Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-07-06-Speech-3-315"
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"en.20050706.28.3-315"2
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".
Mr President, besides being extremely important to the international community and to the European Union, the topic of landmines is also of great personal interest to me. During the war my father trod on a land-mine and had a leg amputated, so you can imagine that in a way that marked my whole childhood. I therefore, as Foreign Minister, felt very strongly committed to the fight against landmines and I think it is a centrepiece to our work on human security. As we have heard, landmines remain a threat in too many countries.
Five years after the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force and after the successful outcome of the Nairobi Review Conference last year, the international community, with the European Union as a leading force, has achieved significant progress towards a world without landmines. To date 144 countries have ratified the Mine Ban Treaty.
Whilst we have indeed achieved great successes, a lot remains to be done and there can be no long-term security without human security. Support for international mine action therefore continues to be amongst the most important political priorities of the European Union.
Our efforts to combat landmines are an integral part of our foreign humanitarian and development policy. In response to the Nairobi Action Plan, the European Commission adopted the second Mine Action Strategy for 2005 to 2007 at the end of last year. Its overarching objective is a zero-victim target. What we want is a world where no-one will be injured or killed by landmines. This is not a remote political dream. It is an achievable goal. To make it reality, the Commission is further strengthening international assistance in mine action, by strongly encouraging States to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty and also by helping them implement it.
In this regard, it is my pleasure to announce that, following the recent ratification by the Ukrainian Parliament of the Mine Ban Treaty, the Commission and the Ukrainian Government have just agreed the details of a major project for the destruction of land-mine stockpiles. We have explained to our Ukrainian partners that they needed to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty before we could release any funds. This is therefore an encouraging example of concrete cooperation that promotes universal adherence to the Treaty.
Our strategy is supported by a budget of EUR 140 million, 10% more than for the 2002 to 2004 Strategy. This money is well spent, not just on marking, clearing and destroying mines, but on alleviating the suffering of the victims, socio-economic reintegration and the enhancement of local and regional capacity. To give you just one specific figure, in Afghanistan we shall have spent approximately EUR 40 million between 2001 and 2006, in order to make the country safe for the civilian population.
I would like to stress that since the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty overall financial support from the Community and the Member States reached a record figure of over EUR 1 billion, almost half the global budget for land- mines. This proves that here too the European Union is a global actor that can make a difference and it also proves that the European Parliament and the Commission, together with the Council, are a strong team in foreign affairs. I very much welcome and support all your initiatives and thank you for having put them on the table.
Finally, I would like to say that we currently face heavy weather, but that is no reason to become introspective. We must remain firm in pursuing our ultimate external policy goal and that is a secure Europe in a better, more secure world."@en1
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