Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-07-05-Speech-3-194"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000705.6.3-194"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow’s vote will be the acid test of whether the European Parliament takes protecting children’s health and the precautionary principle seriously, or whether we are willing to play fast and loose with our children’s health. The facts are before us: plasticisers in children’s toys represent a massive risk for children’s health and can even be carcinogenic.
Despite all these alarming facts, the Commission has unfortunately only dared to take one teetering step forward. The proposal covers only six plasticisers and only in teething rings. This really is totally inadequate and takes no account at all of the possible risks. It is high time that all plasticisers were banned from all baby toys. These phthalates are totally unnecessary, and many toy manufacturers have been managing without them for years. I therefore totally fail to comprehend the whole lobbying campaign being mounted by the chemical industry.
I regard the argument put forward by the chemical industry, and unfortunately also by many Members of this House, as absolutely cynical. They say that we still need proof. Excuse me, just what proof do we need? One dead child, two dead children or 100 dead children? That is what I call cynical! The precautionary principle means that we have a duty to ensure protection from the outset. Of all people, children are the most sensitive section of our population, and they are not in a position to protect their own interests. We are faced here with a highly urgent task, that of eliminating all risks in this area.
We know that many Member States have long since forged ahead with a total ban on phthalates. We must support this and there is no way that the European Parliament should act as a braking force. Quite the contrary, we should be the driving force behind this initiative to finally ban plasticisers from all toys.
Just one last sentence by way of conclusion: I hope that banning a chemical from a consumer product for the first time will give a signal that we are perhaps finally considering abandoning PVC and will have the courage to drop this dangerous technology."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples