Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-12-Speech-3-229"
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"en.20051012.20.3-229"2
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".
Mr President, we are about to discuss something wonderful – the circus. I hope we can enjoy it a bit, too; I certainly got a lot of fun out of the time I spent dealing with this issue, gaining many friends in the circus world, and I can only say that grappling with the circus as a subject was worthwhile. I did not, however, do this because I found it enjoyable, but because I was challenged by the problems that circuses face in the European Union and elsewhere.
One object of this report is that the circus should be recognised, as a matter of course, as part of European culture. In only very few countries in the European Union is it seen as a cultural asset, and the nation states need to address this problem and recognise it as an important part of culture. This will make it possible to remedy the problems that circuses still face.
The second aspect I want to address is that of schooling and vocational training. The Commission should introduce mechanisms for the cooperation of the Member States in order to guarantee and promote an adequate education for the children of travelling communities – and by that I mean not just circus children, but all travelling communities – regardless of the Member State in which they happen to be. It would be very much to be desired that the Council should prepare a new resolution guaranteeing high-quality school education and vocational training for children, young people and adults in travelling communities and recognising and supporting the vocational training offered by circus schools.
The third problem has to do with what are termed temporary structures. The Commission could, following consultations with the European circus association, which is based here in Brussels, mandate the European Committee for Standardisation to prepare a comprehensive set of standards relevant to mobile circus facilities. For example, in the various countries of the European Union, different standards apply as regards such things as safety and the materials from which tents are made. That is not a joke; it is an unfortunate fact set in stone, and this is where changes need to be made. Fire safety, the rules on which even differ from one locality to another, is one of those simple things that present every travelling circus with real problems, and we really do need to get a grip on them without putting the safety of the public at risk.
We also have to consider circus workers, mobility, and the employment of third country nationals. The Commission needs to carry out an analysis of the current visa and work permit issuing systems, and use that as the basis for drawing up a European regulation in this area, which would take into account the difficulties currently involved in getting visas or work permits issued.
The existing requirements for performers with short-term work contracts are difficult to comply with and must also be done away with – I am thinking here of the requirement that there must be evidence of a lack of equally qualified persons within the EU. Can you explain to me how I am meant to demonstrate that when I want to bring in a star performer from Ukraine or China to perform in a circus in Europe? I would have to demonstrate that there are no performers in Europe with equivalent qualifications, but that really is nonsensical. No opera house would put up with that sort of nonsense; La Scala can employ singers from the European Union and from third countries too, but that option is not open to a circus, and that is what makes it important that the circus be recognised as something of cultural value. That will make things easier for the performers.
In drafting the report, we compromised and agreed not to say anything about the keeping of animals, because the keeping of animals by circuses is seen by some countries as a really major issue that they are keen to regulate at the national level. Nevertheless, we do take the view that animals are a part of the traditional circus and that it must be possible to adopt directives that enable circuses to keep them. Legislation of this sort exists in Germany and in England, for example; all we have to do is allow ourselves to be guided by it.
It follows that what we have set down in this report is perfectly reasonable. We would ask the Commission not only to take note of it, but also to actually do what we have demanded of it, by getting the Committee for Standardisation on the case and making it clear to the members of the national governments that the circus is a vital cultural asset, and one that we are still keen to pass on to our children and grandchildren."@en1
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