial framework, which must be based on interinstitutional cooperation and offer concrete solutions for alleviating the impact of the economic and financial crisis. In addition, the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the EU 2020 strategy offer a new perspective on the mid-term review of the current financial outlook.
I call on the Commission to demonstrate flexibility and promptness when a Member State intends to request, in accordance with the ERDF regulation, a review of the operational programmes or of the National Strategic Reference Framework.
The current economic crisis could bring about some changes to budget priorities, specifically to ensure adequate funding for priority areas. Against this background, I call for the promotion of solidarity and efficiency in the area of energy resources, as well as in the area of transport infrastructure and agriculture and broadband infrastructure in rural zones, all priority areas which can help create jobs.
Antonyia Parvanova
I would like to draw your attention to an instance of gross violation of the human rights of a Bulgarian citizen accused of a criminal offence. Mario Abdel Gani el Makusi, the son of a Palestinian, is a pharmacology student who was arrested on June 7 in his home in Sofia and taken to the local police station for - in the opinion of the police - assault.
According to two witnesses, at the time of the incident, Mario had been at home and also had been shopping in a grocery store, which has been backed up by 6 CCTV recordings from the shop. He was put under an indefinite detention order which has now been in effect for 70 days. In all this time, the police have refused to view the CCTV footage or to interview the witnesses who had been with him in his home at that time, far from the scene of the incident.
I believe that the entire case against this young man and his family is unprecedented, but incidents of this kind have become commonplace over the past year in Bulgaria. I would therefore like to state the view that arresting a man who is innocent until proven guilty, and his detention by the police with no incontrovertible evidence for 70 days, cannot be justified.
I call for more transparency in the way the Ministry of the Interior and the public prosecution work.
Catherine Grèze
(FR) Mr President, 32 Mapuche prisoners have now been on hunger strike for 70 days and may die. They have been joined today by Members of the Chilean Parliament.
They are on hunger strike to demand the application of common law and their right to access land. Indigenous peoples must have access to collective property on their ancestral lands; Parliament has already defended this principle and it is laid down in the relevant international conventions.
This right, which has never been recognised in Chile, has resulted in a proliferation of measures that have an unfairly disproportionate impact on the Mapuche people, who nonetheless make up 5% of the population.
If the Mapuche community, condemned to live without land or resources, is to be saved, Chile will have to find the courage to recognise its rights and accept its demands.
It is also important for us here in the European Parliament, and for the UN and every other international institution too, to fight for the rights of indigenous populations to be respected. Mr President, what do you intend to do about this issue?
Miguel Portas
(PT) Two years ago, the collapse of Lehman Brothers triggered the crash on the financial markets and subsequently the economic and social crisis still being experienced by our people today. The response must be balanced. The European Union has been quick, merciless and intransigent in the austerity programmes it has applied, and extremely slow or even remiss in everything else that could bring justice to the economy.
Parliament is only this week adopting the first measures relating to supervision of the financial system; only over the next nine years will the banking system apply the rules defined for their own capital and all the other demands from the public, namely combating speculative capital, an end to tax havens or a tax on financial transactions. All this has been postponed, and this is why the European Day of Action on 29 September is so necessary and so important across Europe.
Krisztina Morvai
(HU) Ladies and gentlemen, can you envisage a group of crime victims who suffer the most violent forms of physical violence, beatings, harassment, sexual assault, mental cruelty, threats and terror day after day? I am referring to the victims of violence against women, particularly violence in the family or relationships. One of their brave and strong groups contacted me last week and complained that this very large group of people is still not supported or helped in any way in Hungary. If they turn to the police, they are told that this is a private matter and they will not get involved; if they go to the child welfare agency or child protection, they are told to do something about it, or their child will be taken away from them. I would like to call upon all Members of the European Parliament to stand together on this issue, hold a dedicated hearing for the victims of violence against women, and represent their rights in all possible forums.
Nuno Teixeira
(PT) Mr President, all summer, Portugal was once again ravaged by a spate of fires which devastated forests and farmland, destroyed homes and private infrastructure and constantly threatened people, who lived in fear of being affected by the fires that raged without letup.
More than 9 000 fires were recorded in Portugal in August alone, the highest number on record since 2006. Given the seriousness of this situation, it is crucial to look not only at the causes, but also at solutions. For the latter, I am referring not only to the necessary planning and provision of effective material and human resources for combating the fires, but also to the need for the reforestation of the many areas and support for the people affected by them.
In the Autonomous Region of Madeira, where I come from, a number of municipalities were affected by the fires. Following last February's natural disaster, the fires in August exacerbated the difficulties experienced by Madeirans, who are hoping that they can count on the aid and solidarity of everyone in helping to restore their lives, especially after the severe ordeals that they have undergone over the last year.
Alan Kelly
Mr President, it does not give me any pleasure to know that, as I stand here tonight in front of you, the EU is watching the economic developments in my home country of Ireland extremely carefully.
Today, Irish bonds hit an interest rate high of 6.5% and the situation in Ireland is very challenging. The cost of borrowing is, in fact, the most expensive it has ever been for my country. People back home in my constituency are asking how we got to that point. The simple answer is pure greed.
I was happy that Commissioner Almunia recently effectively insisted on closing Ireland's ultimate zombie bank, Anglo Irish. The Commission had to take action as this bank was endangering the future of my very country. Anglo was to cost us EUR 2 billion, then 5 billion, then 10 billion. Will we find out next month that Anglo is going to cost us north of EUR 30 billion?
The Irish are a resilient race. We will get through this, but only with the help of the ECB and through political stability that would be helped by an immediate change of administration back home.
Jelko Kacin
(SL) This weekend, Slovenia was hit by heavy rain which has caused major flooding and serious economic damage. In many places, river levels were higher than they have been for hundreds of years. We also have fatalities, although I should add that all those who drowned lost their lives at the wheel, in cars that were trapped in underpasses. In the capital Ljubljana alone, we still have more than 1 200 residential properties under water. Transport routes and utilities have also been hard hit.
Slovenia is a small country, but we could compare the consequences of these floods with the catastrophic consequences of the floods that affected some Central European countries at the beginning of the summer. I have taken this opportunity to inform you of the situation in my country because I believe that, in this House too, we have a great deal of work ahead of us to deal with the consequences.
Søren Bo Søndergaard
(DA) Mr President, since our last meeting, more than 50 Kurdish mayors in Turkey have received their final sentence. What was it that these mayors had done? Well, they took the liberty of writing an open letter to the then Danish Prime Minister. So absurd is the situation in the EU candidate country Turkey that mayors are punished for writing letters to Heads of State in an EU Member State. The absurdities are continuing, too. On Monday, 18 October, 151 Kurdish politicians and lawyers will be tried in court, including the mayor of Diyarbakir, Osman Baydemir, and Muharrem Erbey, who is Vice-President of Turkey's human rights organisation, IHD. The charges may result in life imprisonment. I would call on the President to ensure that the European Parliament is present to observe these trials.
Anna Záborská
(SK) The deportations of Roma from France are a sign of not knowing what to do, just like, for example, the regulations expelling homeless people from city centres.
The problem of the Roma masks a further problem of extreme poverty and social exclusion. Those who live in conditions of extreme poverty need solidarity and assistance: mothers with children, the old or infirm and isolated communities; people who have fallen into such difficult circumstances that they can no longer help themselves. It is not just a matter of money, but of starting to behave like a society which cares about all of these people, for the good of each and for the good of all. Let us therefore look for ways to involve as many volunteers as possible in assisting socially deprived groups. Let us look for ways to make it easier and simpler for volunteers to use existing financial resources. Failing this, we will continue going round in circles.
Vilija Blinkevičiūt
(LT) Ladies and gentlemen, when my country's Parliament rejected the law's amendments banning any violence against children, including corporal punishment, once again, this only demonstrated that contemporary society is dominated by intolerance towards the opinions of its youngest and weakest members, as well as an unwillingness and inability to comprehend the importance of children's rights and their interests. Once again, this demonstrated the fact that we urgently need to debate the issue of the protection of children's rights and combating violence against them.
However, many in my country consider the smacking of children to be a form of cultural heritage or an effective method of education. I completely disagree with this and would like to stress that a lack of emotional control and the resulting justification for aggression, calling this education, is wrong and unjustifiable.
I would like to point out that violence poses a serious threat to children's physical and mental health and their personal and social development. Given that children are the most vulnerable group in society, I call on the Commission and the Council to strengthen measures for combating violence against children by establishing compulsory standards in all EU Member States and cooperating more actively with Member States and non-governmental organisations to stop violence against children.
I also call on Member States to take the necessary action and preventative measures to combat violence against children.
Kyriacos Triantaphyllides
(EL) Mr President, I should like to draw your attention to an initiative which many of you are aware of, but which needs more support from us: the so-called 'Model European Council'. This initiative, and the virtual plenary session in Strasbourg, are being used by many young Europeans trying to gain a better understanding of how the European Union works.
It is important, at times of poor turnout by voters and general apathy, for us to support and help anyone who is interested in and wishes to contribute to the process of integration of the European Union. That is why, in light of this year's report on the 'Model European Council', I call on you to meet the members of your national delegations so that we can give them a real taste of how we work. The more we promote this initiative, the more it will gain in value for the future of the Europe we are building here.
Nuno Melo
(PT) Mr President, the recent Council decision to open the EU market to textiles and clothing products from Pakistan is a mistake. Textiles and clothing make up 20% of the manufacturing industry in Portugal, with 200 000 workers and 7 000 businesses. It is a key activity in my country, like the automotive industry in Italy, Germany or France.
This means that these businesses will now come into direct competition with Pakistani businesses, which do not have to pay for the social protection of their workers, have no environmental protection costs, are not required to take particular care with the use of certain raw materials, and where unfortunately, even child labour is a common reality, as we know.
What I am trying to say, Mr President, is not that European businesses are afraid to compete with those from elsewhere, but that they cannot work with the subversion of normal market rules.
I would therefore like to voice my protest here, Mr President. Besides protesting, I am also offering my observations on the situation. It is important for Parliament to discuss this issue, which is crucial for the European textile and clothing industry, at the first opportunity.
George Sabin Cutaş
(RO) Social Europe is at a delicate juncture where the response to the austerity measures is being shown through various strikes.
We have workers from the education, transport, justice, administration and industry sectors striking in France, transport workers striking in Greece, and trade unionists on strike in Romania. This social discontent will certainly increase in the coming months. This is why I think that our priority must be to target economic growth, however, in close correlation with creating new jobs and protecting existing ones.
We share responsibility for exiting the crisis. Solidarity must be at the heart of European economic and social policies. Indeed, increased assistance must be given to Member States encountering difficulties in implementing economic recovery measures in order to prevent the divide between Member States' economies from widening and soften the painful social impact.
Tanja Fajon
(SL) Bitterness, anger and disappointment are the words I could use to sum up the feelings of most Slovenians about the first appointments to senior diplomatic positions in the European Union. This is not merely because Slovenia was dropped from the first round of nominations, but mainly because, out of the 29 leading positions, only four will go to representatives from the newly acceded Member States.
I do not believe that there are no suitable candidates in these Member States. On the contrary, I firmly believe that drive and ambition are increasingly present in the younger Member States. However, in the European institutions, the most senior positions are still, by and large, held by representatives of the largest Member States.
I am strongly against such a European policy, because it has no sympathy for the interests of the younger, newly acceded Member States. We are all part of the Union in order to make decisions together. Let this be a criticism of, and a reminder to, our governments. Now is not a good time for new divisions and a breakdown in trust. People will believe in us only if we are firm and united from within, and only if our voice is the common voice of the 27 Member States and not just that of a handful of Member States.
Gabriel Mato Adrover
(ES) Mr President, once again, we are going to talk about free trade agreements between the European Union and third countries. I have already spoken about the agreements with Colombia and Peru, which are extremely damaging to the banana industry in the Canary Islands, and today, I wish to talk about Morocco.
On 16 September, the Commission adopted its proposal on a new agricultural chapter of the association agreement with Morocco: a proposal that increases the tomato quotas, maintains the October to May period instead of extending it to the whole year, and does not revise the entry price system which has been proven to be fraudulent, as recognised by The European Anti-Fraud Office itself.
This agreement is lethal for EU producers, essentially in Andalusia, Murcia, Valencia and the Canary Islands, and the Commission is perfectly aware of that. The Commission cannot look the other way and propose a fresh agreement with no guarantees when the current agreement is being violated without any measures being taken.
There needs to be an urgent review of the entry price system and I ask the Commission to undertake one without further delay. The Commission has an obligation to defend farmers, so defend them!
Rovana Plumb
(RO) The issue I am raising is to do with respect for the rule of law and for professionalism in administration in Romania.
In early 2009, there was a change of prefects and subprefects. The text of the decisions appointing them stated that they would carry out the relevant functions on a temporary basis until the competition was organised to make permanent appointments. At the end of September 2009, the executive organised these competitions and the results were announced in early October. The government was to issue the decisions on the permanent appointment of those who were accepted, but it has still not done this. Given this situation, I would like to draw the European Parliament's attention to the abuse being committed by the Romanian Government and ask the Romanian Government to respect the principles of the rule of law and promote professionalism in administration.
András Gyürk
(HU) The fact that the European External Action Service will soon start to operate can be attributed to the initial success of the common foreign policy. However, we are less pleased about the principle of geographical balance still not being applied in the appointment of the leadership team. Having reviewed the list of names made public last week, we noticed that only four of the close to thirty Heads of Mission come from new Member States. We find this unacceptable. We do not believe that professional eligibility depends on nationality. Appointments should take into account both competence and the principle of proportionate representation. In view of the above, we call on Mrs Ashton to ensure proper regional proportionality in further appointments. This also applies to both Heads of Mission and other officials until the principle of geographical balance is met. The approval of the European Parliament cannot be considered to be a mere formality.
Eduard Kukan
(SK) European Union expansion continues to be a topical theme. The expected accession of Iceland and Croatia will give heart to all those who support the process of expansion and want it to continue.
It will certainly give heart to the countries of the western Balkans, and particularly today, with a situation of economic crisis and growing uncertainty in the region. The recent compromise achieved between Serbia and the countries of the European Union over adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in the matter of the Kosovo declaration of independence confirmed the potential of the EU when it comes to solving thorny issues in the region
The EU has undertaken to support dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. We must not forget that not only the long-term stability of the region but also the credibility of the EU and its foreign policy depend on the success of this dialogue.
Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa
(PL) Thank you for giving me the floor. I would like to take this opportunity to denounce the Burmese junta and the electoral commission acting on its orders, which last week announced the dissolution of the National League for Democracy, as well as of nine other political organisations. The leader of the National League for Democracy, Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi, is a laureate of the Sakharov Prize awarded by the European Parliament. She supports dialogue between the junta and the opposition, as she proved in 2000 when she negotiated with generals on the gradual withdrawal of the military from political life. Unfortunately, the talks did not lead to a breakthrough.
The elections due to take place in Burma in November will be the first since 1990, when the military junta refused to accept the crushing victory of the opposition and placed Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. The European Parliament should clearly signal our opposition to the military regime, the violations of human rights and the lack of respect for fundamental civil liberties in Burma.
Petru Constantin Luhan
(RO) The EU 2020 objectives definitely give pride of place to education and skills development.
During the current programming period, achieving economic, social and territorial cohesion is the main objective which creates the framework for developing education and skills so that local resources can be used.
Every region can have its profile raised by providing a regional aspect to education and vocational training. There are trades which are still being practised only in certain areas and which are in danger of disappearing, simply because they no longer get the chance to be included in national vocational training programmes. The same also applies to certain local resources which survive only in oral history.
I maintain that the regions need to receive financial aid through suitable programmes and encouragement to develop a regional aspect to education and vocational training. This is where European funds can come in useful because, otherwise, many trades will be lost.
Maria do Céu Patrão Neves
(PT) Mr President, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 70% of the area that was burnt this year within the EU is Portuguese, with about 115 000 hectares burnt up to 3 September, 13 000 of which are in protected areas of high environmental value, and with a socio-economic impact of EUR 385 million.
We know that the destruction of forests results in serious socio-economic and environmental damage, and that prevention is more important than cure, because recovery is slow, difficult and expensive. The issue of fires crops up every year in speeches in Parliament, and if they do not concern Portugal, they are about another country.
In view of this, I urge the European Commission to carefully consider the successive resolutions that Parliament has issued since 1995 on fire protection and fire fighting, especially the resolution of 16 September last year, and the mechanism for preventing natural and manmade disasters, for which I had the honour of being the shadow rapporteur for the Committee on Agriculture. These were implemented only partially, and sometimes patchily and ineffectively. Maybe if this is done, we will avoid having to revisit the issue of forest fires in September 2012.
President
That concludes the item.


Interim Partnership Agreement between the EC and the Pacific States - Interim Partnership Agreement between the EC and the Pacific States (debate)
President
The next item is the joint debate on
the report by David Martin, on behalf of the Committee on International Trade, on the recommendation on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part (05078/2010 - C7-0036/2010 - 2008/0250(NLE)),
the oral question to the Commission on the Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Pacific States, of the other part, by Vital Moreira, David Martin, on behalf of the Committee on International Trade - B7-0807/2010).
David Martin
rapporteur. - Madam President, firstly, I would like to say that I know that, for good reasons, Commissioner De Gucht cannot be with us this evening. I would like to thank him for taking the trouble to call me last week and explain why he is unable to be here, and I would like to thank him and his team at DG Trade for their cooperation and, in particular, Martin Dihm for all his assistance.
I have tried, in my role as rapporteur, to follow on from the good work of the previous rapporteur, my former colleague Glyn Ford. I am fortunate that the adoption of Glyn's resolution in 2009 meant that Parliament already had a clear position on the EC-Pacific Interim Economic Partnership Agreement. Parliament's formal position then is the one that I have tried to follow in my report and question today.
I would like to thank Donatella Pribaz, who was the committee administrator responsible. This turned out to be her last report for the committee before her promotion, so I would like to wish her well in her new job and thank her for making my task here easier. Finally, in terms of acknowledgements, I would also like to welcome the presence here of the Ambassador for Papua New Guinea and to thank him and his staff for their close collaboration. The insights they provided allowed me to make specific input to the report.
Firstly, I would like to make a few general remarks on the agreement and the regional context. Secondly, I plan to discuss three specific aspects of the EPA which I believe it is important to highlight: namely, Aid for Trade, the Fijian political situation and fisheries. Thirdly, I will comment on the future of EC-Pacific trading relations.
In terms of the background and regional integration, this interim - or goods only - EPA has been negotiated with two Pacific states - Papua New Guinea and Fiji. These are the two Pacific island states that have the highest levels of trade with the EU and have key exports destined for the EU market: tuna and sugar respectively.
The EPA gives Papua New Guinea and Fiji duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market in return for the gradual liberalisation of their markets over a 15-year period. Papua New Guinea has committed to liberalising 88% of EU imports on the date of application of this agreement, and Fiji will liberalise 87% over a 15-year period.
The remaining 12 Pacific states either enjoy duty-free and quota-free access through the Everything But Arms scheme or, because of their low level of trade with the EU, have very little interest in an interim EPA. Nevertheless, I believe it is important that, as we move towards a full EPA, we should pursue our objective of regional integration and continue to press for a full EPA involving all the Pacific states.
In terms of the content of the resolution, Parliament has to consent to this agreement before it can be ratified. We will vote on Wednesday - as you have indicated, Madam President - on two different reports, firstly, on consent, which I am recommending that we give, and secondly on the accompanying motion for a resolution. There are other issues in the motion for a resolution but, as I have said, I want to comment particularly on three.
First, regarding Aid for Trade, funding for implementation is crucial to achieving the agreement's objectives of economic diversification and poverty alleviation. It is important that a fair and equitable share of the EUR 2 billion set aside in the 2007 Aid for Trade strategy is directed towards the Pacific region. It is also important to highlight that this interim EPA was conceived as a short-term measure to safeguard the Pacific's trade preferences following the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling.
Bearing that in mind, it should not be seen as a sign of EU acceptance of the political regime in Fiji. I would urge the Fijian Government to make moves towards democracy. I hope that the necessary reforms can take place to allow financial support for the Fijian sugar industry to be allocated.
On fishing, the fisheries sector plays a key role in Papua New Guinea's economy and - importantly - provides employment and income to its citizens. In the three tuna processing plants which export to the EU, there are 5 700 employees, the majority of whom are women. This is a country where it is sometimes difficult to find good employment for women.
I support the purpose of the flexible rules of origin in this agreement, namely, to develop the processing industry, but it is essential that the industry develops in a sustainable manner. Environmental considerations are paramount and I have asked, in my report, for the Commission to monitor this aspect and to report back regularly to Parliament on compliance with the regulation on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
I appreciate that there are some concerns in this House - and specifically in the Committee on Fisheries - about the potential impact of Papua New Guinea's tuna imports on the EU industry. However, when we look at the latest figures, we can see that during the period 2003-2009, imports made up around only 2% of total preserved and prepared fish imports and around only 3% of preserved and prepared tuna imports. I do not believe that this low level of imports will threaten the domestic EU industry, especially if we take into account the limited capacity of the Pacific states' fishing fleets and the limited on-land processing capacity.
Nevertheless, it is, of course, right that we should continue to monitor the situation and that, if there are any unexpected increases in fishing products coming from Papua New Guinea, the Commission should take appropriate action. As I mentioned earlier, I hope that the Pacific states can agree a comprehensive regional EPA.
In my report, I have recommended the inclusion of several points of substance in future negotiations, which I hope the Commission will take into account. These include intellectual property. Too often, we talk about intellectual property from one side only, but I hope that we will look at intellectual property in terms of including traditional knowledge. I also hope we will add transparency in government procurement as well as provision for issuing working visas of up to 24 months.
As we move towards a full EPA, I hope the Commission will involve all the Pacific states but, in the meantime, let us press ahead and get the interim EPA with PNG and Fiji on the books and working as a demonstration of what we can achieve in the future.
Andris Piebalgs
Member of the Commission. - Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur for his report and particularly for his positive attitude on consent to the interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the Pacific states of Papua New Guinea and Fiji. I hope that this House will follow his advice.
Consent by the European Parliament - for the first time on a trade agreement under the Lisbon Treaty - has important political significance because this is a trade agreement with a long-term development focus and because of the momentum it will provide to ongoing negotiations on the comprehensive EPA with the Pacific region.
Back in 2007, the immediate purpose of the interim agreement was to secure continued access to the EU market for those countries in the Pacific region which most depend on it, given the impending expiry of the Cotonou trade regime. The Commission's commitment to concluding negotiations on a comprehensive EPA with the Pacific region as a whole remains unchanged and we are currently engaged in negotiations with our Pacific partners.
We can go forward only if we accept the special nature of the Pacific region and tailor the EPA accordingly. We are talking about small and remote island states which differ greatly in their economic situation, development needs and relations with the EU. Some countries have 'least developed country' status and are therefore covered by the EU's Everything But Arms trade regime; some have little, if any, trade with the Union. We are therefore open to entering into the trade relationships that best suit the Pacific region as a whole, and the ongoing negotiations will inform the ultimate choices.
Whatever approach we opt for, it is absolutely crucial to ensure that any agreement will indeed contribute to the development of the countries concerned. That is why there is also financial assistance to enhance trade capacity. That is why we will allow partner countries in the developing world to exclude more sensitive products from the trade agreements: something that we would not allow other countries to do. In this context, I have duly taken note of the concerns expressed about the derogation in the interim EPA from the standard rules of origin for fisheries products.
It is precisely for development reasons that we granted this derogation and we did so on the basis of our informed judgment that Papua New Guinea's small market share makes it unlikely that its tuna exports could damage the interests of the EU industry. The European Union and Papua New Guinea have applied these rules provisionally since 2008 and, whereas export figures have fluctuated, no upward trend has been detected. Let me also reassure you that the Commission does not intend to offer similar arrangements to any other region.
The Commission will, in any event, closely monitor the implementation of the derogation and will report to Parliament on the basis of a study which will be prepared before the end of 2011.
Some of you were also present in September last year when the current elected Prime Minister addressed the INTA Committee. He expressed the readiness of his government to grant EU vessels and investors access to Papua New Guinea's waters. We take this oral declaration very seriously and we will continue to engage with our partners till it comes to fruition.
Parliament's consent will allow us to launch the implementation mechanisms provided for the agreement; one of these is the Trade Committee, which could be convened this spring and which provides a platform for raising all the issues relating to mutual obligations under the interim EPA. Your vote is therefore crucial to helping us move forward on this and other important issues.
With regard to Fiji, the country did sign the interim EPA but it does not apply it provisionally. This makes Papua New Guinea currently the only country provisionally applying the EU-Pacific interim EPA. Fiji continues, for the time being, to have access to the EU market under the Market Access Regulation, since the Council has not adopted trade sanctions. As you are aware, the EU decided to suspend development aid to Fiji because of the political situation in the country. Resumption of aid would presuppose progress in governance in Fiji and, in particular, a return to democratic principles of government, but at the moment, there is no tangible progress in Fiji in this regard.
The EPA we have discussed today is only an interim arrangement to ensure that access to the EU market is not lost. The Commission is fully committed to continue negotiations on a comprehensive EPA with the Pacific region.
Carmen Fraga Estévez
Mr President, Commissioner, exemption from the rules of origin is based on a very serious calculation error by the Commission regarding its impact, not only on the EU tuna sector, which is very serious, but also on the Pacific region, which we are seeking to help. Meanwhile, the real beneficiaries are almost exclusively the greedy fleets from China and South-East Asia and their processing industries.
The Directorate-General for Trade established this exemption based on the fact that Papua New Guinea does not have the fishing capacity to exploit its resources. However, according to the most recent data from the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, there are 41 seiners under Papua New Guinea flags operating in the area, which, in 2009, had a catch total of almost 500 000 tonnes. Out of this catch, more than 75 000 tonnes ended up in the European Union (semi-processed and processed), which makes Papua New Guinea one of the six main exporters to the European Union. It is not, therefore, true, as you say, that in order to develop Papua New Guinea's fishing sector, other fleets needed to be given free entry.
Under no circumstances can the European Union shirk its commitment to sustainable development. However, we are seeing that, under the protection of this exemption, and in order to bring in Asian investors, Papua New Guinea has amended its legislation so that it is not possible to make complaints about environmental damage, and has implemented investment rules that allow local workers and cheap labour from Asia to be hired, along with the worst imaginable labour standards.
If we add to this the fact that, in the regional fisheries organisation that I mentioned, Papua New Guinea is leading other countries in flatly refusing to sign up to any international rules to manage and control fisheries, the result is that, while the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is going the whole hog to combat illegal fishing, others are opening their doors to it. Commissioner, I have just come back from the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, and I am well aware of the position that Papua New Guinea has taken. I therefore maintain the position of the Committee on Fisheries of asking for the exemption to be suspended in the review of the agreement that we are discussing.
Laima Liucija Andrikienė
on behalf of the PPE Group. - Mr President, as shadow rapporteur for the PPE Group, I would like to start by saying that we welcome the increasing role of the EU as a trading power in every region of the world, including the Pacific region.
The agreement, as it is now, is not a perfect one, not least because it is not a comprehensive EPA, but only an interim one. We hope that the Commission will be in a position to negotiate, in due time, a comprehensive EPA including a larger number of countries in the region.
Secondly, the current agreement concerns only a small part of EU trade, since the share of EU trade accounted for by the whole of the Pacific region is just 0.06%, and yet some areas have caused us concern, most notably on the issue of the derogation from the rules of origin for fishery products.
In our resolution, we raise our concern that a number of countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand, China, the United States, Australia and others, will be able to take advantage of this derogation and potentially export large quantities of processed fisheries products to the EU, potentially harming the interests of the EU fish processing and canning industry.
We therefore encourage the Commission to act on Parliament's request for it to conduct an impact assessment study and, in the event that the assessment demonstrates a destabilising effect on the EU's fish processing and canning industry, for it to initiate the procedure leading to suspension of the exceptional arrangements in this agreement regarding rules of origin.
