Good afternoon. You are going to have to use your little earphones, because I will be speaking to you in French.
I thank you for your welcome and especially for your patience, as we are late because of all the snags we had to deal with during the past few hours. However, the important thing is that we are here, and so are you.
To begin the hearing, I am going to give the representatives of each of the groups—there are eight people but seven different groups—a maximum of four minutes each. I know that you had been told you would have five minutes. However, I am saying four because I know that people sometimes go beyond the allotted time. And so I am asking you to keep to four minutes, but do not be disappointed, because this gives the members more time to ask you questions. Please be assured that if I am asking you to be quite disciplined with regard to your allotted time, I will be asking my colleagues to do the same thing. I know for a fact that I have their cooperation to allow you to answer questions or to go on with the discussion. If at the end of the meeting, you still have some important points you would like to raise, please let me know and perhaps we can arrange something.
Moreover I would like to let you know that you will also have the opportunity, if you wish, to send us other written comments following today's hearing. If there are pieces of information or files you would like to send us so that we have more information when we study this topic, do not hesitate. The members of committee will be happy to hear from you if after today's hearing you want to send us your comments or touch on issues you did not have time to raise today. So feel free to communicate with us.
And now I am going to arbitrarily give the floor to the person whose name is first on my list , and that is Ms. Sonja Saksida.
Good afternoon. Please go ahead.