Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-08-Speech-2-011"
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"en.20080708.4.2-011"2
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"Mr President, today’s debate is very special, since it is based on a request from ordinary citizens in the European Union. I would like to welcome those in the gallery who are the authors of the petition that formed the basis for today’s debate. Mr Krzysztof Mączkowski is there, who represents many ecological organisations, and, I think, Mrs Morkunaite from Lithuania. The petition was signed by nearly 30 000 people. Signatures keep coming in to the Committee on Petitions. This debate is, without any doubt, being watched by many millions and by public opinion in all the countries on the Baltic Sea.
The history of this petition in the European Parliament was that, first of all, we had a number of discussions on this subject within the Committee on Petitions. These discussions were based on extremely strong presentations made by the authors of the petition. In total we had five debates on this subject. We also organised a public hearing. During the public hearing world-renowned specialists discussed and upheld what the petitioners had said: that the threat to the natural environment of the Baltic is enormous and whether it is at all worthwhile to take such a gamble on such a huge investment. While these discussions were going on in the Committee on Petitions and when the European Parliament agreed for the issue to be debated publicly, which is what is happening today, additional debates took place in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The texts put forward for approval obtained ninety percent support in the Committee on Petitions and in both the other committees.
It was only then that, suddenly, there was significant activity among the opponents and critics of this report and the arguments contained in it. Suddenly 180 amendments were submitted to the Committee on Petitions. Almost all of them were rejected. A similar experience faced the advisory committees. One could see this immense offensive – there is no other way to describe it – by Nord Stream. We received voting instructions prepared by Nord Stream; that was in the Committee on Petitions. I have worked in the European Parliament for four years and this is the first time in my experience that anyone involved in lobbying actually told Members how to vote and put forward amendment after amendment: abstain on this one, vote ‘yes’ to this one, vote ‘no’ to that one.
Today’s debate is based on 40 different opinions and expert reports. Ladies and gentlemen, there are three parties in this consideration: the ordinary citizens of the Union, enormous political and economic capital, and the European Parliament. The European Parliament should speak for the ordinary citizens of the European Union. Let us learn from the lesson of what happened in the referenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland. We want to gain the trust of ordinary citizens in the European Union and I hope that this will be the attitude of all the Members in this Parliament.
I would like to thank all those who helped us get to the point where we can actually have this debate today. I would like to thank Mrs Foltyn-Kubicka, who has prepared a wonderful exhibition here in the European Parliament on the Baltic Sea, Mr Cashman, who is the first Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Petitions, and Mr Beazley, who is the Chairman of the Baltic-Europe Intergroup in the European Parliament. I would also like to thank the Secretariat of the Committee on Petitions, including David Lowe, Karen Chioti and Silvia Cannalire, as well as those who have given me advice, help and cooperation: Szymon Szynkowski, Norbert Napierajów, Wojciech Danecki, Witold Ziobrze and Michał Krupiński. These are the people who had the greatest input into this work."@en1
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