Improving the quality of teacher education (short presentation)
President
The next item is the report by Maria Badia i Cutchet, on behalf of the Committee on Culture and Education, on improving the quality of teacher education.
Maria Badia i Cutchet
rapporteur. - (ES) Commissioner, I believe we can agree that adopting a report on such a current, key topic as the quality of teacher education is good news, given that the aim of teacher education is in fact quite simply to improve pupils' education and give them knowledge which provides them with intellectual maturity and a critical mindset while at the same time providing them with the skills necessary to be able to participate in a society which is increasingly competitive and demanding.
This is a concern shared by many stakeholders, from pupils to their parents, the teaching profession and business leaders among others. In Europe there are currently over six million teachers performing this key role in developing the knowledge and skills of society's young people and making a decisive contribution to improving the opportunities for economic growth and greater competitiveness.
Current working conditions in this sector are more complex and more demanding: classrooms are more heterogeneous from the social and cultural point of view, teaching concentrates on individual learning, teachers have gone from being ex-cathedra trainers to being classroom managers; there is a requirement to have a good knowledge of foreign languages and information and communications technologies (known as ICT), not only as a means of transmitting knowledge but to be able to use them as a teaching tool.
The data available to us show that there are shortcomings in teaching quality; this is in line with the increased complexity of the profession mentioned above, and it makes greater investment in teacher education crucial during both initial training and in-service training, and highlights the need for greater support in the first years of a teaching career.
There is also a whole range of related issues which should be taken into consideration: considerable differences in salaries between countries, and differences relative to average wages within the same country, a high proportion of older workers, demotivating working conditions in some cases, low numbers of people wanting to enter the profession, etc.
This is the context in which this report was written. It proposes various recommendations which I shall now summarise:
First, we need to attract better candidates into the profession, a factor which is closely linked to improved status in society and the remuneration of the teaching profession. This involves improving the working conditions of the teaching profession by formulating proposals to support teachers in their first years in the job; young teachers could gain from the knowledge of older teachers, who could reduce their contact hours with pupils and spend more time in applied research and transfer of knowledge.
It also involves investing in initial and in-service education for teachers, making university education compatible with professional development and facilitating improved qualifications and skills for existing teaching staff.
Thirdly, encouraging the exchange of good practice by enhancing mobility programmes, especially under the Comenius programme, which also contributes positively to the updating of language skills.
Fourthly, promoting decision-making at school level; in other words, greater autonomy bearing in mind the different backgrounds of each school and the various stakeholders involved in each school community: parents, local cultural amenities, etc.
Commissioner, this report, in accordance with the provisions of Article 149 of the Treaty on the Union on education and training, will not be binding on the Governments of the Member States. It is nonetheless a resolution to which regard should definitely be had.
Key issues such as those surrounding education are also closely related to the values of the Europe of the future and European citizenship, and I therefore ask the Commission to support this report from the Committee on Culture and to do its utmost to defend the proposals it contains to the Council.
Ladies and gentlemen, in our conversations we often note the importance of thinking about the kind of country we are going to leave to our children. We should also think about the kind of citizens we are going to leave to our countries, and that is an area in which education has a crucial part to play.
Ján Figeľ
Member of the Commission. - Mr President, distinguished Members of Parliament, I warmly welcome this report, especially as I am the Commissioner responsible for education. I would like to thank Mrs Maria Badia i Cutchet and the Committee on Culture and Education for their work.
Like you, the Commission believes that all Member States face significant challenges as they seek to improve their educational and training systems, especially vis-à-vis higher quality. We have talked repeatedly - and I remind you again - of the importance of key competences as well as equity and efficiency in our systems. These challenges cannot be met or reflected in a full sense without a high quality in the teaching profession, which is key to all of this. The quality of teachers is the critical factor for the modernisation of our education system and the achievement of equity and efficiency. Without such teachers, it is difficult to achieve any improvement.
The particular challenges faced by teachers are increasing as economic, social and educational contexts become more complex and schools and classrooms become more heterogeneous and more diverse. In the debate on the first report this evening we spoke of creativity and innovation. We can only achieve higher creativity and innovation in pupils if we have creative and innovative teachers in our schools.
We need to attract the very best candidates into the teaching profession. We need to give them the best possible preparation for their career and - most importantly - we need to continue training and developing all our teachers throughout their careers. This is - as you said, Mrs Badia i Cutchet - about the recruitment and salaries of teachers.
Every teacher must also be an autonomous learner, constantly reflecting on the way she or he teaches, learning from her or his peers and seeking new ways to develop knowledge and skills and to meet the individual needs of pupils. Every teacher must also be a lifelong learner. He or she cannot teach lifelong learning if he or she is not a lifelong learner. An initial education of three or four years can never be enough to equip a teacher for a lifetime of teaching. Only if teachers continue to learn can they keep up to date and provide learning that is truly relevant to their pupils.
I was very pleased to note that there is such a large consensus on these issues - as indeed there was in the Council among Ministers last November.
We must now work to build on these good intentions and this consensus to put in place real improvements in teacher education. We need to encourage Member States to invest more in developing their teaching staff. Three or four days of in-service training per year is simply not enough. Induction support for new teachers also needs to be improved and extended. We need to encourage Member States to improve the quality of in-service training and ensure that it provides the kinds of practical teaching skills that teachers really need today and tomorrow.
We need to promote school leadership. Schools these days are major organisations affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. They need to be well-administered and well-managed, but most of all they need to be well-led by a leadership team with a clear vision of high quality education for all of its pupils.
Thank you once again for your report and your commitment. I look forward to continuing not only our discussions, but especially our cooperation on this important issue.
President
The debate is closed.
The vote will take place tomorrow.
Written statements (Rule 142)
Nicodim Bulzesc
in writing. - The report was based on the European Commission's communication 'Improving the Quality of Teacher Education' (SEC(2007)0931) and stresses the need for the Member States to reform the national education systems in order to improve teachers' training.
The rapporteur has pointed out some very important facts such as the difficulty of keeping the best candidates for the teaching profession, the low payment of teachers in many countries, the poor social status of teachers, teachers' low level in foreign language learning and many more.
In order to solve these problems, we should have a coherent, complex and complete strategy all over the EU. We should have more training programmes for teachers, and these programmes should be structured in such a way that the qualifications obtained in the end are recognised in all the Member States. In order to achieve this, we need to share the responsibility with the national governments, as we may have the desire but they have the competence to reform the education system.
I hope this report will be the first step in a long process that will end with a real improvement of the quality of teachers' education across the European Union.
