Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-27-Speech-4-010"
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"en.20070927.3.4-010"2
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"Mr President, colleagues, I should like to thank Mrs Buitenweg for the work she has done, which is of a high calibre. The report makes a number of fair and balanced points, and the major problems with the Directive’s application are covered thoroughly.
It is true that very few of our fellow citizens are clearly aware of their rights in the event of finding themselves the victims of discrimination. So it would seem essential to ensure that the relevant information is more effectively disseminated, particularly as this is the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. Specifically, I support the idea of granting sufficient resources to the bodies tasked with promoting equality. Theirs is a key role here and, as the report rightly states, it is imperative that they should remain independent.
The most worrying point made, however, concerns the failure of certain Member States to transpose the Directive, or to transpose it fully. We absolutely must take steps to ensure that all the Member States enact the laws necessary so that each individual, irrespective of his or her country of residence, can enjoy the essential level of protection.
With regard to the most sensitive issue addressed, namely data collection, the report is careful to stipulate that it must be carried out in a manner respectful of personal privacy, and solely for the purpose of detecting forms of discrimination from which minorities may suffer. It must never veer into the dangerous territory of ethnic profiling, but it must ultimately deliver the information required for gauging the extent of the discrimination and producing suitable solutions.
When it comes to a principle of such fundamental importance as equality of treatment, Europe cannot be content simply to pay lip service, Europe cannot be content to enact a bare minimum of legislation, and Europe cannot be content to be a mere observer. We do need to be watchful, but it is also up to us to act, to lead the way and to ensure that Europe sets an example: the more we can do that, the less we leave ourselves open to reproach."@en1
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