Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-12-Speech-1-108-000"
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"en.20110912.21.1-108-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I repeat the Commission’s position, which I believe is fully in line with the text presented by Mr Bütikofer: when it comes to the issue of raw materials, we are aiming for a balanced strategy that is based on three pillars, namely the strategy within the European Union, the strategy outside the European Union and the strategy to promote innovation; and I shall begin with the last one, which is, I repeat, a balanced position, a balanced strategy.
The European Commission, in one of the first documents that it presented on innovation, insisted on the innovation partnership, and the second innovation partnership is the one that specifically concerns the issue of raw materials. It has obtained the Council’s backing, and we intend to build on this decision with the involvement of the European Parliament. The innovation partnership will focus on recycling and substitution, so it is neither a stopgap measure nor a fallback option. Rather, the innovation partnership came before the document on raw materials, and so it is incorrect to say that the European Commission thought about other things before the innovation partnership and recycling measures. I regret that many of the Members who tabled questions are absent at the moment, but our decision to promote recycling and substitution measures was actually taken before the document on raw materials was presented.
As regards the strategy within the European Union, perhaps I spoke too quickly in Italian, and Ms Ulvskog was unable to hear what I said about Sweden: I said that Greenland will be one of the places that we visit so that we can carry out work to see what can be done in relation to raw materials; I said that I took part in and co-convened with the Swedish Government a meeting held in the European Parliament and presided over by the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, in which initiatives concerning raw materials in the Barents Sea were discussed. I have already arranged a visit to Sweden with the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs so that I can go and see what can be done in relation to raw materials in the area concerned. I repeat – since the interpretation may not have been accurate when I spoke in Italian, and I therefore wanted to reassure Ms Ulvskog – that I have not forgotten about Sweden. However, Greenland was part of Denmark until fairly recently, and today there is a union with the Kingdom of Greenland. I therefore think that Greenland is not all that far removed from our Europe.
With regard to international policy, I wish to reassure you – and I regret that Ms Matias and Ms Figueiredo are not in the Chamber at present – that I have no intention of pursuing neocolonial policies in Africa. I come from a country that was the first to apologise to Africa for the mistakes made and the atrocities committed during the colonial era; I do not think that Europe should have a colonial policy in that continent. Rather, my work in relation to raw materials agreements sees the countries of Africa becoming involved and playing a strong role: all this work has been examined in meetings with the African Union in close cooperation with many countries of the African Union, precisely because Africa must not be regarded as a victim of neocolonialism. Moreover, I do not believe that Europe’s aim today is neocolonialism.
With regard to an issue that was raised by Ms Schnieber-Jastram and Mr Lange when tabling their question, and subsequently highlighted by Ms Ek, I should like to say that the Commission is seriously committed to supporting the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which is an emerging international standard designed to ensure transparent revenues and accountability within the sector.
We have recently increased our support for this initiative by contributing to the Multi-Donor Trust Fund and cofinancing an expert group, supporting national projects and participating more in the Council. However, the initiative still has its shortcomings, starting with the fact that, of the more than 50 hydrocarbon- and mineral resource-rich countries that are covered by the Trust Fund, only nine have so far complied with the provisions of the EITI.
As regards the presentation of a formal proposal on a country reporting requirement following the discussion with the EU Member States and Parliament, the Commission is exploring the possibility of introducing a country-by-country financial reporting requirement for publicly traded companies in the EU, and, depending on the outcome of the assessment being carried out, we may be able to table a legislative proposal on the subject in autumn. The proposal will supplement and enhance the EITI and will be implemented in the same spirit as the US Dodd-Frank Act, to which Mr Bütikofer referred. Public consultation on the issue took place from October 2010 to 2011, and the results are currently being assessed.
As regards the last issue, stockpiling, we believe that the responsibility for guaranteeing raw material supplies essentially lies with companies and that the role of political and institutional authorities is to ensure the most suitable working conditions. However, the Commission is willing to discuss, in close cooperation with the Member States, the benefits of a raw materials stockpiling programme, the practical ways in which to implement it and the added value of such a programme, which could, moreover, take inspiration from the existing oil reserve programme. This possibility has begun to be examined in a pilot survey, which is still under way.
I have not responded to all of the issues raised during the debate but I am due to speak for another half an hour, and I think that it is important to listen to Mr Bütikofer instead. However, I remain at the disposal of all the MEPs to address any individual issues relating to the EU raw materials strategy."@en1
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