Lívia Járóka
in writing. - European Roma have been subjected to low-quality education in the form of segregated education and gypsy-only classrooms, not only in the post-communist countries but in Europe as a whole. Roma children encounter difficulties in receiving quality education in new and old Member States alike. Geographical segregation of Roma is a major obstacle to equality in education. The living conditions of Roma make it difficult to take the steps necessary in the long battle to eliminate gypsy-only classrooms. Making progress on this fight depends on highly-qualified teachers from Roma and non-Roma backgrounds to ensure the essential development of Roma children and to change the status quo. Providing highly-qualified teachers to give Roma children the challenges found in mainstream schools is of huge relevance to the education future teachers receive in teacher-training colleges. If we are to expect results from our children we must provide our teachers with exemplary training. The knowledge about progressive teachings in multiculturally diverse classrooms must be a main focus in future teacher training. The goal of equalising the quality of education between schools, stopping early drop-outs, and making sure Roma children make it to university and that they are prepared to face life's challenges is not one taken lightly but one we must endeavour to fight for.


Action Plan on Urban Mobility (debate)
President
The next item is the report by Mr Savary, on behalf of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, on an action plan on urban mobility.
Gilles Savary
Mr President, Commissioner, thank you. It is a somewhat unprecedented exercise in style that the European Parliament is carrying out on this report since, I would remind you, the issue of urban mobility was first raised by the transport commissioner, Jacques Barrot, over two years ago now, and it resulted in a Green Paper by the European Commission, which submitted its conclusions to us in spring 2007. The latter were addressed in a report - an own-initiative report - by our Parliament, drafted by my fellow Member, Mr Rack, who is here in the Chamber.
The European institutional system stipulates that a Green Paper must be followed by a White Paper, and, in the case in point, it was European Commission proposals for action plans on urban mobility that were on the table.
I must thank Mr Tajani, who is here, for advising me in December that it would not be politically possible for the European Commission to submit a proposal there and then. It is understandable: for reasons of their own, a number of States have reservations about this now that the European elections are approaching, but Parliament sought to take up the gauntlet.
I should also like to pay tribute to my fellow Members present here today, from all the political groups - especially the coordinators - and to the Committee on Regional Development, for having supported my proposal, which was to build on the advantage that we had and to say that, since the Commission could no longer take the initiative, we should do.
What we are going to propose is somewhat unprecedented. I do not know whether a precedent has been set, here in this House. We are going to propose to the Commission the action plan that it should have proposed to us.
Naturally, no legal openings are to be expected from an own-initiative report such as this. By proposing a very practical action plan, with extremely precise proposals, Parliament, not being the executive, and not being the government of the European Union - that is the Commission's role - can hope for nothing other than to be heard.
I must say in passing that, over the last few months, we have obtained the overwhelming support of all the organisations that take an interest in these matters. They include, in particular - I should like to make the point here for the benefit of the few remaining Members who have some reservations about this initiative - local authorities and all the organisations that represent local authorities, including in countries which, today, plead subsidiarity as a way of explaining to us that this action plan is out of the question.
I therefore believe that local authorities have recognised that urban mobility is likely to be one of the major challenges of the 21st century. Why? Because, today, 60% of Europeans live in the urban community. In 2020, this figure will rise to 80%, and we, the European Union, have a legal basis that makes us jointly responsible, with the Member States and local authorities, for transport policy.
Would we, as Europeans, give up on having the slightest idea or the slightest initiative in areas in which transport will present the most complicated and, no doubt, the most fundamental problems in the years to come? We think not, and that is why the European Parliament did not want us to keep quiet, did not want us to keep quiet on urban mobility. Rather, in some ways it wanted us to use this initiative to call on the Commission to take up this matter again as a priority for the next mandate.
I should like to thank all of the coordinators, since we have worked in an unprecedented manner, we have worked very much upstream, and the report that has been submitted has achieved very broad support within the Committee on Transport and Tourism.
I should like to say that this is a report that is based on the principle of subsidiarity. It is out of the question - yes, I have gone on for too long, but I am sure you will forgive your rapporteur, Mr President - for Europe to think about taking any urban transport-related decisions whatsoever on behalf of local authorities.
I myself am a local elected representative, and I am very committed to the freedom of administration of local authorities, as the campaigns that I have led in this House with, in particular, Mr Piecyk, my colleague from the Committee on Transport and Tourism, have shown. What I do believe, however, is that Europe can incentivise, can improve the exchange of information and best practices, and that is the essence of our proposals, which will be outlined shortly.
Antonio Tajani
Mr President, first of all I should like to thank Mr Savary for his work. I should like to thank him for the commitment he has shown to promoting a European policy on transport in major cities, in cities. This is not a secondary issue: if we do indeed want to rise to the challenge of transport in Europe, we have to work in the field of urban transport.
That is why I should like firstly to thank Mr Savary. I repeat: thanks to him, we have made progress in the field of urban transport, and today's report, which will be voted on tomorrow, is a very important message; it is a message that I must listen to, and I hope to be able to give Mr Savary positive feedback on his commitment during the next term of office. I am grateful to him once again for the work he has done on the issue of urban transport.
I shall now continue in my mother tongue.
(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, urban transport clearly forms an integral part of the European Union transport system since the whole system often begins and ends in large urban areas, and crosses plenty of them along the way. For this reason, it is important not only to consider urban mobility from the point of view of city life, but also from the perspective of transport of all kinds, including long-distance transport.
Combating climate change, facilitating trade, guaranteeing energy supplies, responding to citizen's mobility needs, reducing problems associated with congestion and tackling demographic change are all issues of fundamental importance for European policy, and mobility in urban areas is intimately linked to all of these challenges.
It was for precisely this reason that the Commission presented its Green Paper on Urban Mobility in September 2007, and the consultation that followed the adoption of the Green Paper has demonstrated that there is broad agreement on the fact that the European Union has a role to play in this area. Your resolution on the Green Paper on Urban Mobility, drafted under Mr Rack's leadership and adopted on 9 July 2008, upholds this conclusion.
The aim of the Paper was to pave the way for an action plan on urban mobility; Parliament's decision to go ahead with its own action plan before any Commission proposal was made sends a strong political signal; that is why I emphasised the significance of Mr Savary's work as rapporteur, as it shows how much importance Parliament attaches to a job we absolutely cannot afford to neglect.
As you are well aware, I am committed to the issue of urban mobility and to the swift adoption of a well-drafted action plan. I would like to reiterate that this is planned for in the Commission's programme of work for 2009 and I hope that it will be adopted as soon as possible. Mr Savary put it very well in his speech; there is some resistance within the European institutions as some people feel that an action plan of this kind would violate the principle of subsidiarity. I do not think there is any question of this, especially if we look at the Latin root of the word subsidiarity, which is subsidium, meaning 'help': it is our job as European institutions to help local institutions work more successfully. Helping someone does not mean replacing them, it means contributing towards a better solution to problems!
Without going into detail on the proposal, I can confirm that our action plan will be based on activities that we have been driving for some time, and will integrate them into a coherent context, seeking to present that political vision that is still lacking in European action on urban mobility. In this way, the political framework should be outlined for other future intervention in fields in which action at Community level is deemed useful, or indeed essential.
Your report will certainly make an important contribution to our internal discussions and I can assure you that we will be able to consider many of the proposals it contains. Of course, there are aspects and details that require further clarification or debate. We will examine your suggestions very carefully, I can assure you, together with the recommendation from the Committee of the Regions, with whom you consulted.
