Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-18-Speech-1-185"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070618.18.1-185"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Madam President, we have had the opportunity in the past to discuss this proposal in committees and intergroups. I am sure you will understand that I am very happy to be having this debate with you tonight.
Finally, Parliament, the Council and Commission have worked very hard to get the legislative proposal to the present stage and to reach an acceptable compromise. I very much hope that the vote tomorrow will reflect this positive and constructive attitude, so we can put this legislation in place as soon as possible.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks for the work of all Members of the European Parliament, especially that of the rapporteur, who has done a very good job. I would also like to thank the draftswoman and draftsman of the other committees, Mrs Lucas and Mr Stevenson.
It was a real challenge for me when I was first confronted with this issue after taking up my post. For me, the most frustrating part was that we had an issue which was very close to the heart of European citizens and which had the support of the Council and, clearly, of the European Parliament but also of the Commission, yet we still had problems in proceeding with this proposal. The problems were, of course, legal and not the result of a lack of political will.
I am happy that we have now reached a point where, using some imaginative and constructive approaches, we have managed to find solutions, and that we are now able to have a first reading agreement, which is very important to me. We are all familiar with the issue and know that the disturbing evidence of barbaric treatment of cats and dogs, which are bred and killed mainly for their fur, especially in Asia, has provoked a strong call for the Commission to take action.
As I have said, we had to find ways not only to express tangibly the political will of all the institutions involved and the citizens, but also to do so in a legally sound way that would ensure that this will could face and withstand any challenges arising in the future. I am very happy that, through the proposal and, in particular, the various trialogues, we have managed to reach a compromise. This compromise is legally sound and will ensure that the ban will be effective in practice.
For us, it is important to have results, not just to issue a political statement or express political will, which would eventually become ineffective. It would be correct politically, but it would not produce the results that we want: the protection of cats and dogs and, even more importantly, of European consumers who do not want to be offered the fur of cats and dogs, which they consider their pets.
I would like to mention two of my colleagues by name, Mr Mandelson and Mr McCreevy. Both were very supportive of our work in this area. As you know, the legal basis we have been using relates to the internal market and trade. This was necessary, because, unfortunately, there is no legal basis in the Treaty that would allow the EU to adopt a legislative initiative to ban a particular trade based on animal welfare or ethical concerns. Furthermore, there is no legal basis for animal protection as such in the Treaty, so we had to use these two legal bases, and my colleagues have been very supportive of this work.
We also had another legal challenge: the issue of proportionality. For reasons of proportionality it was necessary to consider including a provision that would allow for possible derogations to the ban. None of us was happy with this idea and, as I said, the only reason was to make this proposal more legally sound. I believe that we have managed to reach a proper compromise. As you know, this approach was also clearly supported by the legal services of all three institutions, the Commission, Parliament and the Council. But the compromise we have today is the right one. It contains the possibility – and I emphasise the word ‘possibility’ – to derogate exceptionally from the trade ban for taxidermy or educational purposes.
We have used the legal bases described and we know that this approach will benefit not only European consumers but also animal welfare, especially since we cannot introduce our animal welfare rules outside the European Union. We cannot promote them internationally, but, by closing the market to the unscrupulous people who practise this trade, we are not only sending a clear message but also helping to stop this practice."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples