Official Journal of the European Communities Debates of the European Parliament 1995/96 Session. Report of proceedings from 12 to 16 February 1996

ISSN 0378-5041
Official Journal
Annex
of the
European Communities
No 4-475
Debates of the European Parliament
English edition
1995/96 Session
Report of proceedings
from 12 to 16 February 1996
Europe House, Strasbourg
Sitting of Monday, 12 February 1996
General contents
1. Resumption of the session, p. 1 - 2. Statement by the President, p. 1 - 3. Order
of business, p. 2 - 4. Waiver of parliamentary immunity, p. 4
11-7. Transport, p. 19 6. Green paper on tourism, p.
24
Sitting of Tuesday, 13 February 1996
1 Approval of the Minutes, p. 25 - 2. Decision on urgency, p. 25 - 3. Application
of Community law 1994, p. 26 - 4. Equal pay, p. 34 - 5. Welcome, p. 43 -
6 Structural funds - Objective 2, p. 43 - 7. Votes, p. 50 - 8. Competition policy,
p. 55 - 9. Telecommunications and ONP, p. 63-10. Posting of workers - Pension
rights, p. 70 - 11. Question Time (Commission), p. 74
89 Sitting of Wednesday, 14 February 1996
1 Approval of the Minutes, p. 90 - 2. Television broadcasting, p. 91 - 3. Northern
Ireland peace process, p. 105 - 4. Votes, p. 112 - 5. Public health, p. 120 -
6 Situation in former Yugoslavia, p. 129 - 7. Financial cooperation with Turkey,
p. 136 - 8. Question Time (Council), p. 142 - 9. Situation in the Aegean Sea,
p. 152 - 10. Fatwa against Salman Rushdie, p. 155 - 11. Cormorants, p. 158 -
12. Protection of wild birds, p. 161 - Annex: Question Time, p. 171 NOTE TO READER
Parallel editions will also appearing in the following official languages of the Union:
Danish, German, Greek, Spanish. French, Italian. Dutch and Portuguese. The English
edition contains the original texts of the interventions in English and anh
translation, provided by freelance translators, of those made in other languages. In these
cases, the following letters appear in brackets after the name of the speaker to indicate the
language spoken: (DA) for Danish, (DE) for German, (EL) for Greek. (ES) for Spanish,
(FR) for French, (IT) for Italian, (NL) for Dutch. (PT) for Portuguese. (Fl) for Finnish and
(SV) for Swedish.
The original texts of these interventions appear in the edition published in the language
spoken.
Contents (continued) Sitting of Thursday, 15 February 1996 201
1. Approval of the Minutes, p.2 — 2. CAP prospects - Trade agreements for
agricultural producers - Starch industry, p.3 - 3. Votes, p. 216 - 4. Topical and
urgent debate, p. 225 - Extradition of Spanish citizens, p. 226 - Human Rights,
p. 230 - China/Taiwan, p. 239 - Niger, p. 241 - Disasters, p. 243 - 5. Aerospace
industry, p. 248 - 6. Mediterranean fisheries, p. 252 - 7. Fisheries agreement with
Madagascar, p. 255 - 8. Fishing in the Baltic, Belts and the Sound, p. 259 -
9. Salmon dumping, p. 260
Sitting of Friday, 16 February 1996 263
1. Approval of the Minutes, p.3 - 2. Votes, p.3 - 3. Economic aid to former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, p.6 - 4. Tobacco, p. 268 - 5. Aid to uprooted
people, p. 270 - 6. Aid to Moldova, p. 275 - 7. Imports of sensitive products to
the Canary Islands, p. 277 - 8. Adjournment of the session, p. 279
Abbreviations used for Political Groups as shown following the name of the speaker
(PSE) Group of the Party of the European Socialists
(PPE)p of the European People's Party (Christian-Democratic Group)
(UPE)p of the Union for Europe
(ELDR) Group of the European Liberal Democratic and Reformist Party
(GUE/NGL) Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left
(V) Green Group in the European Parliament
(ARE) Group of the European Radical Alliance
(EDN) Europe of Nations Group (Coordination Group)
(NI) Non-attached Members
Resolutions adopted at the sitting of 12 to 16 February 1996 appear in the Official
Journal of the European Communities C 65, 4.3.1996. Debates of the European Parliament No 4­475/1 12.2.96
SITTING OF MONDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 1996
Contents
/. Resumption of the session
2. Statement by the President
Banotti
3. Order of business
Oomen­Ruijten, Nassauer, Schulz, Nassauer, de Vries, Malone, von Wogau, Papoutsis,
Bloch von Blottnitz, Van Putten
4. Waiver of parliamentary immunity
Wijsenbeek, Fayot, Ford, Β. Donnelly, Guinebertière, Nordmann, Aelvoet, Lalumière,
Jean­Pierre, Gollnisch, Cot, Todini, Jean­Pierre
5. Votes
Fayot, Bourlanges, Fabre­Aubrespy, Harrison, McKenna, Gollnisch, Ewing, Macartney,
Fontaine, Decourrière, Soulier, Stasi, Verwaerde, Péry, Wolf
6. Green paper on tourism
Harrison, Sarlis, Diez de Rivera Icaza, Baldarelli, Provan, Garosa, Pelttari, Novo, Van
Dijk, van der Waal, Lukas, Farthofer, Bennasar Tous, Vieira, Mendonça, Theonas,
Bellere, Apolinário, Schierhuber, Cornelissen, Diez de Rivera Icaza, Provan, Papoutsis
(Commission), Cornelissen, Papoutsis 11
7. Transport
Van der Waal, Castricum, Langenhagen, Wijsenbeek, Liittge, Cornelissen, N. Kinnock
(Commission) 19
The bullets that struck down Fernando Mugica were fired ΓΝ THE CHAIR: MR HANSCH
at democratic Spain and its institutions. They were fired at
President
the process of democratic regionalization, at the peaceful
coexistence of the peoples of Spain in security and justice.
