Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-23-Speech-2-189"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2001-10-23"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:2002 budget2
dcterms:Language	"es"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20011023.7.2-189"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2001-10-23-Speech-2-1902
lpv:speaker	lp:Joan Colom i Naval2
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (1999-07-20--2004-02-25)3 member; BUDG (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 substitute; ECON (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 vice-president; European Parliament (1999-07-20--2002-01-14)3 member_of_the_bureau; PES (2000-03-08--2002-01-16)3 member; Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China (1999-10-06--2002-01-14)3 vice-president; Parliament's Bureau (1999-07-20--2002-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, at this stage in the litany of speakers, I feel I should focus on and scrutinise a couple of items in the budget. I will firstly mention an issue which I had not included in my notes: the Council is pleased that Parliament shares its concern about the backlogs, the RALs. If I had not lived through 17 European budgets, I would be amazed. In fact, it is the governments who have the greatest responsibility for the creation of RALs and the Council could make a more useful contribution to the reduction of the RALs by renouncing the systematic underbudgeting of payment appropriations, which do most damage to the pockets of the Finance Ministers. What really concerns me most in this budget, however, is that, in real terms, in euros, aid to third countries has decreased since 1999. If one thing became clear after 11 September it was precisely that it is going to be necessary to maintain and develop humanitarian aid and our contribution to development aid. And this is in no way guaranteed by the Community budget, despite the efforts of the rapporteur, and I salute those efforts. The financial perspectives are clearly not sufficient and we have a TV-addicted Council of Ministers, that is to say that their external priorities are led by the latest TV headlines. We have Kosovo: we have to help Kosovo. We have Serbia: we have to help Serbia. We have Afghanistan: we have to help Afghanistan. And the next headline will become the priority. And what price do we pay? The price of having to make cuts in previous policies. We still have problems in the Balkans. We still have a serious problem in Africa. We still have problems of underdevelopment in Latin America and Asia. But we have to make cuts. The other question I wanted to raise, which is related to the last point, is whether there are first- and second-class European Councils. Why is Berlin more important than Nice, in terms of expenditure? Why? In Berlin, financial perspectives were set which had to be agreed with Parliament, but in Nice, the same European Council, composed of almost the same people, said that we had to create a special programme for the restructuring of the fleet that fished in Morocco. Why is that not budgeted for? Why has the Council, with a Commission proposal valued at EUR 197 million, not budgeted for it? It should have done so. And I regret that Parliament has not fulfilled its obligation, because what we have to do on first reading is budget in the way we want. The Council will then come in at the negotiation at second reading. I regret that we have not been able to do this, but I trust that we will be able to resolve it between now and December."@en1

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