Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-11-03-Speech-3-138"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.19991103.9.3-138"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr Speaker, ladies and gentlemen thank you for the report. My group supports the line that has been chosen. Technical cooperation is important, of course. Russia has considerable scientific resources, especially in the field of basic research, and a large proportion of it remains untapped and unutilised in an international context. The unstable situation in the country has not interrupted research work, although it too is experiencing difficulties. There is a shortage of available funds, salaries are delayed, and it is difficult to produce scientific publications; the shelves of the shops are filled with cheap literature: thrillers, sex and so on.
In the 1993 – 1998 period, the European Union financed cooperation in the area of techno-scientific research to the tune of approximately EUR 140 million. 35,000 scientists from Russia have been involved in these projects. Quite a number of government officials seem to be travelling into Russia, too. I would be obliged if the Commission could inform us as to what the proportion of officials is to scientists. Currently, EUR 90,000 is spent each year on meetings and travel.
Agriculture is one area of research cooperation. I would also like it to cover organic production, for example. In Russia, small farmers have actually been compelled to switch to organic production because they cannot afford chemical fertilisers. They are therefore surprisingly close to the organic ideal that we aspire to here. Cooperation would also be important where industrial methods and organisation are concerned. We could make significant progress in that area. There is also talk about “the technology of the information society” being part of the cooperation referred to in the agreement. But why is the content sector of the information society not included? In many ways, Russia is a very content-rich country. Where content is concerned, we are lagging behind our main competitor, the United States, and the Russians really do have very different angles, which ought to be exploited.
Finally, I would like to refer to the war in Chechnya, where the relentless fighting continues – or bombing, to be exact. The number of refugees is on the increase, and conditions have become horrific. The Russian leadership refuses to react to any of this. The real victims are now civilians, not the terrorists, as they call the Chechen rebels. It seems more and more likely that this is all part of the Russian election campaign. Those responsible for the explosions in Moscow have not been found, or have at least not been charged. This amounts to pulverisation of a nation, and I believe we should become more seriously involved, in order to make Moscow listen and take heed. This is something that cannot be tolerated."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples