mr president the ash cloud has caused stress and trauma for many thousands of travellers and financial loss to many businesses
indeed many of our own colleagues from far-flung corners of europe have been left stranded this week
the presidency should be thanked for agreeing that it would be undemocratic to vote without them all too often those of us from further away feel that we are being brushed aside in the interests of central european alliances
the volcano has also reminded us that we are not masters of this planet and do not have the answers to all the questions
it is clear that we need a much better understanding both of volcanic ash and of volcanic gases and research in this area should be encouraged
it has also reminded us of how addicted we have become to air transportation
we know we must reduce that dependency in the years to come
we should welcome investments in advanced communications systems for virtual meetings as well as investment in high-speed railways
finally plans to reduce unnecessary travel should be welcomed
that is clearly one area where parliament could lead by example
