Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-25-Speech-3-063"
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"en.20001025.3.3-063"2
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"Mr President, we are all aware – in fact this has just been mentioned by Mrs Bonino and Mrs Morgantini – of how tragic the results of the use of anti-personnel landmines are and how serious the problem is given the large number of landmines that remain in place and primed on the ground. Some say there are 70 to 100 million of them. Hence the importance and timeliness of the Ottawa Convention, under which the international community is to take concerted action to put an end to this tragedy, which affects the poorest countries most of all. Difficulties do remain, because certain major countries – which have already been mentioned – have not yet signed the Convention. In this respect we can only regret the fact that one Member State, Finland, has not yet signed and another, Greece, has not yet proceeded to ratification, as Mrs Morgantini has just pointed out.
This raises the first question: the need for the European Union, especially the Commission, to do everything possible to encourage non-signatory countries to sign the Ottawa Convention. It would be desirable if the Commission could tell us what it intends to do in this area, particularly with regard to the countries applying to join the European Union. But of course its authority in this field will be greater if the Council and the Member States explicitly state that the European Union will under no circumstances in its external relations use anti-personnel landmines or help in their use. It is, however, essential to ensure the greatest coherence and coordination between the actions taken by the European Union and those taken by the Member States. In this field, too, the Commission can and should play an invaluable role, and it should tell us what it proposes to do in future in this context. The Community actions to be taken in this field must also benefit from adequate budgetary support if they are to be as effective as possible. The Commission’s draft regulation seems too vague. We are firmly in favour of setting up a single budget line for action against landmines, except for research and food aid, and I believe it would be beneficial at the same time to set up a central unit coordinating all actions in this field, as mentioned by Mrs Bonino.
As for the actions to take, it is essential to guarantee that existing landmines – the enormous landmine stockpiles – will be destroyed so as to prevent them from finding their way onto the black market. It is equally essential to put an end to their production. Other mine-clearance or victim-support actions will be of little use if we continue to produce and trade in landmines. We must act first in the area of prevention. Afterwards we must invest more in research, especially research into the detection of mines placed in the ground. Lastly, it is crucial that we reinforce mine-clearance action by ensuring the effectiveness of the actions taken and by giving priority to the countries that respect the Convention, just as it is also essential that we guarantee victim rehabilitation measures.
I would also like the Commission to explain in greater detail what it intends to do in these fields, bearing in mind past experience and the important role that the European Union has taken on in this area. The field of action is, of course, vast and requires funding and great political will. The challenge is enormous, but the extent of this tragedy demands that we make an enormous effort and commitment to put an end to this situation."@en1
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