Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-20-Speech-1-104"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20081020.14.1-104"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Madam President, according to a study by the Commission that was published this week, long-distance commuters often suffer with headaches, sleep deprivation and poor relationships, and it follows that in all these international environments, including ours, there is probably a very high divorce rate. Anyhow, the figures which Commissioner Barrot quoted a moment ago once again suggest that international relationships are far more likely than national ones to end in divorce.
It is far more difficult, though, to formalise these divorces, while their impact is massive, for one of the partners is invariably based in a foreign country, where they do not have a social safety net or are not sufficiently familiar with the situation in that country, which makes it very difficult to reach a fair settlement.
This is why I should like to express my appreciation for the work of the rapporteur, Mrs Gebhardt: I think she has been very conscientious and has made sure that particularly the rights of weaker or less informed people are enhanced and that all partners are really well informed of their rights and know what is best for them.
What I do find important in this respect is that the website not only contains some kind of summary of the finances and how quickly you can get a divorce, but that, for example, attention is also devoted to the possible parenthood options. I happen to be of the opinion that the rights of the children should be safeguarded, although that is up to the parents. Whilst it is the parents, and not the government, who should determine what is right and in the interest of the child, it should be possible to reach a suitable solution, preferably one where the children are cared for by both parents. An agreement should in any event be on the table. Not everything should land on the woman’s shoulders, but there should be an agreement about how both parents deal with the matter.
I too found the comment made by our Swedish fellow MEP puzzling, because, if a woman wants to leave a marriage, surely it is awful if her husband should not be in agreement.
I should like to finish off by saying to the rapporteur that gay marriage does not exist in the Netherlands. We have a marriage that is open to all couples, irrespective of their sex. It is simply one marriage and it is therefore only the European Union, and not the Netherlands, that draws a distinction within our Dutch marriage"@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples