Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-15-Speech-3-065"
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"en.20000315.2.3-065"2
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"Mr President, I want to speak for a few moments on the Ludford report on countering racism in the European Union. This is a very important topic. It is crucial for the construction of a peaceful and harmonious Europe, a Europe united in its objective and at ease with itself and its citizens. That is certainly what we, on this side of the House, believe. That is what this report aims to do. But the EPP it seems, and others opposite, clearly do not want that. We heard a few moments ago a disgraceful speech from Mr Gollnisch on behalf of his party. Mrs Palacio, who is just leaving, has said that human rights are needed in a public place and at the core. And yet, by their amendments to the Ludford report, they seek to divide Europe and to make millions of our brothers and sisters from the ethnic minorities second-class citizens. That is the clear aim of the amendments in the name of Mr Hernandez Mollar and his colleagues and this is consistent throughout all the amendments on behalf of the EPP – the so-called European People's Party – which actually reveals itself in its amendments as a party for some of the people but not all of them.
The EPP's amendments seek to divide families. They object to family unity. Their Amendment No 12 seeks to delete reference to the need for family unity in Europe. The EPP, it seems, do not accept that ethnic minorities feel alienated from the electoral process. They do not feel that the European Parliament and national parliaments should reflect Europe's diverse ethnic nature. That is the aim of Amendment No 13. It deletes that from the report. They are against ethnic diversity and they do not accept the benefits given to our society by all its people. They do not accept that everyone has a part to play in the electoral process.
We cannot complain about what is going on in the candidate states if we have amendments like this being put forward in the European Union. Nor, it seems, does the EPP believe that ethnic minorities should be encouraged to vote. Their Amendment No 21 deletes the call for encouragement to the ethnic minority to take part in elections to vote or stand as candidates. Is that what we want? I do not think it is. We, on this side of the House, reject that position completely. We will publicise the EPP position and their amendments whether they are passed or not. We deplore the line that Mr Hernandez Mollar and his colleague have put forward. We urge the Liberal Group to dissociate themselves from their links with the EPP over the amendments because it has shown itself to have racist instincts in its party.
Should the EPP amendments to this report be adopted we will oppose the whole report. The EPP amendments weaken the report and would make the position of this Parliament worse than at the moment. It would make it so weak that it would be one that we could not support. It would be a retrograde step. So, I urge all colleagues to reject the amendments put forward by the European People's Party and their colleagues on the far right."@en1
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