Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-286"
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"en.20041215.10.3-286"2
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"Mr President, I join with others in welcoming the new Commissioner to this debate. We look forward to working with her and, indeed, we look forward to the Commission's plans in 2005 and 2006 on this budget line, the legal base for which we expect to confirm tomorrow. I support the fact that this is a budget line that reaches the grassroots and that civil society in the countries has a priority in receiving the monies. I also support the fact that the Commission is planning to make conflict prevention a permanent priority for this budget line. Surely democracy is the best instrument of conflict prevention in our world.
I support what the Commission has done in terms of improving the contacts and support from its own delegations in third countries for projects under these lines, and also their plans to extend funding for micro-projects, in particular for local NGOs in third countries who are most valued by us in this Parliament.
If I have a word of criticism, it is that every year the Commissioner's predecessor used to speak about human rights and then come in with a preliminary draft budget that cut this line – last year from EUR 127 million to EUR 105 million. Perhaps the Commissioner will choose not to do that in forthcoming years. Indeed, as Mrs Flautre has said, I hope that, whilst there are proper objectives for simplification of the budget, this particular line has symbolic importance and will be maintained in the medium and long term.
I also draw to her attention the increasing demands from international organisations, like the ad hoc tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. However, if these are to be funded from this budget line there must be a significant increase or NGOs will fail. I oppose the attempt to reduce the priority given to projects worldwide under this budget line and refocus on near Europe. That is a mistake: human rights are universal in our world.
Finally, I express my respect for the rapporteur, Mr McMillan-Scott, and his sincere interest in this budget line; but I am pleased that he withdrew his amendments, which I believe represented micro-management of this budget line. The Commission's commitment to structured dialogue, as it put it, is one that we should welcome, and, with my colleagues on Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, I very much look forward to engaging with the new Commissioner on that."@en1
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