Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-18-Speech-4-203"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000518.7.4-203"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I wish to make three points. Firstly, I should like to congratulate the rapporteur, the draftspeople and the Commission – in particular Commissioner Diamantopoulou – on the directive and the report we have in front of us.
It has been a long time coming. I was the chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into the growth of racism and fascism in Europe back in 1986, when our rapporteur, Mr Evregenis, proposed such legislation. I myself was the rapporteur for the Committee of Inquiry into Racism and Xenophobia in 1990 that reiterated that demand.
I suppose in a way it was worth waiting. We have here legislation that will make a real impact on the lives of the 12 to 14 million third country nationals living in the European Union and the 4 million black Europeans.
Secondly, and without subtracting an iota from my support for the report and the directive as a whole, the Council will have to resolve a number of outstanding issues: on representative actions, on the definition of indirect discrimination and, as the previous speaker said, on the burden of proof.
The last of these must be workable, because otherwise we will keep the previous speaker happy! The best basis is the existing burden-of-proof legislation, which is now underpinned by 25 years of case-law, and where the numbers are not available, expert opinion will suffice.
Thirdly and finally, I wish to warn my colleagues in the PPE Group. Many of them – the large majority I believe – have been genuinely concerned that Parliament’s procedures have not given them adequate time to consider the detail. Yet a few clearly have darker motives. With Mr Haider and Mr Le Pen lurking in the background, the Vlaams Blok and the Movimento Sociale Fiamma Tricolore promoting racism and xenophobia, the PPE Group, as a whole, should not be surprised if people conclude that if they continue with their technical objections, then this is a thinly disguised attempt to block these proposals which the vast majority of Europe so much welcomes. Those who lie down with dogs get fleas."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples