Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-07-01-Speech-2-053"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-07-01"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Greek Presidency2
dcterms:Language	"de"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030701.1.2-053"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-07-01-Speech-2-0542
lpv:speaker	lp:Doris Pack2
lpv:spokenAs	member_of_the_bureau; EPP-ED (2002-03-08--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 chair; Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Slovenia Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-03-07--2004-04-30)3 unknown; Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; Conference of Delegation Chairs (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, I should like to focus on just one point in your debate today. You mentioned it in only one sentence. I should like to say something about the Balkans and south-eastern Europe. I very much welcomed your initiative and I am also delighted that the Thessaloniki paper, that was prepared together with the Commission, has been adopted, because it contains much of what Parliament has demanded. Obviously I now hope, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, that as an ordinary Member of the Council you will work together with the new Council Presidency to implement its content. We are still waiting for it to be implemented in the countries of the Balkans. It would be nice if the EU and the Council could actually agree to implement the decisions that they make in papers of this kind. This involves, for example, opening up education and youth programmes to the young people of these countries, which sends out an extremely important signal to them. It also involves annual reports on progress in the individual States, and the reinforcement of the twinning programme so as to modernise the administrative structures in these countries and make them ready for the accession that they have, of course, been promised. We expect there to be more cooperation in the region, particularly between Greece and Italy and these countries, on human trafficking and cross-border crime. We also hope that you will perhaps consider, together with your colleagues in the Council and the Commission, easing the visa requirements in a number of fields and for particular professions, so that people are able to gain faster entry to the European Union. I very much hope that positive progress is made when we start, as we are now doing, to initiate discussions between the Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. I would be very pleased if you, as a country bordering the Balkans, could help to move this forward. I very much hope that the Serb, Roma and Ashkali refugees will at last be able to return to Kosovo so that the conditions can be put in place to enable them to live there side by side. I think that the Council and the Commission need to step up the pressure on the Albanians in Kosovo in this regard. We did not wage a war to have a situation today that is not wholly dissimilar to the unpleasant state of affairs that we have seen there over the last ten years. I believe that we need to be more deeply committed, because of course we want these countries to return to stability and peace. That is also the case in Serbia and I would urge you to use your influence to stop the Serbian Government continuing to gag journalists, as it is now doing. Media freedom in Serbia is under threat. Please give your word. Do not tolerate it! Otherwise, thank you very much for your commitment."@en1
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"(Applause)"1

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