Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-09-20-Speech-1-149"
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"en.20100920.20.1-149"2
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"I, too, wish to thank the rapporteur for her work on this report, one occasioned by the sad fact of the failure of our own European biodiversity strategy. This strategy, from 2000, was supposed to halt the loss of biodiversity. It has proved to be not so much a failure as an utter fiasco. After all, we have not even managed to slow the pace of decline. Like human locusts, we continue to strip our planet bare, and our hunger seems insatiable.
Is nothing being done? Of course it is. Natura 2000 has seen major successes in many Member States. Results have been achieved, but these have been far too limited. This is clear from the steadily growing list of endangered animal species. Many fine statements have been made, by the European Council, for example – another will certainly be added tomorrow at the General Assembly of the United Nations – but when the chips are down, the same people look the other way. When the shoe pinches and real choices have to be made, all at once, fishermen are considered more important than the survival of the many species of fish, a particular farmer is permitted to enlarge his or her holding at the expense of a sensitive natural site, or the timber industry is considered more important than the conservation of woodland.
We know from influential studies that, in the long term, these wrong choices are costing us 7% of the annual gross national product, which amounts to EUR 14 trillion – that is 12 zeros – each year! It is hard to imagine a bigger stick. In the coming months, we have the opportunity to show that we mean business – and not even with the definition of the new biodiversity strategy, but with the definition of the new agricultural policy, with the new fisheries policy, with new trade agreements. Indeed, it is in other fields that the fate of our flora and fauna will be decided.
Let those same ministers make their fine statements, and on those occasions keep their heads held high and show courage by making the right choices. Otherwise, the new biodiversity strategy will be as much of a paper tiger as the last one. I know one thing for sure and that is that, unlike real tigers, paper tigers will never die out – more than enough of them are being produced by the human race."@en1
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