Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-07-Speech-4-235"
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"en.20020207.14.4-235"2
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"Mr President, firstly, I should like to pay respect to my colleagues Mr Watts, Mr Savary and Mrs Darras for bringing this point to the House for our consideration. It is ironic that I speak on this subject because, as a rapporteur, I helped push through this House the issue of free movement of goods at border areas where there was disruption. Primarily it was meant to attack the issue of industrial relations at borders. But this is interesting: I praise and applaud the Commission's lateral thinking about the application of these articles that have been laid before them.
I knew then, as I know now, that the requirements set down in that particular set of articles were merely mechanistic, that it comes down to political goodwill. People here today will appreciate that it requires all parties to pay attention to what is happening at the Channel Tunnel and to make sure that they do not allow it to be obscured by the mere arguments, cultural or political, that exist there.
There are problems. In this particular issue there are problems of slender resources – we understand that – whether of the police or of security personnel at the areas where they are involved. But we need to get freight through unfettered. Let us also recognise that this is an international problem. People have been displaced as a consequence of wars and of major disruption and there are also economic émigrés who will pay any price to get into the UK. Quite often it is a price paid to criminal gangs, there to exploit the motivation of these people.
Real solutions, therefore, lie in the hands of politicians coordinating their actions at government level. Peace and development in the areas of the world facing crisis are also what we must strive for. In France we have also seen, all too unfortunately, human tragedy that has left in our minds the human aspect of all that is going on there.
The attempts of the French authorities to tighten security are welcome. The highest level of vigilance must continue to be demanded, as Mr Watts has said.
Attending to this question in the House confirms the international status and interest which it deserves. Not just the Channel Tunnel, but other issues as well, will be resolved by such processes. This gives us just such a platform to launch that process."@en1
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