Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-21-Speech-3-362"
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"en.20080521.25.3-362"2
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Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, much has been said on this topic in the past and unfortunately I am of the view that much will still have to be said before a definitive solution is found; my colleagues said as much earlier and explained it very well.
Measures have been put in place by some Member States to prohibit the production and any use of this type of armament for commercial or bellicose purposes. There have been several requests by this Parliament, there are documents in the form of photographs and testimonies, and there are reasonable grounds for considering that Italian military personnel died as a result of exposure to these kinds of weapons.
There is a UN resolution expressing widespread concern and there have been various requests for in-depth studies of the issue. There is the precautionary principle which, in accordance with European Union law, should dictate a general moratorium at least until such time as definitive scientific data is produced.
However, none of this has so far resulted in the anticipated outcome. Depleted uranium continues to be used in theatres of war, whether rural or urban. There is no question that chemical matter penetrates the soil and gets into aquifers and crops and therefore there can be no question that particles of depleted uranium which are in contact with the soil disperse into the subsoil, contaminating underground waters and agricultural produce, obviously resulting in the spread of disease among exposed populations and, to a lesser extent, worldwide through the water cycle and the cycle of elements, especially in an ever-expanding global market system.
There are, admittedly, no definitive studies as yet to prove the danger, but there can be no denying that the parameters of which we are aware today do not rule out that a risk may exist. That consideration alone must force advanced democracies to study the matter in more depth and take a decision.
The European Union in particular cannot, in my opinion, continue to do nothing. The Union has clear duties towards its Member States, clear duties towards the rest of the world, clear duties towards its own citizens. The Union has economic resources which it can use and no restrictions in terms of science and available laboratories. Doing nothing is unquestionably the result of a choice, not of a lack of available resources and means.
In view of all this, it is clear that the Council and the Commission cannot avoid their citizens, whether civilians or military personnel, from being posted to areas of the world where these types of munitions are and have been used, but neither can they avoid taking every possible initiative at an early stage to make adjustments to their manufacture and use and, in the light of scientific data, prepare for an outright ban and definitive destruction.
This is what we are seeking in the hope that the Council and the Commission will demonstrate in practice their sense of responsibility, given that this is not a woolly political issue, but a matter of public health."@en1
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