George Sabin Cutaş
Mr President, the current Interim Partnership Agreement signed in November 2007 by the European Commission and the states of Papua New Guinea and Fiji was heavily criticised by civil society and politicians in the Pacific region. They highlighted the adverse impact the agreement has had on the level of regional solidarity and the political desire for economic integration in the region.
The region was split into groupings which negotiated on an individual basis and under pressure to reach an interim agreement with the European Commission. At the same time, granting originating product status and an exemption from EU customs duties for fish products originating from Papua New Guinea and Fiji is believed to have led to a processing centre for these products, including some non-originating products, being set up by companies from neighbouring countries with the aim of enjoying the benefits of the exemption.
This process would have an adverse impact on the industry, workers and local incomes, given that the fishing industry is one of the most important creators of jobs in these countries. It would also mean unfair competition for EU products. As a result, the agreement may have had the opposite to the desired effect.
Therefore, the European Commission must ensure that the future partnership agreement will make a contribution both to the development of a sustainable local fishing industry which creates jobs and to closer regional integration, for instance, through negotiating the future agreement with the entire Pacific region.
Isabella Lövin
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. - Mr President, one of the objectives of the EPAs is to promote regional integration. What we have seen so far is that this is not happening. On the contrary, in the case of the Pacific, the EU is undermining unity by offering interim agreements to some ACP countries, with special conditions attached.
The derogation from the rules of origin for fish processed in Papua New Guinea and Fiji is an example of this. I believe that this derogation is potentially hazardous and that it must be thoroughly evaluated in 2011, as already agreed.
I say this because it is important to have facts when discussing this matter. What are the effects on global fish stocks, on employment and on the environment in Papua New Guinea? What are the social conditions of the workers? All this must be fully and transparently assessed, and then the derogation may or may not be abolished on that basis, and not on the basis of complaints from the Spanish fishing industry which, itself, fishes in Papua New Guinea but never lands fish there - and, by the way, does not pay customs duty when it sells the fish as European on the European market.
Elie Hoarau
Mr President, Commissioner, I think that it is a slight exaggeration to call the Interim Economic Partnership Agreements 'Pacific Agreements', since, of the 15 ACP States in the area, only two are signatories to them.
Obviously, these agreements more often take the form of bilateral agreements than of genuine regional agreements, bilateral agreements which deviate from the much vaunted objective of the EPAs, namely, regional integration. It is hard not to see in this an illustration of what members of civil society are complaining about, in the Pacific as well as in Africa, namely, the fact that a number of ACP countries have been forced to sign individual agreements because the Commission has not managed to turn the EPAs into a genuine instrument of development partnership.
The strong pressures exerted on the ACP States by the European negotiators were criticised by the ACP countries themselves during the 92nd Session of the ACP Council of Ministers, which took place in Brussels from 8 to 12 November 2010. The reality of the EPAs negotiated by the European Commission is so tragic that they failed even before they came into force. They were such a failure that a number of ACP countries are asking the Member States of the European Union to examine the possibility of revising the negotiating mandate given to the European Commission in June 2002.
Andreas Mölzer
(DE) Mr President, in conjunction with the current market situation, the reform of the EU sugar market regime will result in the EU sugar price falling below the international price.
With this price situation, the long-term supply commitments with the sugar cane producers in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific will probably be very difficult to maintain. The fact that farmers in the ACP countries would prefer to sell their goods at higher prices on the world market instead of selling them cheaply in the EU may have contributed to the difficulties experienced in connection with the new ACP agreements. If this incentive is now being removed and, at the same time, they have to accept a most favoured nation clause, coupled with the fact that the state revenue will fall as a result of the loss of revenue from duties, it is no wonder that the ACP countries were so hesitant.
In this regard, attention surely needs to be paid to fisheries, and not only whether Papua New Guinea and Fiji have granted other trade partners access to their fishing waters. Perhaps we should also investigate whether the accusations are correct that, for example, on account of the EU restrictions and catch quotas, the Spanish fishing fleet has relocated to the Pacific and is fishing there under a foreign flag.
Francisco José Millán Mon
(ES) Mr President, I would also like to express my concern regarding the impact of this agreement on the canned tuna fishing sector, which is very important in Spain and particularly in Galicia, my constituency.
This negative impact is, as has been said, due to an unprecedented and ill-founded concession: the exemption from the rules of origin for processed fish products, when requested, due to not having sufficient indigenous raw materials.
That was the first thing that Papua New Guinea did, and the exemption is being applied. Papua New Guinea is thus becoming a major platform for the processing and export of tuna from the European industry's major competitors: the Philippines, Thailand, China and the United States. It is really they who are the major beneficiaries of the agreement.
It is estimated that this tuna production will ultimately amount to 400 000 tonnes per year, destined for the European market, which currently consumes a total of around 710 000 tonnes. The impact will be very serious, as the prices of the tuna from Papua New Guinea are one third lower than the price of European tuna, due to the country's low wages and non-existent environmental standards.
In my region, Galicia, this is considered to be unbeatable competition, which will have serious consequences for employment. I want the impact assessment announced by the European Commission to be as rigorous as possible and to take into account the short and medium-term consequences of this exemption from the rules of origin.
I hope that it will put an end to the application of this exemption as soon as possible. It is an exceptional and temporary measure, but it appears that in Papua New Guinea, they consider it to be a permanent one: otherwise, the investments would not be made. I also hope that this exemption is not included in other agreements or in the final agreement. Currently, however, there is a problem with the provisional agreement, and it must be rectified.
