Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-10-20-Speech-3-738"

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"Madam President, Commissioner, I would like to say that the abolition of duties and barriers to trade as a step in the provision of aid to Pakistan in connection with this major disaster is extremely welcome. I will say, probably for the first time in this Chamber, that I am impressed by both the Commission’s and the Council’s swift action and resolve on this issue. It is certainly the case that money is needed. However, what is the point of providing support and money – other than to assuage our own bad conscience – if, at the same time, we make it more difficult, by means of duties and barriers to trade, for people to recover by their own efforts. What we are doing right now, namely comprehensively and quickly abolishing duties and barriers to trade on all 75 different tariff lines, corresponding to 27% of Pakistan’s exports, is an excellent response to the disaster that this country is facing. However, we in Parliament now have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to act swiftly. In other words, this must not turn into an example of how long the political process can take. Pakistan needs money and aid now – not in a year’s time. We must demonstrate that we understand that. At the same time, I am disheartened to see how wide the opposition to this is. I received a petition from European textile producers expressing their opposition to this, as they were afraid that Pakistan would export more to Europe, which they did not want. However, is that not the whole point of it? Is it not the intention that they should be able to trade with us in order to get themselves out of poverty? If European consumers were to get slightly cheaper textiles, would that be a problem? Free trade and solidarity are often embraced here right up until we are to make a decision on them. Let us here and now demonstrate that these values are most important to us when they are needed the most. There is probably no better opportunity to stand up for both free trade and solidarity than in connection with this proposal."@en1
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