Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-11-Speech-2-301"
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"en.20030211.12.2-301"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, allow me first to make a few remarks on the Auroi report. Before I do anything else, of course, I should like to thank the rapporteur very much for her draft report and also for her willingness to incorporate into it amendments proposed by other Members.
The mobile communications industry is in a bad way. In comparison with Japan, 3G technology is coming on stream only very slowly. We must also do all we can at European level to support this sector. This is about having reliable framework conditions, which means consistent implementation and application of the telecommunications package, exercising restraint where regulation is concerned and of course also using common resources. All of this is, as you know, also provided for in the Commission's paper.
This being the case, I do find it rather regrettable that prices for international roaming and call termination should be regulated, as is already the case in the United Kingdom, for example. In this regard, I am also curious, Commissioner, about the recommendation on the relevant markets, which you also mentioned briefly and which is – if I am not mistaken – to be presented tomorrow. Although consumers benefit from the reasonable charges that regulation brings, they only do so in the short term. In the long term it is to the detriment of everyone if we do not make every effort to strengthen the sector, to promote 3G services and thus also to create jobs in the medium term.
Against this background, a broad majority of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy supported this report and the promotion of 3G. This report is a clear vote in favour of the introduction of third generation mobile communications in the European Union.
I should now like to offer a few thoughts on the Van Velzen report on the re-use and exploitation of public-sector documents. Of course I must first express my very special thanks to Mr Van Velzen for the work that he has done as rapporteur. He has displayed a great deal of commitment to his report and once again this has borne fruit in the form of a good report.
Like the majority of the Committee on Industry I too share the view that in principle public information should be made available for the benefit of all parties. The authorities in the Member States have huge quantities of information that has been collected over long periods of time. Members of the public and businesses should also benefit from this treasure trove of information, whose commercial value is difficult to put a figure on. I am confident that general access to public information will give a significant boost to growth, competitiveness and employment within the European Union.
But despite all of the agreement expressed in the debate so far, I am still missing an essential point. It will come as no surprise if I repeat what I have already said on many occasions in the committee: must Europe really take action here? Is not the issue of determining the conditions under which and the extent to which public information is made available a matter for the Member States?
For my part, I do not see that there is any legal basis for harmonisation in this field. The old saying is true here that not every problem in Europe is a problem for Europe. This is also why several of the German members of my group will be voting against the report. I might also remind you that the issue of delimiting competences is also proving to be significant in the debate that is currently ongoing in the Convention.
If we are always going to have such little regard for the competences issue here in the committees and in our day-to-day parliamentary work then I do not think that this bodes well. I would crave your indulgence when I say that although I agree with the content of this report, I, along with my fellow German members of my group will not be supporting it in the final vote."@en1
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