Josefa Andrés Barea
(ES) Mr President, as is being said here, the partnership agreement with Papua New Guinea and Fiji includes an exemption from the rules of origin. As the rapporteur said, it particularly affects tuna. What do we want from this agreement? We want the fisheries sector to develop and poverty to be overcome in these archipelagos: in other words, we want development aid.
However, what negative effects are there due to third countries benefiting from this preferential treatment?
Here, we are hearing the complaints that are being made. We want a balanced situation. The Commission has just told us that there is clear research, but the opinion being expressed here is that this is not the case. In 2008, it was said that there was no distortion of any kind, and we were told that there would be an impact assessment.
We want a balanced situation. We want a review, consultation and checks. We want to know whether this agreement is aiding development in this archipelago. We also want to know whether health measures - which are very important for imported products - are being complied with, along with sustainable fisheries management, and combating illegal fishing, which is essential. Another very important element that would show us how the third countries that may be based in Papua New Guinea work is compliance with international employment rules.
We want to maintain this agreement and help it to be fulfilled, but we also want this agreement to be used to benefit the development of Papua New Guinea and Fiji and not to damage the Spanish industry.
Alain Cadec
(FR) Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to draw your attention to the derogation from the rules of origin granted to Papua New Guinea concerning processed fishery products, especially canned tuna. I believe that the derogation is extremely dangerous.
This ACP country benefits from preferential access to the European market; that is, from a total exemption from all customs duties on the canned tuna that it exports to our market. I am not questioning the development policy implemented by the agreement. However, the derogation from the rules of origin on canned tuna is totally unacceptable.
This derogation allows external operators to set themselves up in Papua New Guinea, and so it benefits jobs and the local population only to a very limited extent. We must allow development aid, but fair and effective aid which benefits the regions concerned.
Community imports of tuna increased from 9 200 to 16 200 tonnes between 2008 and 2009. They doubled in just one year. This phenomenon can only get worse if this derogation is maintained. What is more, these products do not respect the same social, health and preservation standards for resources that are imposed on European products. In particular, it is impossible to verify the origin of catches.
Ladies and gentlemen, has the European Commission not taken the time to read my report on the origin of imports of fishery and aquaculture products in the European Union?
If not, the situation is hopeless. We cannot sacrifice European jobs and the quality of the products sold on the European market in this way. I do not want a situation which will have a destructive effect on the European processing industry to be introduced indefinitely.
Ulrike Rodust
(DE) Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, as coordinator for the Committee on Fisheries, I find the fisheries aspect of this interim agreement particularly interesting. In this regard, there were a few controversial issues at the start with regard to the relaxation of the rules of origin for Papua New Guinea. I support the Commission's idea of using this relaxation to stimulate the economy of one of the poorest countries in the world. I am convinced that this is also something that should be of concern to those of us involved in fisheries policy. At the same time, I can understand the concerns of the European industry, but I cannot honestly imagine that the relaxations granted will lead to Papua New Guinea becoming a serious competitor of our canning industry.
However, we need to be vigilant, because it will clearly not help anyone if we relocate half our canning industry to the Pacific region. In this regard, I have to say, however, that during the debate on this agreement, we have been presented with very contradictory information regarding the question of the extent to which investments are being made in Papua New Guinea and which states are profiting indirectly from the relaxation of the rules of origin. I would therefore urgently call on the Commission to closely monitor the application of this derogation and to submit a report to Parliament in a timely manner on the impact on Papua New Guinea's development and on the European canning industry. If this arrangement does not have the desired effect in Papua New Guinea and entails unacceptable losses for European companies, we will have to make a different decision when we come to negotiate the final agreement. Please keep us informed of developments.
Pablo Zalba Bidegain
(ES) Mr President, I would first like to clarify that I am in favour of strengthening trade links between the European Union and Papua New Guinea that promote the development of the region, but it must be sustainable development.
I sincerely believe that this agreement, as it currently stands, is not a good one. I am entirely against one clause of the agreement, which I consider to be unfair: the exemption from the rules of origin, because not only does it endanger the sustainable development of Papua New Guinea, but, as we have heard here today, it endangers a whole European industry: the canning industry. This concession should have been absolutely exceptional, and it should not have been applied in the case of Papua New Guinea. Moreover, let us not forget the serious precedent that this measure is setting, and will set, for future European Union negotiations.
In my opinion, there needed to be a much clearer and firmer resolution in this respect, stating categorically that, at the next review of the Interim Partnership Agreement, the exemption from the rules of origin will be permanently suspended. I therefore want to ask the Commission to take into account the dramatic consequences that this concession is going to have, firstly, for the European canning industry, and secondly, for the sustainability of the environment and natural resources of Papua New Guinea, and the very negative precedent being set for future negotiations. However much the Commission has said that it will not be a precedent, the pressure will be there. I therefore ask the Commission to decide to put an end to the exemption from the rules of origin as soon as possible.
Mairead McGuinness
Mr President, I actually came down to participate in the next debate but I have been watching this debate from my office and I am concerned, like others who have spoken in the debate here, about the idea of flexibility on rules of origin.
In the last seven days, there was a programme on British television, part of a whole Channel Four series about the fishing industry, in which, I am afraid, the European Union's fisheries policy came in for severe criticism, and we are getting lots of e-mails from concerned citizens.
This specific issue did not arise, but I would just like to stand up and support those colleagues who have expressed huge concern about a proposal that is supposed to be positive as a development tool but, in fact, could be quite negative, not just from a European perspective, but also for the very countries we are trying to assist.
Andris Piebalgs
Member of the Commission. - Mr President, this was an extremely interesting debate. There is poverty in the world. We need to deal with it. One way would be the transfer of financial resources, but it is much better to give the people the opportunity to make a decent living from the work they do. The three tuna processing facilities in Papua New Guinea which are authorised to export tuna to the EU employ around 5 700 people, most of whom are women. Jobs are at stake in Papua New Guinea, which is one of the most poverty-stricken countries.
