Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-14-Speech-2-036"
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"en.20020514.4.2-036"2
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"Mr President, as author of last year's report on the future of the biotechnology industries, I can only welcome most warmly the high priority given to the life sciences in the Sixth Framework Research Programme and strongly supported in Mr Caudron's excellent report.
On the health side, there are great prospects for breakthrough cures for some of mankind's most dreaded afflictions: cancers, heart disease, diabetes and cystic fibrosis, all the neurological diseases – such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia, motor-neurone, spinal and brain injuries. Genetic intervention could eliminate hereditary disasters such as haemophilia and Huntington's Corea which overshadow some families so tragically.
On the crop side, the potential is no less exciting, even if this suffers from a campaign of denial from certain shameless vested interests. Hundreds of thousands have died and continue to die from smoking and road accidents, but no one has ever died from genetically modified crops or foods.
So much potential good is available to us in reduced applications of herbicides and pesticides, in reduced energy consumption and CO2 releases, and in better quality and higher yields. This is before considering the potential in the developing world for feeding the starving, growing crops in drought-ridden and saline soils, rectifying vitamin deficiencies and so preventing disease for millions.
I call on the Commission and the Member State governments to brace their backbones and stand up robustly for what they know is for the good of mankind. Our scientific community, our researchers – not least in my Scottish constituency which leads in these vital areas – deserve our whole-hearted support, not only in passing Mr Caudron's report overwhelmingly, but in backing the simplified and legally certain procedure for approving biopharmaceutical products; for approving genetically modified crops and foods for trials and commercialisation; and for protecting intellectual property rights with an economical and effective community patent.
Approving the Sixth Framework Research Programme is only the beginning. We must follow up with the practical steps which will fully realise the potential of biotechnology."@en1
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