Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-03-Speech-2-182"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2000-10-03"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Progress towards accession by the 12 candidate countries (continued)2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20001003.5.2-182"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2000-10-03-Speech-2-1832
lpv:speaker	lp:Michael Cashman2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, first of all, as Socialist rapporteur for the report on Romania, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur on her excellent report. I believe that Romania has embraced the challenge of a transition to an open democratic market economy. It has successfully embraced reforms which are essential to secure a more prosperous and safer future. As both the Commission report and Baroness Nicholson's report acknowledges, some progress has been made in improving conditions for some minorities. Romania has ratified major human rights conventions such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the revised European Social Charter. But ratification is not enough. What matters most is implementation of the rights contained in those conventions. I also believe that the Commission wrongly defines minority rights solely in terms of the Roma and Hungarian communities. The rights of these minorities are essential to a free, open, democratic and European Romania, but I am also particularly concerned about the rights of other minorities such as the groups listed in Article 13 of the TEU: those who suffer from discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religious belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Laws do not in themselves solve the problems. Indeed, the Romanian Upper House refuses to act on removing homosexuality from the penal code. This is nothing short of scandalous. Blatant discrimination occurs in other countries such as Poland and Malta. In Poland recently, the former President, Lech Walensa, told a campaign rally, 'I believe these people (gays) need medical treatment. Imagine if they were all like that! We would not have any descendants.' That is as ignorant as it is misinformed and we must make every effort to ensure that when we look at the accession countries human rights and the treatment of the minorities are at the top of the agenda."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	member; Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 member; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 unknown; Labour Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Cashman (PSE )."1

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