madam president this issue has technical considerations and it also has human poverty considerations
in this joint debate i would first like to tell the council that parliament is here to monitor and check and look with openness and transparency and accountability at the way we spend our taxpayers money in terms of international development
if the council cannot recognise that and cannot recognise that delegated acts should go through parliament's internal procedures so that it can avail itself of the right of scrutiny then what the heck are we doing here
why are we here if we are not allowed to be accountable to our voters constituents and taxpayers over the money that they give us in good faith to spend through the commission on international development
secondly on the issue of bananas in which parliament's considerations should also be taken into account the european taxpayer has lost on both counts
we had a freer trade agreement which has now gone phut and what we now have to do is to indemnify and compensate those banana-producing countries again
