Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-12-Speech-4-102"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2004-02-12"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Commission strategy on services of general interest (SGI)2
dcterms:Language	"pt"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20040212.5.4-102"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2004-02-12-Speech-4-1032
lpv:speaker	lp:Paulo Casaca2
lpv:spokenAs	vice-chair; CONT (2002-01-22--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Partido Socialista (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; BUDG (2002-01-30--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Slovenia Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-04-30)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Commissioner, I should like to take this opportunity to say that I share the opinion that the market and free competition are important values. In this area, however, as in many others, we should not be fundamentalists, fanatics, or, if you will, ayatollahs, which, as we shall see in the forthcoming debate on Iran, is the worst-case scenario. Yet it strikes me, Commissioner, that this is precisely what the Commission is increasingly becoming, and in an increasing number of fields. I should like to give you an example: the Commission has just begun legal action against Greece for insisting that those who serve on coasting vessels in their islands must speak Greek. This is absolutely ridiculous, Commissioner. I should like to remind you that, very recently, only a few years ago, many dozens of Portuguese seamen lost their jobs on Norwegian routes just because they did not speak Norwegian, in spite of the fact that Norway is also required to abide by the laws of free competition. Though it pained me, I felt obliged to accept the reason given, namely that of safety. It is absolutely essential that crews serving on ships, especially on island routes, must be able to speak the language of the country concerned. In taking legal action against the Greek islands – which is similar to the action it has taken in other parts of Europe – the Commission has displayed an utterly fanatical attitude; it has shown that it has no idea how far to go with free competition, nor does it know where safety – or other extremely important values – should begin and end. The Commission lacks a sense of proportion and common sense and should take firm steps to remedy this state of affairs."@en1

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