When it proposes derogations, the Commission takes due account of the risks involved and looks to create safeguards. The Commission takes the view that it is highly unlikely that Papua New Guinea's exports will cause any serious disruption to the EU's fishing and canning industry given the low volume of trade between Papua New Guinea and the EU, and Papua New Guinea's low market share in the EU tuna market of around 3% in recent years. Provisional application dates from 2008, and we have some experience with figures. It will not cause any disruption to Europe's fishing or canning industries. The development of trade flows will be further analysed in a study on the effect of the implementation of the special rules of origin for fishery products which will be prepared in 2011.
In addition, the Commission will monitor trade with PNG and will not hesitate to take appropriate measures if a serious disturbance of the EU market becomes evident. The Interim Agreement explicitly allows for the application of such measures in its Chapter 2 on trade defence instruments. There is no indication at this stage of any negative impact of Papua New Guinea's exports of fishery products on the canning industry in other ACP or GSP+ countries. This aspect will also be looked at in the study I have just mentioned.
I should like to add that, independently of any special rules of origin or preferential trade agreements, countries and companies exporting fish or fishery products to the EU will always have to comply with the regulation on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and with the EU's health and food safety requirements. I believe that the Commission has considered the matter very carefully before bringing this measure forward.
I shall now turn to a broader issue: the EPA in general. Trade is far from simple. As I have said, the only way to eradicate poverty is to allow growth in the developing world. It is true that regional cooperation is rather difficult at the start. It is not just trade agreements that make regional development happen. That is why we have earmarked EUR 45 million for aid for trade in the Oceania region. This is three times more than was provided for under the ninth EDF. It is only by facilitating trade flows that you can expect regional trade to take place. If we look at all developing countries, basically all trade is based on monoculture - one particular export item with a high fluctuation rate. This has a highly disruptive effect in the countries concerned.
When we talk about migratory flows, security, safety and justice in the world, we cannot just say that we do not care about it. We should care about it, and our departments have carried out an extensive study. We are proposing very decent measures which are completely in line with all the European Union's objectives.
I believe that the measure is right and that the necessary safeguards are in place in case anything goes wrong. I believe we have judged this correctly and I therefore lend my support to this agreement.
David Martin
author. - Mr President, I will be brief. I find myself almost, indeed entirely, in agreement with the Commissioner on this subject.
Firstly, to repeat, it is important that we sign the interim EPA because, if we do not, existing trade preferences for Papua New Guinea and Fiji will disappear, under the WTO ruling. The interim EPA is precisely that: it is an interim arrangement, and I agree with all the colleagues who say that our objective in the long run should be a full, comprehensive EPA with all the Pacific countries, encouraging regional integration in the Pacific. But we have to take this step at the moment to ensure the continuation of preferences for the two largest countries in the Pacific region.
On fishing, the Commission has made it very clear that what we have here is an exception. This will be the only derogation. There are no other parts of the world to which we intend giving such a derogation. Why are we giving a derogation to Papua New Guinea? I will tell you: it is because Papua New Guinea is literally on the other side of the world, and the likelihood of EU fishing fleets exploiting that area extensively is limited, although they are free to do so. There is nothing to stop EU fishing fleets fishing in Papua New Guinea waters and landing their catch and getting their catch canned in Papua New Guinea - and, as has been said earlier, that would be very good for development, and indeed we should encourage it.
But the situation at present is that Chinese boats, Thai boats and boats of other Asian nationalities are fishing in Papua New Guinea's waters and landing their fish back in their own country, giving no opportunity for development in Papua New Guinea.
There is a development opportunity here in terms of providing jobs, particularly for women. We often complain that we do not do enough in our development policy to encourage downstream activity. Here, we are actually doing something positive for downstream activity. As the Commissioner has said, in order to qualify, the fish still needs to meet all the standards under the regulation on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. It has to meet all our sanitary and phytosanitary conditions. That is absolutely essential. The three factories in Papua New Guinea meet these standards at the moment and are providing useful jobs. If we have a sudden increase in the number of factories, and a sudden surge in imports from Papua New Guinea, then, of course, we will have to revisit the situation and potentially take action.
At the moment, however, the statistics speak for themselves. This agreement has been in place since 2008. There has been no surge. There is no threat to the European tuna industry. I have met, as rapporteur, with the leaders of the Spanish tuna industry and they themselves have said to me that there is no current threat. What they are worried about is the future. They accept that at the moment, there is no serious threat to the EU industry. So let us not exaggerate the situation. Let us not make a poor developing country pay for our preoccupation with our own self-interest.
President
I have received one motion for a resolution tabled in accordance with Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure.
The debate is closed.
The vote will take place on Wednesday, 19 January 2011.
Written statements (Rule 149)
Helmut Scholz
The Interim Partnership Agreement between the European Community and Fiji and Papua New Guinea intercedes in the complicated and complex integration process in the Pacific region. Unfortunately, it provides almost no development support for either of the two states. I would like to remind you that the military coup in Fiji in 2006 was unanimously condemned by the European Parliament, the Council and also by the Commission. With the conclusion of this trade agreement, the dictatorship that has been in place up to now will be recognised as a contracting party of sorts. The efforts of our partners in Australia, New Zealand and other countries of the region to restore democracy in Fiji will be undermined by this agreement. When I criticised the suppression of democracy by the military in Fiji in our meeting of the Committee on International Trade, the response from its representatives was: 'But we are in control!' What I regard as sheer cynicism, seems now to satisfy the demands of the Commission for the legitimacy of its fellow contracting parties. My group will vote against this agreement. I am in favour of suspending the agreement until democracy is restored in Fiji.