Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-12-12-Speech-1-007-000"
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"en.20111212.3.1-007-000"2
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"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make a few remarks at the beginning of our part-session: I would like to draw your attention to the priority debate tomorrow. This will be the report by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, on the recent European Council summit. The longest possible time, or in other words nearly three hours, has been planned for the debate. I strongly encourage you to take part in this crucial debate for the European Union. This matter is vital for us.
My second remark is that news has reached us about the hammering out of an agreement at the climate conference in Durban. Of course, it is not satisfactory, because it does not specify any details of what is to happen in the future. However, I wish to stress that the European Union and the European Parliament’s delegations have played a very important role, with 15 of our fellow Members attending, and this time it seems that the European Union’s delegation spoke with one voice at the Conference. This is very important.
My next piece of information is that this year marks the60th anniversary of the signing of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This document forms the foundation of our EU asylum regulations. It also defines the international understanding of the term ‘refugee’. The European Parliament, as you know, is actively working on and involved in matters related to refugees. We have also participated in the negotiations on the common European asylum system. We are calling for its full implementation in 2012.
I would like to remind you, if I may, of the Shusha camp in Tunisia, housing refugees from Libya and citizens of almost all African countries. These are people who cannot return to their homeland. The European Union, and above all the Member States, should take a decision on this matter. The United States has agreed to accept 800 refugees, Norway 400, the European Union, at present – all the Member States together – 150. There are 3 800 refugees. They cannot return to their homeland and currently the Tunisian authorities are in charge of them. They live in the open desert in tents.
My last piece of information is that I would like to mention an important anniversary. Tomorrow it will be 30 years since the imposition of martial law by the Communist authorities in Poland, trying to crush the Solidarity movement. Many people died defending their right to freedom of expression and to freedom. Many people were arrested and persecuted. If we think about what Europe looks like now, 30 years later, especially Central and Eastern Europe, we can see what a great success we have achieved together. Without the help of Western democracies, human rights and democracy in the Central and Eastern Europe countries could not have developed the way they have. This is also a lesson to us to provide the same kind of help to the North African countries, the countries to the east of the Union and the Western Balkans.
Ladies and gentlemen, I still have the following pieces of news. One of them is very welcome, and so I shall deal with it straight away. In connection with the entry into force of Protocol 36 on transitional provisions concerning the composition of the European Parliament for the rest of the 2009-2014 parliamentary term, as of 1 December, or in other words for the past few days, Parliament has had 17 extra Members. We already have 17 new Members. The eighteenth Member, from the Netherlands, will join us in the near future.
If I may, I would now like to read out the names of our 17 new Members, and I would ask them to stand up once their name is read – since they are with us in the Chamber – as we would like to welcome them."@en1
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