Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-20-Speech-1-103"
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"en.20081020.14.1-103"2
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".
Madam President, before I address the matter in hand, I should like to propose that, in future, we ask each Council presidency to bring a wax doll or a blow-up doll to this Chamber, since the Council itself is always absent from debates of this kind and I do like to address somebody. You may be able to pass on this request formally to the presidency. I gather my fellow MEPs are in agreement with me.
Finally, I can only express the hope, should closer cooperation be achieved against all odds, that all 26 Member States that had reached agreement, including mine, would conform.
First of all, I should like to congratulate and, also on behalf of my group, express my support for the rapporteur, who has done an excellent job over the past year. All credit to her.
Madam President, the EU is not, of course, concerned with conjugal ethics, but with guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens wherever they may be and whomever they decide to marry. Indeed, it is none of our business who they decide to marry, but what we have to do is to safeguard citizens' rights. In this light, it is extremely unfortunate that the Member States have failed to reach agreement.
I should like to say to my very esteemed Swedish fellow MEPs that I have the feeling that there is a huge misunderstanding. I believe human rights, those of women in particular, to be strengthened, not weakened, by this. Indeed, I welcome the fact that, in the 21st century, people can make individual decisions about their own lives – and divorce may be part and parcel of this.
Moreover, like the rapporteur, I should like to say that my group will also be voting against the amendments put forward by the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, and I also disagree with Mr Casini’s arguments.
It is also a question of principle, because I think we should decide for ourselves what we want for our citizens, and we should not let fear for the sharia get the better of us. There are sufficient guarantees built into the present proposal and in the additional amendment by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, which we will be backing. This has been the subject of previous discussions.
Furthermore, I should like to say the following – and with this, I am reacting to the comments made by Mr Casini – that it is actually very harsh that the same arguments used to rule out certain systems of law – sharia for example – are also used, or referred to within the European Union, not to recognise totally legal marriages contracted within the EU, purely on account of the couple’s sexual orientation. This is, to my mind, a complete anomaly.
I should like to repeat that I find it extremely unfortunate that the Member States have failed to reach agreement.
If I understand it correctly, the Commission is hanging onto a European solution for the time being. This fills me with great pleasure. I realise that it is an extremely difficult thing to do: if this problem, even despite Mr Sarkozy’s enormous drive, has not been solved, it must be very difficult indeed."@en1
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