Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-01-Speech-3-087"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20090401.14.3-087"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"− Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur very much for all the hard work which she has put into this report and the close cooperation that we have had on this. We have worked very closely together, not just on this report, but, as she knows, along with other people, we have both been working on this issue for many years now, for the 10 years since I came into the European Parliament. I remember that we sat together on Article 13 hearings all that time ago. Now, eventually, we have got to the situation where we are debating an anti-discrimination directive, a possibility at long last that we might push through anti-discrimination legislation on all grounds not covered – disability, age, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. We have waited many years for this. Let us just hope that we get that large majority.
I have campaigned on disability and age for many years, but I was convinced quite some time ago that we could not leave anybody behind. We could not just go forward with a disability directive, and then an age directive, because I thought sexual orientation and religion would be left behind. That is why, in the own-initiative report last year, I asked for a single directive to cover all areas that were not yet covered. I am delighted that has happened. I am also very pleased we got such a large majority in Parliament for that own-initiative report. I know from the Commission and the Council that this was one of the reasons they thought it was safe to bring this proposal forward. That is why we have to get a very large majority for this report tomorrow.
I would also like to say a very great thank you to Commissioner Špidla. I have thanked him at other times, but I wanted to thank him in the plenary because, without his support and help, I honestly do not believe that we would have this proposal on the table at present. So, Commissioner, a sincere thank you from a lot of us, for pushing this forward. I know you have been doing a lot of work on this yourself.
We got it through the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. We now need that large majority. Everyone should be treated equally across the EU. A wheelchair user or a guide-dog user should have free access anywhere within the European Union. Somebody of a different sexual orientation should be allowed to use any hotel room that they want to, and stay at any hotel when they go on holiday. All older people should have the right to have access to health care, whatever their age. People of a different religion should not be discriminated against.
I urge all of you who are thinking of voting against this, please do not. This is the bedrock of the European Union. We were founded on human rights and anti-discrimination. Please vote for it."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples