Sitting of Wednesday, 21 April 2004 ______
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3-001 SITTING OF WEDNESDAY, 21 APRIL 2004 ___________________________ 3-002 3-005 IN THE CHAIR: MR COX Watson (ELDR). – Mr President, this report is not President about Silvio Berlusconi. It is a report about media concentration in all countries of the European Union, (The sitting was opened at 9.05 a.m.)1 which is a matter of legitimate public concern. It is a report that has been drawn up in accordance with the 3-003 normal procedures of our House and, in recognition of Barón Crespo (PSE). – (ES) Mr President, I have just the electoral sensitivities of some, the rapporteur has become aware of a communication from the services of offered to delete Mr Berlusconi's name from the report. the sitting which tells Members – and it appears that it Nonetheless, some colleagues are seeking to delay, to was announced at midnight last night – that, in relation filibuster, to disrupt our procedures in order to evade the to the Boogerd-Quaak report, on freedom of expression harsh searchlight of an unpalatable truth. and information, in view of the large number of requests for roll-call votes, separate votes and split votes, the vote My group calls on the PPE-DE Group to withdraw these cannot take place today. wrecking amendments; and if it will not, we are ready to vote on all 350 of them. We ask you to allow the House You will remember, Mr President, that you and I spoke to decide whether to proceed and we welcome your on the telephone last night at 10.30 p.m., and that I assurance that we will have a chance to vote on this expressed my concern about all the incidents report. surrounding this case. I really must say now that this decision, taken by I do not know whom – and we should 3-006 know this and whether you support this decision – goes President. − I seem to be blessed with many friends in against all the practices followed in this House. My many Groups in this House! I should like to thank my group, and I do not know about the others, has not been many friends for the amount of unsolicited advice that consulted and I would request that at the beginning of they have showered upon me in the past 24 hours on this the vote at 12 noon, we vote on including this item once issue! Let me assure you that I will act as is appropriate. again in the vote. We will need to deal with this at midday today. (Applause) 3-007 Poettering (PPE-DE). – (DE) In fact, I had not intended 3-004 to rise, but I must respond to what Mr Watson, the President. − As we spoke yesterday evening, the House Chairman of the Group of the European Liberal, was in session discussing the Boogerd-Quaak report. I Democrat and Reform Party, has just said. He urges our was informed yesterday evening, as you have been group to withdraw its amendments. Let me point out to informed, so there is no policy of exclusion in the Mr Watson that there are 338 amendments, 157 of which question of the information loop. have been tabled by our group. That means that 181 come from other groups. It is unfair to imply that our I was informed yesterday evening that given the volume group is solely responsible for all the amendments. A of votes and the number of requests that have been great many Members are unsatisfied with this report, and received for split votes, roll-call votes etc., the sessional that is why 181 amendments have been tabled by other services, between the time the debate finished last night groups. and midday today are simply incapable of producing the required documentation for the vote on the report. This I would urge you, Mr President, to ensure that speakers is not an issue of my political preferences. I have here a do not only refer to amendments from our group. 51-page list containing details on the vote. This issue of procedure is not a question of expressing some kind of 3-008 Cohn-Bendit (Verts/ALE). – (DE) Mr Poettering, you political preference. I am prepared to take procedural can be as sophisticated as you like – the disgraceful points at midday today but I am informed that it is conduct of your group colleagues in committee was not physically impossible for the services to prepare the vote the disgraceful conduct of other Members from other on this by midday. groups. If you had been there and heard the reports, you could have witnessed this for yourself. That is my first Other procedural questions have been put to me. I will point. Secondly, Mr President, Mr Watson has asked a deal with those at midday and make rulings. However, it straightforward question, and we want an answer. We is my own belief, notwithstanding various requests, that want to vote at 12 noon today on when we will vote on the House will have to deal with and vote on this matter. the report. Our group is prepared to vote on this report at How and when is rather complicated. I will work my 2 p.m., at 3 p.m., at 5 p.m. or tonight at midnight, way through this with the services in the course of this whenever. What is going on here is scandalous! The morning to see what we can do. degree of collusion between two groups, aimed at evading a vote on an important report, is a scandal in 1 Documents received: see Minutes itself, and this House should respond honourably to this 6 21/04/2004 scandalous state of affairs by taking a vote this afternoon Mr Zakayev has been refused a visa on the grounds that or tonight, whenever, in order to demonstrate that these he is facing a request for extradition. Now, you know shenanigans will not prevent us from voting on this that the extradition request has already been rejected by important report. We want to vote at 12 noon, so that a the Danish and British Governments and that vote on this report is held today. Mr Zakayev was also recently able to visit the Bundestag in Germany. I am therefore asking you please 3-009 to intercede with Mr Michel Barnier, our Minister of President. − I will deal with the voting issue at midday. Foreign Affairs, so that Mr Zakayev and his son, who Thank you for your advice. I refuse to be acts as interpreter for him, can attend the meetings this instrumentalised in this House during my Presidency. evening or tomorrow morning, or both, which would be ideal. I want to work systematically through the volume of amendments to see if I can find ways to reduce them. I (Applause) need time this morning to do so. I will come back and, with as much good faith as I can, report to you with 3-013 regard to the possibilities. In the meantime I refuse to be President. − I would ask you to supply my office with bounced by anyone into prematurely announcing when the relevant details and we will try to follow it up for we will vote. you. 3-010 3-014 Ludford (ELDR). – Mr President, on a point of order, I Kaufmann (GUE/NGL). – (DE) Mr President, I wanted would not dream of trying to bounce you into making an to rise in connection with the previous item. I also have announcement, but I am offering advice. You will find no wish to pass comment on the debates and events that that, certainly in the committee, when the two Groups took place in committee, nor on what apparently called for a separate vote in order to keep the happened here last night. On behalf of my group, I amendments on the plenary agenda, they did not vote would like to voice my support for your endeavours and against a single one. Although the Rules of Procedure simply make the point that we want a vote to be held on allow any Group to call for a separate vote on any this issue. We believe this topic is far too important to amendment, we ought to try and flush out which ones vanish from the agenda, however that might happen. they wish to vote truly separately on. I do not think we will find that there is a single negative vote in the two 3-015 Korakas (GUE/NGL). – (EL) Mr President, I wish to Groups against the amendments. There is a high degree say something on a different matter. Thank you for of collusion, as others have said, in terms of one Group giving me the floor. calling for split votes on all the others' amendments and that Group calling for split votes on all their colleagues' On Mondays, when the session is resumed, we generally amendments. It is an attempt to subvert democracy and have half an hour on the topical issues which each filibuster to a degree which is ludicrous. member wishes to raise. This Monday, for procedural reasons, you pushed this half hour to the end of Mr President, you have your responsibilities, but you Monday's sitting, to midnight and perhaps even later. and your services are in danger of being subverted. However, this debate and this possibility are given to 3-011 members so that they can, as I said, raise topical issues President. − Thank you for your concern for me and the which, at one o'clock in the morning, are no longer services.