Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-14-Speech-3-019"
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"en.20040114.1.3-019"2
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"Mr President, the Irish Presidency is very welcome. We have high expectations, because we know that small countries such as Ireland are usually able to provide effective and energetic Presidencies. It is also important in view of the fact that the previous Italian Presidency was so very poor. You have not only your own problems to deal with, but also some of the problems created by the previous Presidency. Some of them are in the area of foreign policy. I want to mention two of these.
The Italian Presidency neglected to criticise the enormous human rights violations taking place in Chechnya. Now, we expect some plain speaking to be directed to Russia on this fundamental issue of human rights for the civilian population of Chechnya.
Where Palestine was concerned, there was also another Italian misadventure. They tried to pursue a more pro-Israeli policy and had a unilateral meeting with Mr Sharon. In the case of Palestine, the reality on the ground is, however, that, by building the wall and expanding its settlements, Israel is on the way to destroying a possible two-State solution and destroying the Palestinians’ prospects of leading normal lives. Here too, there is a need for plain language on the part of the EU. In the very last few days, Israel has also introduced a kind of visa requirement applicable to the occupied territories, something that also affects EU citizens, aid workers, journalists and others. We expect the EU to protest.
When it comes to the environmental sphere, which is my own speciality, I think, however, that the Presidency’s programme is rather thin and not sufficiently practical. You would have done well to have gone a little further in this area. For example, you could have mentioned the importance of quickly obtaining sound chemicals legislation and of cooperating with Parliament on this issue. The importance of giving more impetus to the climate negotiations is, in itself, referred to, but the EU has an enormous task in this area over the next six months when the Kyoto Protocol is in danger of collapsing. Other major issues are the Carthagena Protocol and the biodiversity conference in Kuala Lumpur, where important decisions are going to be taken on trade involving genetically engineered products. This has been the EU’s pet area of concern for a long time, and care needs to be taken over it.
There is another sphere I also think has been rather neglected in this programme, which is otherwise sound. I mean the crisis for the currency union. It is time to stop pretending. The currency union and the Stability and Growth Pact face a serious economic and political crisis. This was apparent as recently as yesterday when the Commission chose to bring a case at the EC Court of Justice against the Council’s decision. The crisis consists of the fact that unrealistic rules have been devised. When reality and the rules collide, a political crisis such as this arises, and there can only be one solution: to review the Stability and Growth Pact as it stands at present."@en1
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