Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-18-Speech-1-102"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070618.15.1-102"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, the Socialist Group will be supporting the trialogue compromise and all its elements, as outlined by the rapporteur, Mr Schnellhardt. I should like to thank him for all his hard work and, like Mr Titley, his patience, because this has become a very complex dossier and one on which emotions have started to run high.
We are supporting this compromise because we want the European drinks industry to have high-quality products for consumers and we want to protect our industry on the world markets. What we do not want to do with this legislation is to give one country’s type of production an advantage over another country’s type of production. That is not the aim of the legislation. There is room for all European producers, as long as they meet high quality standards.
That brings me to the vodka compromise. I think it is a good compromise. Why? Because, as Mr Schnellhardt has said, for the first time it recognises that there is a special place for traditional manufacturers using cereals and potatoes. But, at the same time, it allows other long-standing producers of vodka to continue to market their products on the European market – and they will be labelled.
We cannot have a situation as proposed by some of the amendments which seek to take certain European producers off the market. That would never get a majority in this House and would never get a majority in the Council. Everybody has to work in a spirit of compromise and what we have got on the table has something for everybody.
We have also got to work with facts. It is simply not true that the compromise on vodka would allow you to make vodka, for example, from animal waste, as has been circulated again in this House today. That is not true. It is made from very high-quality agricultural products.
I want to say something to the British Conservatives about vodka. I understand from their press release last week they are not supporting the compromise now and they have accused Labour of selling the British vodka industry down the river. I have to say that this is vital for European jobs, it is vital for the drinks industry, which employs 60 000 people, and has the support of British industry as well as European vodka producers and other drinks manufacturers. I can see surprise from some Members. I hope we will have this clarified because I have the press release here.
Finally, it is not just about vodka, it is about high-quality drinks. Many colleagues from different countries have come to Mr Schnellhardt, myself and other colleagues and asked for certain changes because of their traditional production. All those things have been met. The Council and the Commission have been very helpful and I very much hope that tomorrow, after, as Mr Titley has said, 18 years have passed since we started trying to get this legislation on the statute book, we just go ahead and do it and protect European jobs."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples