Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-07-Speech-4-234"
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"en.20020207.14.4-234"2
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"Mr President, we used to have a joke in the United Kingdom about there being fog in the Channel and the continent therefore being cut off. Now it seems more a case of people loose in the Tunnel and trains and trade cut off – which is altogether more serious.
The effects of the restrictions are very damaging to free movement and employment: thousands of jobs are at risk. I have to say that for those affected, removing the restrictions by June sounds a very long way off. The problem is the proximity of the Sangatte camp for refugees: it is too close and should be moved, and makes policing very difficult.
This Tunnel is an asset and enterprise which is jointly owned and benefits both France and Britain, as well as the wider Community of Member States. It is probably the single most important physical link drawing Britain and the continent together. The difficulty of policing illegal immigrants is damaging to this process and must be resolved soon.
I call on the Commission to press the French authorities to take action. I call on the United Kingdom government to offer more assistance to its French counterparts and to the hauliers and businesses concerned, rather than seeming to turn a blind eye to their concerns and difficulties and spending more time harassing truck drivers and train operators with prosecutions and fines. The authorities need to take action and not take it out on other innocent parties."@en1
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