They were therefore aimed at the ideals for which Fern­(The sitting was opened at 5 p.m.)
ando Mugica stood and to which he had devoted all his
energies since 1978. For that reason, although never in any
prominent political post, he was held in high esteem, not
I. Resumption of the session only within the ranks of his own party but also far more
widely. President. ­ I declare resumed the session of the European
Parliament adjourned on Thursday, 1 February 1996.
Our sympathy goes out to his family, his party, his Basque
Country and the whole of Spain. Exactly a year ago here in
the House, we honoured the memory of our murdered
2. Statement by the President colleague from the Basque Partido Popular, Gregorio
Ordonez. Today we renew our call to all democratic forces
President. ­ Ladies and gentlemen, I have been asked by in the Basque Country not to let themselves be intimidated.
all the groups to make a statement on behalf of our Resist terrorism, fight it, give it no quarter! The people of
Parliament on the acts of terrorism that have been perpe­ the Basque Country and of Spain can rest assured that this
trated during the past week. Last Tuesday Fernando Parliament, which is their Parliament too, is on their side ­
Mugica was killed in a busy public street in San Sebastian on the side of democracy and justice in Spain.
in front of his son and many of his fellow citizens. The
highly respected Basque Socialist, a brother of the former (Applause)
Spanish Minister of Justice Enrique Mugica, is the nine­
teenth politician to fall victim to the terrorist organization Violence and terrorism must not stand a chance anywhere
ETA since the reintroduction of democracy in Spain in in our Union. That is why we now condemn the despicable
1978. His is one of over 800 deaths for which ETA IRA bombing that took place in London at the end of last
terrorists have been responsible during that period. week. There is no justification for such terrorist acts. We No 4-475/2 Debates of the European Parliament 12.2.96
President
mourn the innocent victims of that senseless attack. The 3. Order of business
European Parliament has supported the peace process in
President. - The next item is the order of business. Northern Ireland with all its heart and strength, and the
Europeant will continue to do that. Our grief and
The final version of the draft agenda as drawn up by the
revulsion must not entice us to abandon the peace process.
Conference of Presidents at its meeting of 8 February 1996
We stand by the programme of the European Union for
pursuant to Rule 95 of the Rules of Procedure has been
reconciliation and reconstruction in Northern Ireland. Let it
distributed.
be clearly understood that any offensive against the peace
process will only make this House more determined than Part-session in Strasbourg from 12 to 16 February:
ever.
Wednesday:
I have asked the Council - and the Council has agreed - to
President. -The Group of the Party of European Socialists make a statement in the House during the week on this
has requested a Council statement on the peace process in cowardly bombing. The murder of Fernando Mugica by the
Northern Ireland. The motion tabled by the Group of the ETA and the IRA bomb in the heart of London are two
Party of European Socialists asks for the statement by the aspects of the same violence, which is why I repeat what I
Council and the Commission on the situation in the said a year ago in this House: any attempt on human life is
Aegean, currently listed as item 507, to be withdrawn from repulsive. Blind violence solves no problems; it only
the agenda and taken instead as part of the topical and aggravates them. Injustice never creates justice. The forces
urgent debate. of democracy in our Union must stand together. We must
give terrorism no quarter!
We can now decide, as the Group of the Party of European
Socialists proposes, to put a statement on the peace process (Applause)
in Northern Ireland on the agenda in place of the statement