Today's vote will not be the end of our dialogue on this. As the Commission's work proceeds, I will make sure I stay in contact with Mr Savary and the other Members who have followed the transport sector closely, so that the plan the Commission adopts will be in keeping with what Parliament is adopting and will represent genuine quality. Finally - let me say again - our plan will not show that the Commission is replacing local bodies, but simply that the Commission wants to help local bodies to improve their work by sharing information and best practices that will enable citizens to live better and move around more easily within cities, outside cities and while crossing cities. I therefore thank the European Parliament for the work it has done and the vote it is to hold on this plan.
Jean Marie Beaupuy
Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Savary, ladies and gentlemen, we are here in a parliamentary assembly that is made for voting on texts, Commissioner, and we are above all in a parliamentary assembly so that texts are implemented.
We note today that, after the excellent work carried out by your predecessor with regard to the Green Paper and to the 400-odd contributions that have followed it, work has barely moved on, to the extent that, as you yourself repeated just now, it was interesting that the European Parliament should have expressed an opinion.
Indeed, nature abhors a vacuum, so when the European Commission does not do its job, it is Parliament that has to do it, and, in that respect, I must say - and you have said it too, Commissioner - that the work done by Mr Savary is very interesting since, in fact, he has provided you with all the material needed to draft the action plan.
I do not mean that a role reversal is taking place between the Commission and Parliament, but we should note that, while the Treaty of Lisbon has yet to be adopted, Parliament is in fact seizing a little more power.
This work by Mr Savary is excellent because it takes account once again of a number of proposals by the Committee on Regional Development.
While respecting the principle of subsidiarity, of course, we expect you to present us with a guide. The latter will be useful. Its aim will not be to constrain local authorities, but rather to help them. We expect you to present us with indicators - again, not as a constraint, but as a support. Above all we also expect you to present us with the travel plan-related elements. In certain countries, these exist; in certain countries, they are even mandatory, they are absolutely vital.
I should like to give an example. At the Urban Housing Intergroup, which I have the honour of chairing, we have highlighted urban growth over the last few years: in 10 years, urban growth has covered three times the surface of Luxembourg. So, how is that linked to our debate this evening? It has a very direct link since city-based users travel exactly 20% more each day due to urban growth, and more than 70% use their own cars.
All of this is a means of saying that, when the Committee on Regional Development asks you to observe the condition not only of the integrated approach but also of the travel plans, it is establishing a general principle that we very much hope you will take into account in your action plan.
This issue has obviously already been raised within our Urban Housing Intergroup, and we would like to express our gratitude to you in advance for taking account of the integrated approach here too.
You have not answered our questions today, Commissioner. You have made what is, in a way, a half-hearted commitment; you have been quite firm on the principle, but you have not provided us with any guarantees.
The situation is in fact serious. Why? 400 million Europeans live in cities, and those 400 million Europeans are affected by living conditions such as this that cause them to waste time every day in traffic jams. We know that these traffic jams cost us 1% of GDP. At the same time as we are talking about a recovery plan - an economic recovery plan - we are letting billions of euro go to waste.
Swifter action is required, Commissioner, for these action plans on urban mobility are a crucial element of the recovery plan, but they are also crucial in terms of the climate-change challenge since, as you pointed out, 40% of pollution is found in cities. I should not like to ignore the safety aspect, either, since two out of three road accidents occur in cities. When we know that one death costs nearly EUR 1 million, and one case of serious injuries more than EUR 1 million, you see the economic cost and the human cost that this challenge of urban mobility represents each year.
Thus, for all of these practical reasons, on the eve of the European elections, we are asking you, Commissioner, if possible during the conclusion of this evening's debate, to go further in your proposals and in your promises, not by making general promises, but by committing to an action plan - your action plan - so that our fellow citizens will be more inclined to vote on 7 June.
Reinhard Rack
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. - (DE) Mr President, I join the rapporteur, Gilles Savary, in expressing my regret that the Commission did not go through with its original plan for an integrated action plan.
There are many good reasons why everyone involved, from local authorities through to the European Union, is trying to improve urban transport conditions. We know that most people in Europe live in towns and that current transport conditions are anything but optimal. That is why there is agreement in principle to make integrated proposals at Parliament's initiative on the plan and on Mr Savary's report. I thank him for his commitment and for his specific proposals.
At the same time, however, I should like to make it abundantly clear that what many fear or believe they should fear will not happen. No one wants to take the right to configure traffic conditions away from the municipalities or the local or regional authorities. We merely want to help from the European side to ensure that action is taken on the basis of reasonable common rules where a municipality, a town or a regional entity considers it reasonable. The principle of subsidiarity is not in danger. What we want to do here will help to protect that principle.
That is why we shall continue, in the interests of the citizens, to try and ensure that, when a citizen drives another ten or twenty kilometres in Europe, he does not stumble upon a traffic-calming zone which he believes to be the same as in his home district, only to find that totally different rules apply.
No one wants to impose some sort of congestion charge or other rules on communities, but if they are used, then they should be used within a framework which citizens recognise. We have been in agreement on the sense in taking a common approach to traffic signs for over 100 years. This should also apply in future to this issue.
Saïd El Khadraoui
on behalf of the PSE Group. - (NL) I should like to start by thanking rapporteur Gilles Savary, and all those who have contributed to the end result, for the work they have done, and the rapporteur, in particular, for persevering, despite the fact that the Commission has indicated its intention to abandon the plan of action, at least for the time being, which we have been calling for for so long.
I should like to ask the Commission to adopt the recommendations which we will be voting on tomorrow and to swing into action at the earliest opportunity. Even though there is a small minority in Parliament, and evidently also some people in the Commission and the Member States, who believe that we should steer clear from anything that is related to towns, it is abundantly clear that Europe offers added value when it comes to addressing problems that are considerable and largely shared.
The report contains a number of interesting proposals. An obvious one is the collection of information, of comparable data which will help map out problems. Others include the exchange and promotion of sound ideas, directing technological innovation, ensuring that systems are interoperable, encouraging towns to compile mobility plans and taking steps to arrive at sustainable mobility. These and other examples clearly concern matters that should be organised at European level in a bid to make our towns more liveable, more easily accessible and more sustainable. I therefore count on the Commission to take this over and address this in the interests of our residents.
Michael Cramer
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. - (DE) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I too thank the rapporteur.
In the context of climate change, urban transport plays a central role, because it is responsible for 70% of all harmful emissions. Only if we change our transport policy in the EU will we be able to achieve our own climate protection targets. The greatest potential is in towns, where 90% of all car journeys are less than 6 km long and which therefore offer an ideal opportunity to take a bus or train or go by bicycle or on foot.
