Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-18-Speech-2-302"
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"en.20031118.12.2-302"2
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"Mr President, first of all I would like to congratulate my colleague Mr Lisi for the excellent work that he carried out on this subject, which is so sensitive.
As Member for Toulouse, I can tell you, how much, two years after the event, the tragedy of the explosion at the AZF factory remains extraordinarily present in the town, in the minds and often even in the flesh of the victims of the disaster.
Together with the mayor of Toulouse, Mr Douste-Blazy, we had to act quickly and provide local solutions in light of this tragedy. If we do not want this tragedy to happen again in the future then more needs to be done and legislation is needed. This is what our institution did in taking up this issue as of 3 October 2001. In this regard, I particularly welcome the fact that the constructive collaboration between the Commission, the Council and Parliament enabled a consensus to emerge from the second reading on the issue of ammonium nitrates and that, from then on, in potentially hazardous factories, the thresholds for authorised nitrates were raised to a level so that they would perhaps have been able to avoid the Toulouse explosion.
In several areas, the work carried out at third reading and in conciliation provides for new steps forward with new precautionary measures, and in our legislative action we did of course bear in mind security of employees working in potentially hazardous factories. Training measures designed for these people are therefore necessary and even essential. As Mr Lisi said, however, they should not be limited to workers in potentially hazardous factories; they should be extended to sub-contracted employees. Extending training for their benefit does not seem to me in any way a pernickety measure thought up by bureaucrats, but on the contrary, a protective measure. I welcome the outcome that was achieved in the Conciliation Committee on this point.
It is also our duty to respond to the legitimate concern of the people to be better informed on these issues. The industrialists concerned must, on their own initiative, move towards greater transparency of their actions.
To a certain extent, the European Parliament wanted to contribute to informing the public more by producing a map showing risk areas. This is a step forward, but still people need to be informed, on the ground, of the existence and accessibility of these security documents.
Mr President, of course I am aware, as are the people of Toulouse, of the fact that this report does not give absolute protection against industrial accidents. Absolute protection cannot exist, by definition, but I am also completely sure that this House, in taking up this issue quickly and in providing greater protection rules, will have proven how much Europe can respond when it has to, to the immediate concerns of our citizens and this is why I would like to thank you."@en1
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