Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-07-04-Speech-1-010"
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"en.20050704.5.1-010"2
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"Ladies and gentlemen, I would also like to make a further statement relating to certain events of this weekend.
The Council in June approved the decision to increase the EU’s development aid to EUR 66 000 million in 2010, that is to say, from 46 to 66, the price of one and a half cups of coffee. However, we would have to wait five years for this.
I believe that this is the ambitious message that the European Union is sending to the G8 summit this week, but we must also remember that for this purpose we will need a budget that we do not yet have.
The objectives of this campaign are fair trade, debt reduction and an increase in aid, both in terms of its quality and its quantity.
I would also like to remind you that, outside this Chamber, there are a series of stalls set up by the NGOs, and until Wednesday you will be able to obtain more information from them.
On Wednesday morning, a debate will take place on Africa, on the challenges of globalisation and also, of course, on this campaign against poverty, in which Jack Straw, Hilary Benn and Louis Michel will participate.
The white band is the symbol of this campaign and, following the debate, everybody who has spoken in it and myself, on behalf of everybody, will sign a second white band as a sign of our support; this band will be cut and Hilary Benn will take it to Gleneagles.
However, we also need the support of all of you, and to this end I would ask you to sign the white band at the entrance to the Chamber as a sign of your action and your will to combat poverty, so that Hilary Benn can present a vigorous message from this Parliament in Gleneagles.
When you sign it, however, I would ask you to bear in mind that we are citizens with more powers than the ordinary citizens, we are budgetary authorities, we vote for and allocate resources and we approve policies; when you sign it, bear in mind that over the coming years, we as parliamentarians will have to approve the Union’s budget, with or without financial perspectives, and that the commitment represented by your signature is also a commitment to use this Parliament's power to make a genuine effort to eradicate poverty in our world.
Thank you very much for participating in this campaign.
On reaching the Chamber, you may have been surprised to see that there is a large white band encircling the Chamber.
I believe that this is the first time that we have used a symbol in this building for a campaign, such a large symbol, and I would like to tell you a few details about the significance of this white band.
I would like to remind you that this band symbolises the ‘Global Call to Action against Poverty’ which was launched by the President of Brazil, Mr da Silva, in Porto Alegre, in January 2005.
Since then, more than 600 non-governmental organisations throughout the world, including the largest organisations, have joined this campaign and are trying to secure the support of governments and public figures.
It is now our turn, the turn of the European Parliament, and to this end we have chosen this week of plenary sittings, which coincides with the beginning of the G8 summit on Wednesday in Gleneagles.
Ladies and gentlemen, we will all agree that the fight against poverty is
objective of the Union’s development policy and that this year offers a great opportunity to make progress in this regard, since during this year several high-level conferences will be held on this subject.
You are also aware that, this year, the European Union will contribute EUR 46 000 million in development aid, and this means that the European Union is the world's largest donor in this field.
We can certainly take pride in this, but we should perhaps consider the relative significance of this figure — of this EUR 46 000 million. Please bear in mind that the EUR 70 that each European pays per year in the rich countries for the purposes of development aid is equivalent to the price of one cup of coffee per week. This is what our effort means in relative terms: the price of a cup of coffee per week for each inhabitant of the rich countries; our generosity goes no further than that."@en1
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