We are delighted that the majority is in favour of only giving EU money to towns with over 100 000 inhabitants which can also submit a sustainable mobility plan. We are sorry that our proposal to introduce a general speed limit of 30 km/h, with the facility for towns to set higher speeds on certain roads in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, did not achieve a majority. This would not only be good for the climate; it would also reduce the number of road traffic accidents. Every year 40 000 people die on the roads of Europe; that is 40 000 too many.
Johannes Blokland
on behalf of the IND/DEM Group. - (NL) I should like to start by thanking Mr Savary for our good cooperation. He has drafted a sound report in close cooperation with the shadow rapporteurs.
The report is clear about the fact that urban mobility is a part of the transport sector where many challenges and opportunities lie. Challenges in the field of European climate objectives, congestion control, traffic safety and user-friendliness, and opportunities with regard to sustainable economic development, and, closely related to this, the growth of inland shipping.
Since the report is excellent and is right to give due consideration to the principle of subsidiarity, I should like, briefly, to address the link between urban mobility and inland shipping. Sustainable economic development in Europe, not least in the area of transport and in the urban areas, will largely depend on the use of inland shipping. Many European cities have inland waterways and, consequently, the innate capacity to meet growing demand in transport in a sustainable manner. After all, the increase in inland shipping requires no major infrastructural investments, does not contribute to congestion in European cities and does not increase the environmental and climate problems in European cities, provided that it uses clean engines and clean fuel. If the inland shipping capacity is already present in European cities, this should be utilised and promoted.
The future of urban mobility is therefore closely connected to the future of inland shipping. I would therefore ask the European Commission to keep a close eye on the interests of inland shipping when it drafts new legislation on urban mobility.
Renate Sommer
(DE) Mr President, we have been debating urban transport in the EU for a very long time. Why exactly? We are not even competent for it. Competence was originally devised because about 80% of the population live in towns and, due to climate change, we now want to take this on.
Fortunately, thanks to our protests, we were able to reduce these ambitions on the part of the European Commission to an action plan on urban transport. My thanks to Commissioner Tajani for his insight. Subsidere means to support rather than to prescribe, but of course, as an Italian, he knows that better than I, as a German with A-level Latin.
What is important to me, first and foremost, is that our report, Parliament's report should highlight strict compliance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. Legislative measures at European level are inadmissible for urban traffic. Supportive measures are what we are here for. Brainstorming and encouraging the exchange of best practices make sense. We do not all need to reinvent the bicycle. Our towns need bespoke solutions, but they can only be worked out by local players, because only they know what is needed.
Municipalities need to take account of very diverse situations and they therefore need sufficient room for manoeuvre, especially if they are to keep their high streets alive. They are important to the attractiveness of a town. It is therefore important not to exclude private cars and to focus more on logistics in the town. I should therefore like to see more support for research into inner-city retail logistics. That would take some of the strain off a city.
It is also important to take account of demographic change. Our society is constantly ageing. Mobility requirements and residential requirements are changing. If we want to reduce traffic, people need to be able to obtain their everyday requirements close to home, and that is also a challenge to the retail trade. Anything else would simply promote the countryside.
We do not need an urban mobility observatory. It would cost a great deal of money and generate a great deal of paper, which would simply be filed away in Brussels.
Maria Eleni Koppa
(EL) Mr President, this report on urban mobility forms an important part of viable mobility in Europe and an integral part of the strategy for achieving sustainable growth and the Lisbon objectives.
The challenge is for innovative actions to be adopted and legislative measures to be taken that will significantly improve the quality of life of citizens in cities. It is a fact that the daily lives of European citizens have become considerably more difficult as a result of stress from travelling, congestion, pollution, noise and the deterioration in the environment. A balance therefore needs to be struck between the ambition, on the one hand, to develop the common transport policy as a right to mobility and as an important part of economic growth and, on the other hand, an integrated approach that will improve traffic congestion and make a drastic contribution towards combating climate change.
In brief, that will promote a more humane life. We need to develop combined means of transport as quickly as possible and give citizens information on all urban transport networks, so that they are in a position to choose.
I too should like to congratulate the rapporteur on his very good and substantial report and to ask the European Commission not to waste any time or effort in preparing the action plan.
Mieczysław Edmund Janowski
(PL) Mr President, I congratulate Mr Savary on his treatment of the subject. Transport is a fundamental problem in urban areas. These issues, in accordance with the subsidiarity principle, are governed by domestic, and especially local, legislation. However, the importance of this problem should be recognised, and specific help and coordination should be arranged at the European level. This concerns both the promotion of good experiences and the propagation of innovative, technical and organisational solutions.
Special support is needed for intelligent transport systems in urban areas, which allow for effective traffic management as well as safety. Combining the potential of transport, information technology and telecommunications is useful here. Also needed are modal solutions, which use various means of mass transport and reduce congestion in city centres. I consider it essential to change urban planning models so that urban transport will be friendly to people and the environment. I also support the concept of creating a special financial instrument for urban mobility in the next financial perspective.
Let us remember what the rapporteur has emphasised, that almost 80% of the inhabitants of the EU live in urban areas. They lose a lot of time because of the bad organisation of transport. Let us not waste that time.
Antonio Tajani
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in response to this I can emphasise once again that I am committed to presenting the action plan in 2009.
I am aware of the sense of urgency felt by the majority of Members, but - as Mr El Khadraoui pointed out - there are legal objections in several European institutions, not just the Commission, and we must overcome these by convincing those who have doubts that an action plan of this kind, I repeat, will not breach the principle of subsidiarity. I will say it again, having studied Latin for many years, I am very familiar with the meaning of the word, which is positive; it means 'to help'.
After the debate we have had today and having read Mr Savary's text, we want to carry on down this route. For my part, I have no hesitations, but in order to reach our goal we need to persuade many people, and I think the right way to do this is with strong political, technical but also legal arguments. The text drawn up by Parliament will certainly be of great assistance in seeking to overcome the objections that I am sure can be overcome in the next few months. The Commission will thus give citizens an action plan, which will definitely take full account of the work you have done in recent weeks and months.
That is why I would like to thank you again, reaffirming my commitment and my desire to press ahead in the direction taken by my predecessor and also chosen by the European Parliament, while wishing to ensure that the decision is supported by as many people as possible so that the plan will be more effective. Choosing to adopt the plan perhaps a few weeks earlier, but without the full support of all parties, may not be the most helpful way to achieve the goals we all believe in.
Nonetheless, I think that after this debate and after Parliament's decision we will have made some significant progress, and therefore the requests made by the majority of Members - because even during the course of the debate there have been different undertones concerning the action plan - can, I think, be brought to a satisfactory conclusion in the coming months.
Gilles Savary
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I should obviously like straight away to reassure Mrs Sommer during this discussion. There have been many laws here that have affected local authorities: on the pitting of the Stadtwerke, or municipal utilities, against one another, for example; on public service obligations in the transport sector; and on the directives on public contracts.
Well, this is not what this is about. This is much more to do with subsidiarity. It is not a question of deciding here that a local council, a municipality or an urban area should become a '30 zone' or should give priority to rail travel. I have made sure that we do not revert to this type of debate.
