Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-18-Speech-4-209"
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"en.20000518.7.4-209"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank Mrs Buitenweg and Mr Howitt for their excellent work and the Commission for their proposals. It is essential that we take advantage of the opportunity that is represented in the Commission's proposals on the whole of Article 13. The time is right to do so. In recent years we have witnessed across Europe a steady rise in racist crime, violence, discrimination and, it pains me to say, ‘political rhetoric’ which plays on racial discrimination.
I feel a heightened sense of urgency as we contemplate and embark upon the enlargement process. That is why this debate is so important because it strikes at the heart of how we define Europe and ourselves as Europeans. We are more than a trading block. We are a group of nations based on a set of values – a set of ideals which must be incorporated and reinforced in all that we do.
I hope that this approach will be addressed when we look at the situation effecting all minorities. The price if we do not is a Europe falling far short of its true potential. That is why this directive and the Article 13 package, as a whole, are so significant. They demonstrate that the Member States, Parliament and the Commission are serious about the long-term eradication of discrimination and racism. It is not perfect. It does not fulfil my every ambition, yet it represents a start to a fight against racism in Europe, in our nations, our regions and, more importantly, in our communities.
One day I hope to be standing in this Chamber debating directives which will aim to eradicate discrimination specifically based on, for example, disability, age and sexual orientation. These current steps must be applauded but there is still a long way to go.
Finally, the spectacle of a white middle-class British male Tory giving a lecture on discrimination and the effects of discrimination would be laughable if it was not so damning and lamentable.
Ultimately, discrimination kills and it blights the souls of those who practice it and those who encourage it."@en1
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