Fisheries committee  On the cold-water shrimp, this is a unilateral concession by the European Union. We are under no obligation to open any tariff quota at all. Secondly, the tariff quota of 6% is a matter of negotiation between the commission and the processing industry in Europe. The quantity of 7,000 tonnes is what the processing industry in Europe asks as a special derogation from our normal rule, so it is more a discussion within the EU than with supplier countries.

Fisheries committee  As was pointed out by Mr. Hudghton, the European Parliament declaration calls upon the European Commission to take action. The commission is not obliged to take action, and even if the commission were to take action, it would be in the form of a proposal, which would have to get a majority of the member states in the Council of Europe, plus approval of the Parliament.

Foreign Affairs committee  I will answer very quickly. I don't want to take too much time, because this could take an hour. Basically, it is an obligation on member states. So you have a council regulation, and member states have to submit a timetable by which they will reach 0.7%. So we have the good guys, like the Swedes, who are there, and we have others who have to catch up.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. On the subject of human rights, the European Union is very active, as you know, and once a year, we produce a report on the human rights situation in each world country, beginning with member states. Obviously, if even a minor violation is noted, the matter is brought to the attention of the Court of Justice.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think the first thing to remember is simply this: the fact that the constitution has not been ratified does not mean that the EU institutions failed to work. They're very cumbersome, and they need to be streamlined, but very many English language newspapers here are talking about a crisis in Europe, and I think that's not accurate, frankly.