The question I asked myself was: 'What can the European Union's added value be?' The answer is, firstly, its desire to act. The European Union cannot leave the urban question to one side the very same month - December 2008 - that it sets itself, thanks to Mrs Merkel and to Mr Sarkozy, a particularly ambitious climate-change plan.
How can we embark on a 'three times twenty' climate-change plan and say 'I am not interested in the urban environment', when the latter has the biggest influence on climate change?
This is a question of political consistency - European political consistency - since we had agreed, and the governments had too, to embark on the climate-change plan. There is a legitimate need to focus on the urban environment, and we cannot escape it, either in the area of transport or in other areas.
Yes, we must ensure that local councils take sovereign decisions; they are closer to us. However, what we can do is to ensure that they meet with one another, that they exchange best practices, and information.
We can ensure that they are encouraged to implement urban development plans, which is something that they have not all been able to do.
We can ensure that they integrate all modes of transport: soft transport, public transport, water transport - Mr Blokland is right - and rail transport.
We can ensure that they make urban transport more attractive to users.
That is what we are aiming for, and that is why we are calling for a financial instrument. There is Marco Polo, which encourages the use of combined transport. There are the URBAN programmes. We have several European programmes that provide incentives. We are not inventing them this time; that has been going on for years.
Without its being increased, the next financial perspective should be reoriented towards urban transport. That is our proposal.
To conclude, I would say - Madam President, excuse me, I am the rapporteur - to Mr Tajani that, if, tomorrow, we have a very large majority, he should be able to go back to the Commission and say: 'I believe that we must do something, because we have legitimacy and because Parliament has not acted alone'.
(Applause)
President
The debate is closed.
The vote will take place tomorrow.
Written Statements (Rule 142)
Marian-Jean Marinescu
European citizens' quality of life depends directly on making urban transport more convenient and greener. For this reason, making transport accessible and supporting interoperability are vital actions. At the same time, the investments channelled into these types of public works are an effective way of investing funds provided in the European and national economic recovery plans. This approach is about focusing on citizens in their dual role of workers - through the creation of new jobs - and beneficiaries of transport services and of the improvement in the quality of the environment.
However, numerous European initiatives and recommendations on improving urban mobility need an integrated approach. Observing the principle of subsidiarity does not exclude the need to implement a consistent legal framework and create a common reference framework which includes, apart from integrated recommendations, a comprehensive set of good practices.
As a result of this, the local authorities directly responsible for this matter will have both the opportunity to and interest in strengthening their cooperation with all those interested in the sustainable development of transport at local and regional level.
I too call on the European Commission to urgently draw up the action plan for urban mobility in order to speed up the consistent integration of this sector as part of the European transport network in general.
Dushana Zdravkova
The existing technologies and means for transporting passengers and goods in an urban environment have reached their absolute limit. Indeed, smaller European cities are already being choked by vehicle traffic. In order for us to improve our citizens' quality of life, we must speed up the development and implementation of scientific research and innovation in the area of urban mobility. It is definitely the case that channelling resources into simply expanding the existing infrastructure will not help us overcome the growing crisis. We must find new, 'intelligent' solutions for tackling not only current, but also future problems with urban transport. This is why I welcome the suggestion for developing a new generation CIVITAS programme as I think that the focus must be on developing the next generation of information technology for managing traffic flows.
The integrated planning approach adopted in recent years is relatively widely used in drawing up urban plans for larger cities in Europe.
The creation and funding of a permanent European structure, which will gather and spread good practice in this area, as well as promote dialogue between the interested parties from every region of the European Union, will mark a new, important step towards encouraging sustainable mobility in urban areas.


One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
President
The next item is the one-minute speeches on matters of political importance.
Elena Oana Antonescu
(RO) Romania and many other European Union Member States have seen so-called 'dream stores' open up where chemically processed substances are sold as a substitute for drugs. The Romanian Government has issued an emergency ordinance banning dozens of such substances.
However, due to the way in which these stores operate, this has failed to stem the threat of lethal drugs. In fact, it will not be possible to avert it without a general response from Europe's institutions and all Member State governments. Many deaths have been recorded, while the health of thousands of people is at risk.
Numerous NGOs in Romania are warning of the existence of a huge number of chemically processed substances capable of causing similar effects. Imposing a gradual ban on them cannot be a realistic solution for tackling the problem. Romania is fortunate because it has noticed the rise in this phenomenon in good time. However, it could be just as active in other European countries as well.
This is why I believe that the European Union's institutions need to adopt initiatives to ensure that we are waging a constant battle not only against drugs, but against lethal surrogate drugs as well.
Rovana Plumb
(RO) In Romania, the succession of abusive measures demonstrated by the right-wing government attacking the right to free expression continues. A bill is being debated in the Romanian Parliament about the organisation and operation of the public radio and television service. The proposal from the government is a direct attack on freedom of expression in Romania and seriously infringes the constitution, the rights of minorities, as well as international regulations in this area.
European, as well as Romanian organisations working in this sector have already voiced their criticism. All mass-media regulations in Europe stipulate respect for the right to freedom of expression and information, guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
I ask the European Commission and the Romanian authorities to come up with a proper, democratic solution to provide a mechanism allowing the public radio and television service to operate on impartial, ethical and European principles.
Sonia Alfano
(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, please allow me a moment.
(The speaker pretends to gag herself for a few seconds, to show that she cannot speak)
This is what would happen in Italy if a law tabled and approved last week in the Italian Senate, the 'draft law on wiretapping', were also to be approved in the Chamber.
This decree-law more or less bans journalists, bloggers - everyone - from publishing wiretaps. This is clearly unconstitutional, and is also against the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights which states, in Article 11, that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, as well as to receive and impart information.
I would like to use a single example to focus the attention of the European institutions, because this really is an incredible form of censorship. I would like to use an example that is striking, evident and real. My father was a journalist killed by the Mafia and over the last seven years the true circumstances surrounding that Mafia murder have come to light through wiretaps. Through wiretaps, we were able to discover that he died because a fugitive was hiding in the area where we lived. I therefore call the attention of the European institutions to this matter.
James Nicholson
Madam President, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the current situation facing the regional government in Northern Ireland, which is confronted with a fine in excess of EUR 60 million filed by the Commission in relation to so-called errors on how subsidies have been allocated to farmers.
I want to make it very clear that, whilst I fully understand that proper procedures must be adhered to, the misallocated monies amount to around EUR 3 million over a five-year period, so I would argue that this decision is a grossly unfair one and imposes a flat-rate fine rather than being proportional.
We are all acutely aware of the budgetary constraints faced by government departments all over Europe and, by any stretch of the imagination, public finances in Northern Ireland will undoubtedly suffer because of this.
I do not know where the ultimate blame lies, but I know it is not necessarily with the farmers who did not do it deliberately, or with the department or whoever, but it is the Northern Ireland budget that is having to pay for this at a time when they cannot afford it.
