Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-23-Speech-4-166"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20031023.5.4-166"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner Lamy, I have long been endeavouring to extract from the Commission figures relating to the number of jobs to be lost in the leaf tobacco production sector, the related manufacturing industry and in associated sectors. So far, my efforts have been in vain.
I put a specific question to the Commission yesterday and received a reply today. This reiterated that the reform will not have a negative impact on the income of the holdings. The Commission has also reiterated here and now that the reform will not have a negative impact on producers’ incomes either. To date, however, the Commission has failed to respond to the question concerning the effect of the reform on employment. You are yourself on record as stating that no specific assessment exists, Commissioner. I have received similar information in written answers, despite indications that 14 Directorates-General have been exercised on the subject.
Commissioner Lamy, I feel it is irresponsible to undertake such a far-reaching reform without any information on the implications for jobs. Some 100 000 directly related jobs are at risk in the sector, together with 500 000 indirectly related ones. I believe the Commission does actually know this. I suggest it is withholding the figures because it is fully aware of their alarming proportions. I suggest too that the Commission is fully aware of the devastating consequences of the reform for employment and the regions affected. I can certainly forecast them myself, and so can all those who understand the sector and work in it. We are all also aware that the accompanying measures will prove inadequate. Incidentally, these measures are not additional, Commissioner. They come from the producers themselves. In any case, they will be insufficient.
Commissioner, producers are up in arms in Extremadura, the region I represent. They rightly believe the reform to be brutal, radical and unjustified. They feel they are about to be sacrificed in the interests of a cause ridden with misinterpretations. They find themselves in an unbearable situation. They are angry because they have been at the receiving end of hypocritical and misleading statements. Allow me to remind you, Commissioner, that in June the Commission gave assurances that reform would be undertaken taking account of the social situation in the least-favoured regions. Allow me to recall also that in June Parliament and the Council were instrumental in obtaining a political compromise. This entailed Mr Fischler abandoning the maximalist approach of total decoupling. Despite all of this, there is now a proposal for total decoupling of the most labour-intensive CMO.
Commissioner, I join with previous speakers in urging the Commission to reflect. Before adopting these regulations, I beg you to spare a thought for the anguish of those families and the future of the regions concerned. They must not be sacrificed on the altar of hypocrisy. I am put in mind of that excellent account of hypocrisy provided by the famous French dramatist Molière in his play
."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
"Tartuffe"1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples