Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-23-Speech-2-334"
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"en.20080923.37.2-334"2
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"−
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it seems to me that this debate has been very useful, because it has certainly demonstrated the wishes of Parliament, the Commission and the Council to take action together to tackle a phenomenon that is becoming ever more worrying, namely piracy, and to give a response to European citizens on this issue.
I endorse the analysis that has emerged from the debate: it is not enough merely to take military action, which is a fundamental point, but it must also be taken swiftly, and I do not believe that we should dwell over-long on issues of competence, whether it ought to be the European Union or NATO – we must not waste time. I believe that we must step up coordination, but we have a duty to intervene, to prevent pirate organisations from strengthening their positions.
At the same time, it is important to take action to prevent and eradicate the possible causes of the growth of the phenomenon and of the recruitment of pirates. Someone said during course of the debate that it is becoming very profitable to carry out piracy, and in areas where poverty is at very high levels it is clear that it is easy for pirate organisations to recruit people, especially the young, who are prepared to do anything and prepared to enlist in these paramilitary organisations.
That is why, at the same time as taking measures directed at control and repression, which must be taken by the EU countries, and I am pleased about what has already been done, we must act – and here the Commission has a significant role to play – to help certain developing countries to grow in economic terms, to prevent poverty from becoming a tool that facilitates piracy.
Of course, we must then also work to understand – and here again the Commission can play a very important role – what lies behind piracy, what the links are with fundamentalism and with terrorism; what the points of strength are, what the reasons are. The Commission can give significant help here to the other European institutions.
We can certainly not stand by, we can certainly not wait, and certainly, too, with the strong action by Parliament pushing the Council and the Commission to act, we must guarantee safety for sea workers, and we must guarantee safety for goods coming from outside the European Union to supply the European Union. We must guarantee the issue not only – it is right to deal with it not only in the seas closest to the European Union – where there are also fishermen operating and Mrs Fraga told us, with concern, about events that are taking place even closer to us.
We must also look at what is happening in other parts of the world because piracy also affects ships flying the flags of EU countries in very remote seas. That is why we must not waste any more time, but it seems to me that the wish of the European Union has been clearly shown today, and particularly that of the Council, with the support of the Commission, to intervene and to continue to take firm action to prevent and, I also believe, through strategic projects to prevent any increase in terrorist action.
That is why the Council will receive support from the Commission on all initiatives to combat terrorism and also to prevent it; we want to prevent and to combat terrorism, let us say, that is linked to piracy. Thus, with the vigilant eye of Parliament, I believe that this cooperation can lead us to a positive result. On defence, I also endorse the view of Mr Bussereau on the words of our friend General Morillon: it is a matter of defending not just the interests but also the values of the European Union."@en1
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