Søren Bo Søndergaard
(DA) Madam President, I would like to thank President Buzek for mentioning the situation in Iran in his introduction. He referred to the situation as 'worrying'. That has to be a diplomatic understatement. The situation in Iran is appalling! People fighting for democracy are locked up and tortured, trade unions are suppressed, religious minorities like the Baha'is are imprisoned for years on absurd charges and every day there are new executions. What is more, many of these are carried out in public in order to frighten the opposition and any critics of the government. However, the President did not mention the fact that, since the last past-session, Parliament has had a visit from the Iranian foreign minister. I would therefore like to call on the Bureau to discuss the position we should take in respect of official visits by representatives of the murderous Iranian regime.
Corneliu Vadim Tudor
(RO) A few weeks ago, a film which was shot using a hidden camera was distributed around the world. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, the British queen's ex-daughter-in-law, was asking for a bribe amounting to GBP 500 000 for offering access in a trice to her ex-husband Prince Andrew for him to help sort out a problem. Her subsequent excuses that she was drunk did not manage to fool anyone, as this is her normal state.
What a wonder of technology this hidden camera is! We should erect a monument to it in every country. Without it, we might not find out about the hidden side of things, about the secret behaviour of so many public figures.
Two hundred years ago Napoleon took from the bureau of Frederick the Great in the castle of Sans Souci a silver alarm clock which, when he made his will on the island of Saint Helena, he left to a close friend. This was the spoils of war.
Nowadays, the spoils of war go by the name of commission, attention or sponsorship. If Eastern Europe is on the brink of bankruptcy, this is due not only to corruption in our countries, but also to the corruption and blackmail practised by certain public figures and institutions in the west, especially banks. It is time for us to combine our efforts and destroy the mafia, these ever-resourceful parasites ...
(The President cut off the speaker)
Luis Yáñez-Barnuevo García
(ES) Madam President, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Spanish rotating Presidency for the efforts that it has made during this six-month period to overcome the common position on Cuba and create a new type of relationship between the European Union and Cuba, which of course prioritises defending human rights.
The policy has not been crowned with success, basically due to the intransigence of the Cuban dictatorship. This January, the Cuban Government began the Spanish Presidency with the expulsion of the Member of Parliament who spoke to them when they tried to visit the island - entirely legally with all the required visas - to focus on human rights.
This new policy undertaken by the Spanish Government will, however, produce results sooner rather than later.
Sergej Kozlík
(SK) The new right-wing Hungarian Government of Prime Minister Orbán, which has a constitutional majority in the Hungarian Parliament, is playing on crude nationalism. The very first legal act of the new Hungarian Parliament was an act on dual citizenship. This makes it possible for members of Hungarian minorities in neighbouring countries to acquire Hungarian citizenship exclusively on the basis of ethnic identity.
The Hungarian Government has refused to discuss this act, which has dramatic cross-border consequences, with neighbouring countries. This is a gross violation of the European principle of friendly coexistence of nations. In Hungary's highest political circles, doubt is also being cast completely openly on the conclusions of the Treaty of Trianon and the post-war arrangement of Europe. This should ring alarm bells in Europe, to say the very least. All military conflicts on our continent have been preceded by such comments.
Rareş-Lucian Niculescu
(RO) According to the 31 May 2010 issue of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, some Italian insurance companies are applying a so-called nationality risk charge. The upshot of this charge is that citizens of countries which have large migration flows, such as Romania or Bulgaria, are obliged to pay higher charges when taking out a car insurance policy.
According to Italian legal experts, Italian immigration legislation provides non-discriminatory access to services, regardless of the applicant's nationality.
The question which I am asking Parliament this evening is whether such a practice can be considered to comply with European legislation on discrimination.
Iliana Malinova Iotova
(BG) I was due to speak about Schengen today, but another topic has turned out to be rather more important. The European Parliament and ministers will be giving more power to Eurostat to audit Member States' budgets. In the meantime, Commissioner Olli Rehn indicated that Bulgaria will be the destination of the team which Eurostat will send to carry out the first inspection using the new audit powers due to doubts concerning the authenticity of the data supplied by the Bulgarian Government on its budget deficit and debt. As a result of this statement, Bulgaria's positions on the global financial markets deteriorated sharply in the last few days alone.
The majority of us support Eurostat's extended powers and the increased opportunities for inspection. However, we would have wanted these powers to include mechanisms which exclude preliminary assessments for any particular Member State, which may harm its financial status. Before doing this, the Commission must carry out an analysis indicating whether data has really been falsified, intentionally or not.
It is obvious that in the case of the Bulgarian Government there has been a breakdown in communication with the Commission, which has left the impression that the data which has been supplied is non-transparent and incorrect. However, it is not right for an individual country to be singled out and to use this as an argument for the decision to grant Eurostat new audit powers.
Antonyia Parvanova
Madam President, the mass protests that occurred as a result of the disputed presidential elections in June 2009 have been the pretext for the Iranian regime to continue its persecution of human rights activists and its denial of women's rights and religious freedom. According to several organisations, including Amnesty International, the Supreme Leader of the Revolutionary Guards intelligence services has reinforced their control over the country and intensified the perception already in place for years.
Despite a recent release of 81 prisoners, reportedly 450 other prisoners remain in jail, often convicted in shameful post-election trials. Twenty-two executions have been reported in Iran for the month of June alone. I think the European Parliament needs to send a strong signal of solidarity to the Iranian people. We cannot turn a blind eye to human rights violations, and, in line with the European Parliament resolution of 10 February 2010, I would suggest that we move strongly to support the human rights activists by granting them temporary asylum. Europe should also call one more time for Iran to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty, in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly resolutions.
Diane Dodds
Madam President, I want to bring before this House my concern at recent increasingly levels of terrorism in Northern Ireland.
Some Members may be aware of the recent murder of Bobby Moffat. Mr Moffat was gunned down by those believed to be connected with so-called Loyalist paramilitaries in mid-afternoon on Belfast's Shankhill Road while people, young and old, shopped, going about their daily business.
The perpetrators of this cowardly deed, whilst few in number, believe justice can be administered through murder, beatings and intimidation. In recent days, a senior commander in the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated that the threat from Republican terrorism was at its most severe level for many years.
I am sure Members will join with me in saying that this Parliament stands with the good people of Belfast's Shankhill Road and the vast majority of the people in Northern Ireland in expressing disgust at this murder and will stand with them in opposing terrorism in all its forms.
Nuno Teixeira
(PT) A free trade agreement is currently being concluded between the European Union, Colombia and Peru, which opens up our market even further to agricultural products that are absolutely crucial to our outermost regions. I am referring to bananas, rum and sugar.
The agreement provides European enterprises with easy access to the market for manufactured goods in these two countries and will benefit the Member States that export high technology and import agricultural produce. However, the agreement causes real damage to all the outermost regions, which are known to be highly vulnerable. In the first four months of this year, the Canaries alone lost about 20% of their share of the banana market.
