Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-18-Speech-4-259"
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"en.20000518.11.4-259"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, after discussing all these terrible events in the world, it is certainly refreshing to consider other problems even though, on reflection, these also involve images which cannot be tolerated.
I do not believe, however, that the motion before us deals with the problem correctly. For example, paragraph 2 of the motion is wrong. In this paragraph Parliament expresses its concern about the fact that the Charleroi stadium, which is to host several games, in particular the England versus Germany match, does not meet the relevant Belgian safety standards.
This is wrong for several reasons. The first is that the organisers of any game in Belgium and the promoters of any stadium must sign a public-law agreement with the municipality in which the stadium is situated. This agreement engages the personal responsibility of the burgomaster.
Our fellow Member has spoken of regional pride. Belgians are aware of the good and bad sides of regional pride and, as a result, the use of a stadium requires not only the signature of the burgomaster but also that of the Minister of the Interior. It is therefore completely wrong to talk of regional rivalries. Furthermore, everyone knows or should know that it is not the inhabitants of Charleroi who chose this game any more than the others.
Finally, in the context of Euro 2000, there is an additional requirement that the stadium must be approved by the European Union and UEFA. For all the stadiums which have been converted to accommodate an adequate number of visitors, UEFA has not only given its final authorisation to the process but has also been involved in the practical organisation of the stadium reviews. I know something about this as I have worked, in my capacity as burgomaster of the town of Liege, on the preparation of a similar stadium.
To conclude, I regret to say that our colleagues are using arguments which are inaccurate and which can therefore only lead to wrong conclusions. I am not the only one to think this as Mr Desama would have said the same if he had been able to speak. Our Dutch colleague, Mr van den Berg, also agrees as he asked me to say that in this case he has witnessed, in addition to a responsible attitude from the Belgians,…"@en1
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