Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-13-Speech-2-136"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-05-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)2
dcterms:Language	"de"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030513.6.2-136"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-05-13-Speech-2-1372
lpv:speaker	lp:Peter Liese2
lpv:spokenAs	vice-chair; Delegation for relations with the countries of Central America and Mexico (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, people are worried about SARS; as has already been said many times, there is a great deal of uncertainty, and that of course makes the whole thing very difficult. I have personal experience of this: some of my family are about to travel to China on business. This is a situation that is facing many families in Europe, and we are not actually able to offer any definite advice, which is very difficult. I should like to take up that keyword, China. We must denounce the complete inadequacy of the action taken by the Chinese Government here. It first played the issue down and kept it under wraps and then – at least in some cases – overreacted, even taking measures appropriate to a police state. In my view this provides yet more proof that in a dictatorship the challenges of modern society are not properly handled. That is one of the many reasons why we should continue to speak up for human rights and democracy, including in China. What are we doing now in Europe? I am very grateful to Professor Stéfanis, the President-in-Office, but also to Professors Sirchia and Mattei, who were very active in supporting the initiative, and very grateful that this issue has been put on the Council agenda. The results are obviously not what we would have liked, but it is important to make a start and we may have more success at the next Council meeting. In Europe we have an internal market. I think that this is once again a time to point out that we can only have an internal market and that its advantages can only really be felt if we also take into account other aspects apart from the more narrow economic situation. There are many examples here and health is one of them. There are some people in my country who say that Europe should not have any competence for health protection. I am not one of them. I believe that at least when it comes to providing protection from infectious diseases and where bioterrorism is concerned we need additional competencies for the European Union. I have already discussed this problem with Commissioner Byrne and also with our Members in the Convention. Mr Brok, the chairman of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats in the Convention, has of course followed this debate and he agrees with me that we need additional competencies here. This will not, however, be a universal panacea. We cannot now shift the current crisis into a Convention debate, but must look carefully at what measures it might be appropriate to take even now. That is why it is right, for example, as Mrs Roth-Behrendt said, to mobilise research funds quickly. It is right, as Mr Maaten pointed out, to issue uniform recommendations on travel into and out of the EU. I believe that we should do these things quickly, but at the same time we should send out the right signals in the Convention."@en1

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