mr president let us recall that free movement has been one of the fundamental pillars of the single european market which aims to achieve increased competition and larger economies of scale and confers on the eu its main power of attraction
over time the ability of people to move freely within the eu has become not only a basic component of the internal market but a fundamental right
by removing the barriers created by different national provisions and regulations european citizens as well as businesses can thrive
likewise the possibility for eu citizens to carry their pets with them without being subjected to specific national regulations and standards is important as it can significantly reduce their travel efforts and costs
i am pleased that the commission proposal points in that direction
i welcome the general regime passport which will harmonise the animal health measures and controls that will facilitate the free movement of pet animals
at the same time i agree that we need to guarantee a high level of protection for human and animal health
this transitional regime will allow more time for the right infrastructure and staff to be in place
so under this argument parliament will certainly vote tomorrow to prolong the transitional regime for some member states until the end of twenty eleven as these countries allegedly need to take specific health risks into account
however this is not the first time that some member states have been allowed to apply more stringent health requirements than others
initially the transitional period lasted until july two thousand and eight
then the transitional period was extended to twenty ten
now we have agreed to a new prolongation
thus while i have some sympathy for the fears of the member states who consider that their pet population is more prone to certain diseases and i understand that the proposed prolongation would be simultaneously completed with eu-funded vaccination programmes to eliminate sylvatic rabies in some member states i believe that this should be the last extension of the special treatment enjoyed by these countries
we all know that asymmetrical measures and opt-outs will not bring the full benefits of the internal market in this area
so let us all agree that this transitional regime needs to be eliminated and that a level playing field has to be ensured as soon as possible
interestingly enough the more contentious issue in this report has not been the content that has sparked heated debate among us on how to apply the new lisbon treaty provisions regarding the comitology procedure
this is the first codecision file where these provisions are to be put into practice
given parliament's extended powers under the new treaty it was crucial for us that this particular regulation did not set a precedent for future decisions
in this regard i welcome the written statement which was agreed between parliament and the council during the trialogue stating that this file should not be treated as a precedent