I would like to make it clear, however, that we are not against the agreement. All we want is for an assessment to be carried out on the impact of this agreement on the regions it most affects - take, for example, the banana producers in Madeira and the Canaries - and for compensatory measures to be adopted to minimise the damage caused.
Edit Bauer
(HU) The Central European region is suffering from flooding on what is, perhaps, an unprecedented scale. Together with Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, Slovakia is also hugely affected by the flood waves. The solidarity of the European Union is thus extremely important at the moment. It is particularly crucial for aid to arrive quickly. I would like to ask the Commission to mobilise any possible resources to help mitigate the damage, since no Member State has the necessary reserves to repair such extensive damage.
The other problem to which I would like to call attention is the discrimination arising from the amendment to the Slovak Nationality Law concerning those who, after 17 July, may adopt a second nationality besides that of Slovakia, irrespective of whether this is the nationality of another Member State or of a third country. Within the meaning of the new law, citizens applying for dual nationality will not have access to a range of jobs, for instance they will not be able to become civil servants, or even firefighters, on the grounds that they represent a security threat to the State. Such discrimination against citizens is completely unacceptable.
Silvia-Adriana Ţicău
(RO) In the next nine months the Commission, Member States and the European Parliament will determine the future central TEN-T network and the nodes for interconnecting with the transport network in the countries neighbouring the EU. The development of the TEN-T system, including both the infrastructure and transport services, must be an important part of the EU 2020 strategy. The European Union's internal market and economic and social cohesion depend upon an efficient, safe, interoperable transport infrastructure. The EU needs a high-speed rail transport infrastructure which will serve all EU capitals and Europe's major cities. It also has to modernise the infrastructure of the sea and river ports.
I call on the Commission, as part of the future financial outlook, to increase the budget allocated to the development of the trans-European transport system from 11% of the cohesion policy budget to at least 20% and to help narrow the gap in terms of transport infrastructure development between the countries in the centre and southeast of the European Union. I also ask the Commission to increase the cofinancing rate from the TEN-T budget, especially for cross-border sections, in order to encourage Member States to invest in the TEN-T infrastructure.
Graham Watson
Madam President, I rise to draw attention to the blockade in the Indian State of Manipur. Highway 39, which links the state to the rest of India, has been blockaded since 12 April. This has prevented food and fuel and medical supplies from reaching some two and a half million people; hospitals have been forced to stop all but emergency operations; the prices of essential goods are up by 300% on a black market; and half a million children under the age of eight are among the worst hit.
The road has been blockaded by Naga tribespeople and particularly by the All Naga Students' Association. I hope the House will join me in urging the Indian Government urgently to seek a negotiated settlement, including the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, to put an end to a humanitarian crisis which is almost as serious as that in Gaza.
László Tőkés
(HU) Madam President, floods are causing devastation in Hungary and in neighbouring Slovakia. Almost at the same time, both countries are holding parliamentary elections. These parallel events evoke a suggestive metaphor. While we engage in a wide-ranging collaborative effort to help the territories ravaged by floods, we cannot help thinking of countries of the former Eastern bloc that were ravaged by communism. My own country, Romania, is one of those struggling with the post-communist crisis.
Expressing my empathy for those who are suffering flood damage, I urge the European Union and Parliament to bring rapid and effective material assistance. I am pleased that the Hungarian and Slovak elections have brought anti-communist victories. I ask the European Parliament to lend its aid also to our countries' efforts to overcome the legacy of its divisive communist past.
George Sabin Cutaş
(RO) The European Commission is drafting a Green Paper on pensions, which the European executive will use in an attempt to prompt discussion on the topic of a European pensions strategy. The main lines of this strategy must aim to resolve the demographic and budgetary problems which Member States are facing. Bearing in mind the European Union's ageing population, the pressures exerted on public finances will grow significantly in the coming years.
Regardless of the political situation in Member States, the major priority of such a strategy must be to guarantee a decent standard of living for those who have retired. We must not forget that pensioners represent a 'captive' social group. They no longer have, in many instances, the chance to opt for an alternative source of income and employment due to their advanced age. This is why I urge this priority to be the main objective of this document.
Alajos Mészáros
(HU) This month we are commemorating the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Trianon. Under the dictates of Trianon, historic Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory and more than half of its population. Millions of Hungarians found themselves under the rule of a foreign country without having left their homeland. Nevertheless, we must move beyond this injustice that is unparalleled in the history of modern Europe, and in the interest of a happy, common European future we must accept the situation with humility. We are not thinking of a change of boundaries in order to resolve the situation of the severed territories, but ask only for one thing: respect for and the free exercise of our language and culture. Unfortunately, in this area we Hungarians of Slovakia cannot be entirely satisfied. The decision of Hungary's new government with regard to granting dual nationality to Hungarians stuck beyond its borders is a symbolic gesture, one that is intended to signify the essential unity of the Hungarian nation. This does not present any threat whatsoever to neighbouring countries, and therefore we ask that they make it possible for the citizens concerned to take up this offer without any conditions.
Frédéric Daerden
(FR) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to highlight a success in the fight against poverty in this European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Indeed, at the Council of Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs, the quantified objective in the fight against poverty - to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty by 20 million - was established and approved by ministers.
That quantified objective had been identified as one of the key objectives of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Mrs Onkelinx, who is responsible for social affairs, and I myself supported this ambition on behalf of the European Parliament in our discussions. Working alongside other European ministers within the Council, Mrs Onkelinx made every effort to ensure that the objective was set.
The Belgian Government remains determined to make a success of the future Presidency and to fulfil the objectives of its social programme, despite our current institutional situation. Judging by our election results, I am convinced that the future Belgian Presidency of the Council will be active and committed to achieving these social objectives.
Petru Constantin Luhan
(RO) 2010 has brought us new floods along the River Danube, causing material loss to local communities and involving the use of many resources to mitigate the effects. The way in which the floods affect the businesses which have evolved in the communities along the Danube is an important consideration which must be reflected in the EU Danube Strategy.
The most recent discussions which took place in Romania, in Constanţa, spotlighted Member States' new concerns with regard to the Danube's economic and social development. These proposals must be supported simultaneously by innovative measures to help reduce material losses caused by flooding.
Otherwise, these regions are facing increased losses both in terms of existing business activity and in terms of the development potential which it generated. The regions need support so that they can respond to these challenges and help keep the losses caused by the Danube floods to a minimum.
Edward Scicluna
I would like to address this Parliament on an important topic which lies at the core of democratic principles: freedom of speech.
As an MEP, I have the duty to express my democratic rights, according to law, by informing my constituents about my Parliamentary work through the media, including TV programmes. The Broadcasting Authority, as regulator, is required by law to ensure political balance across the various programmes as broadcast by the various private television stations as a whole. It does not require each individual programme to be balanced in such a way that a person, appearing on his or her own, cannot express his or her views on matters of public policy. Despite this, on three occasions I was accused of breaching the law - while the television station was fined for broadcasting reports I had drafted for the European Parliament - on the ridiculous charge that I had created imbalance in my own programme. Underlying these decisions is the mistaken notion that balance is to be sought not by promoting pluralism and/or encouraging those of differing political beliefs to come forward and express their views, but by stopping them from doing so.
Many Maltese, who had very high aspirations with regard to the European Union and its values, are disappointed that when circumstances are deemed disquieting, censorship rears its head.
Madam President, I request Parliament's protection from the infringement of my democratic rights as a European citizen, as well as an elected Member of the European Parliament.
Milan Zver
(SL) In one of my most recent speeches, I highlighted a problem which has been confirmed by several studies. I am talking about the retrograde process which the development of democracy is undergoing both within the European Union and on a global level.
Today, I would draw your attention to the fact that media freedom has met a similar fate. Even some developed countries are experiencing this retrograde process and this is even more so the case with some new Member States, which are still in the process of establishing a stable democracy.
The only example I will mention is that of Slovenia, my home country, which has in the past year dropped seven places in the media freedom rankings of Reporters Without Borders and three places in those of Freedom House.
It is in these transitional countries that journalists are the most vulnerable and quickly fall under the influence of media owners, political power and capital. They are vulnerable because of their uncertain social status and a lack of professional competence and experience and so on.
I am of the view that these general trends should not go unnoticed. I therefore call upon the European Commission and Member States to develop an effective combat strategy to bring about more media freedom. Objectivity of information is not just a pillar of democracy, but also one of the fundamental human rights.
András Gyürk
(HU) Madam President, in March the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on Cuba to release its political prisoners. The reason for taking this position was the tragic death of a detainee on hunger strike. The Cuban regime responded cynically and declared that it would not give in to international pressure. In the light of this precedent, it is incomprehensible that during the Spanish Presidency, we increasingly hear voices claiming that the European Union must review its Cuba strategy.
The world has changed and we must soften our approach, this is more or less the line of argument. Indeed a lot has changed in recent years, but Cuba's oppressive dictatorship has remained. Therefore the basic prerequisite for any rapprochement between the EU and Cuba must continue to be that the communist regime first make gestures and release its political prisoners as soon as possible. Ladies and gentlemen, the common EU foreign policy approach cannot be besmirched by compromises in the area of human rights. Our common foreign policy must be marked by consistency and credibility.
Tamás Deutsch
(HU) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, millions of European citizens expect us to take quick decisions. The victims of the Central European floods and millions of European citizens in difficulty are watching us with expectation and trust. The lives of millions of Poles, Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarians have been disrupted over recent weeks by the Central European flooding and natural disasters. A Hungarian proverb says he who gives quickly gives twice. It seems that the European Parliament is fulfilling this expectation. A proposal for a decision has been prepared on assistance, and will be tabled for adoption as early as this week. We expect the European Commission to take similarly rapid and effective measures to provide appropriate material assistance to Central European citizens to help them rebuild.
Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines
(ES) Madam President, I am speaking on behalf of the pupils of the European Schools, whose qualifications are not recognised by the Spanish Ministry for Education.
They are nearly all children of Spanish officials, and are being discriminated against and treated unfairly. The equivalence table that is being used, which was recently consolidated by the Spanish Ministry, deducts half a point or one point from pupils who have studied at the European Schools. Moreover, these are boys and girls who speak languages. This means that when they try to apply for degrees that have a high cut-off mark, they remain outside the system.
We believe that this is inherently unjust. Firstly, because Spain signed all the agreements and conventions and is not keeping to them. Secondly, because it is basic discrimination. A country cannot go on purporting to be European when really it is treating pupils from our European Schools unfairly and discriminating against them.
Nuno Melo
(PT) Madam President, I would like to lodge a complaint and an appeal. The complaint concerns an environmental crime: 320 000 tonnes of highly hazardous waste dumped in an open tip in a densely populated area of northern Portugal between 2001 and 2002, contaminating soil and water. These are products with extremely high levels of lead, zinc, cadmium, chromium and arsenic. Although the Portuguese national authorities have been alerted to it, they have taken no action.
During this term of office, in fact, the Socialist Government has issued a reply to a member of the Portuguese Parliament confirming that no such action has been taken, although in a previous term another Socialist minister of the environment gave an assurance that it would happen. Therefore, Madam President, I am also appealing to the European institutions to intervene. I have already approached the European Commission to ask for this intervention. Today I am lodging this complaint with the European Parliament, and I hope that the resolution that I intend to table can be debated and voted on, so that people's health is no longer put at risk.
Salvatore Iacolino
(IT) Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, gender equality can certainly not be achieved by bringing forward the date when the retirement age of women is raised to 65 years to 2012. This was initially envisaged as a gradual process that would have seen alignment between men and women only in 2018 in Italy.
Although the government acquiesced straight away, this does not mean that we should not question this hasty and largely unwarranted decision. Every welfare system has its peculiarities and flexibilities and any savings that can be guaranteed must ensure active compensatory measures in support of women.
With regard to Mrs Alfano's recent words about the law on wiretaps in Italy: as yet there is no law. Instead there is a draft law that strikes a balance between the right to press freedom, which is inviolable, and the right to privacy. All these are fundamental elements that will be taken into account by the Italian Parliament.
Anna Záborská
(SK) On 3 June, Archbishop Luigi Padovese, a representative of the Catholic Church in Turkey, was murdered. I would like to make two comments.
The tragedy has been explained in accordance with a familiar formula: the mental instability of the murderer. The same argument has also been used to explain other religious murders in Turkey. The diagnosis was made almost as soon as the investigation began. It is easiest to pigeonhole the whole affair and then classify the perpetrator as a religious extremist.
Second comment: I am surprised that no senior European politician has reacted at a political level, except for the Chair of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats). This shows how the work of the media is bearing fruit. Where a Catholic issue is involved, they react in whatever way suits them. They either remain silent, or they unleash a hate campaign.
I would like to ask the European institutions not only to monitor the investigation of this murder closely, but to make the persecution of Christians and violations of human rights in Turkey a major issue in the negotiating process.
Joe Higgins
Madam President, tonight children, women and men from three different working class communities in Dublin - Coolock, Crumlin and Sean McDermott Street in the North Inner City - protested outside Dublin City Council in a desperate effort to halt the closure of their public swimming pools, which the Council says it has no finances to run.
In these communities already hit by high unemployment, recreation facilities are already very scarce, and closing these pools would amount to a barbaric act of social vandalism. These threatened closures reflect savage cuts in public spending by the Irish Government, fully supported by the EU Commission.
The cost of running these pools would amount to perhaps EUR 1 million per year. Meanwhile, the Irish Government is pouring EUR 30 billion into recapitalising banks and developers. Incredibly, Dublin City has been selected as the European Capital of Sport 2010! I join with these communities in demanding that these pools are kept open; keep recreation facilities in working-class communities open for the people and close down the developers and the bond-holders.
President
That concludes the item.