Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ). - Mr President, I have two questions for Commissioner Füle. First, I appreciated the most recent position taken by Baroness Ashton on the Ukraine-EU-Russia relationship. She says that the crisis in Ukraine was wrongly perceived as a confrontation between East and West, when the reality is that of a convergence and a synergy. Baroness Ashton accepts the concept of a Eurasian integration process where Russia and the EU cooperate in the creation of a common area of trade, stability and peace. My question is: why insist on keeping two systems of customs union alive, instead of creating just one free-trade zone?

Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ). - Mr President, I am listening here to a long list of horror stories about Iraq. A few of my colleagues have mentioned what was a major origin of the horror, namely the war – one of the most stupid, expensive and useless wars of the last decades, waged in the name of exporting democracy and defending us from threats that did not exist.

Wednesday, 26 February 2014 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ). - This Parliament is taking a very important position on the issue of the use of armed drones. The resolution agreed upon is the first step towards the total prohibition of the use of this horrible weapon.

If there is one reason to forbid forever the use of drones it is simply the fact that they are a new weapon. We received a Nobel Prize for peace, and one of the main points is this: stop inventing new weapons; stop using technology and science to invent new weapons.

Wednesday, 5 February 2014 - Strasbourg

Wednesday, 5 February 2014 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ). - Madam President, it is time for the EU to stop taking sides and positions at every political turn in the Egyptian transition. Europe should focus its attention on the quality of institution-building. Therefore, our efforts should all be directed at strengthening the rule of law and bolstering institutions and economic reform.

Wednesday, 15 January 2014 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ), in writing . − Mr. President I fully support this motion because wildlife crime constitutes a threat to the welfare of the animals and to the conservation of the animal and plant species concerned, putting the local ecosystems as a whole at risk.

Monday, 9 December 2013 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ), blue-card answer . – The question has nothing to do with the core subject of this discussion. Even the USA can do something good; what they do is not necessarily wrong. The USA has been a colony of a European power, they rebelled against it, and internationally on this kind of issue they often take exactly this position. They do not endorse colonial occupation and robberies.

[source:www.europarl.europa.eu]

Monday, 9 December 2013 - Strasbourg

Debate

Madam President, Morocco invaded and militarily occupied the territory of Western Sahara and has no legal title to dispose of Western Sahara’s natural resources. The EU should not be an accomplice to a colonial robbery.

If Morocco and the Commission had intended to take into account the reason behind Parliament’s rejection of the fisheries agreement, they would have included in it the need for Morocco to give to the Sahrawi people the revenues coming from the exploitation of their waters. Otherwise they could have excluded from the agreement the waters of Western Sahara, following the example of the US Congress and US Government, which do not include Western Sahara in any economic agreement with Morocco.

Thursday, 24 October 2013 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ), in writing . − According to the International Organisation for Migration, since 1993, more then 20 000 persons died at sea. I believe that Lampedusa should be a turning point for Europe and that the only way to prevent another tragedy is to adopt a coordinated approach based on solidarity and responsibility, with the support of common instruments. The EU should do everything possible to save the lives of people in danger. For this reason with this resolution we welcome the intention of the European Commission to establish a task force on the issue of migratory flows in the Mediterranean.

Thursday, 24 October 2013 - Strasbourg

Debate

Pino Arlacchi (S&D ), in writing . − The principal aim of the European Neighbourhood Policy is to strengthen the partnership between the EU and the countries and societies of the neighbourhood, in order to build and consolidate healthy democracies, respect for human rights and the rule of law. For this reason I believe that this is the right context to discuss about the on-going violation of human rights in Western Sahara.