Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-12-01-Speech-3-092"
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"en.19991201.7.3-092"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in this Chamber I have heard some pessimistic words regarding the forthcoming Summit. I do not agree at all. It is an extraordinarily important Summit that we – Parliament, Commission and Council Presidency – have prepared very carefully and vigorously, and the challenge of enlargement is an historic challenge of decisive importance. At Helsinki, enlargement will take root, get going and completely change Europe’s appearance. I agree with what many of you have said, that we must proceed towards enlargement with gusto and energy, a process which will look at each country’s case closely but seek to prevent them losing faith in us. Our programme for enlargement is therefore not at all minimalist. The theory of the ‘regatta’, the image of each country running and improving as it does so, is the concept we have favoured.
Along with this, it is clear that we want to see an effective Intergovernmental Conference. We therefore believe – as Mr Seguro just said – that we must start as soon as possible. I think that we can and must start in January because there are many areas to be addressed: Amsterdam, issues arising from Amsterdam, cohesion, codecision, the issue of security and defence, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and also the reform of the Treaty. It is not a minimalist agenda. Mr Napolitano, I would also like to reassure you regarding the proposal to carry out accompanying preparatory work, and I stress the word accompanying: since the reform of the Treaties involves extremely detailed and special technical aspects, we cannot let ourselves be accused of not having carried out a thorough study and a complete analysis of these aspects. This is not a postponement: accompanying means that we will start work ourselves and that technical work will be carried out at the same time. This technical work is indispensable in order to avoid any delay in this area that could reduce the effectiveness of our action.
We are starting by closely following the document tabled previously, with firm proposals and also a sense that, after enlargement, we shall be faced with the real issue that must be carefully and attentively defined, with a very far-ranging debate – the nature and borders of Europe. Many of you have mentioned this, and I have already asked Parliament several times and I am repeating it again now: I think that, alongside the implementation of enlargement – which will definitely take place, since the enlargement process I hope we will decide on in Helsinki will have no room for doubts, problems or hesitation – we will have to open a debate on the nature and shape of Europe, since we are the ones who will have to shape these borders and decide on the nature of Europe. We cannot simply meet the requests of countries asking to join Europe, however legitimate. Where would these requests end? Why should countries in Asia, for example, not apply? We will nevertheless be the ones who decide. I could give you a whole list of countries which, basically, would be interested and eager to join Europe, thereby changing its very nature. Europe is not a customs agreement; it is not an area of free trade. Europe is a Union of countries, and indeed we have called it the European Union. It is clear, then, that together we must undertake major institutional reform so that we can make positive decisions, while pressing ahead with this debate on the borders and nature of Europe.
To conclude, I would just like to add, in relation to the nuclear power stations, the efforts regarding the Balkans and the social and cultural questions that have been raised here, that we really have studied and analysed these matters thoroughly. Agreements are in place that lead should to a strategy being developed to close these plants, which will make things safe, while, at the same time, giving these countries the realistic chance to leave their problems behind together. This is what we are doing and we are therefore setting off for the Summit with a huge challenge and a complex agenda before us.
I would like to thank Parliament for the way that, in recent months, the Commission and Parliament have been able to act in unison as regards these issues. What we said on the first day we met still stands: our challenge is not one with zero gain but, by cooperation, both Parliament and the Commission will gain from it. Indeed, I believe that it is our responsibility to bring continuity to Europe’s development, the development of Europe in the long term, not just on a day by day basis. For this, I think that, apart from these areas, we will have to undertake a debate on tomorrow’s Europe, its borders and its nature, subjects which I have mentioned many times because I believe that this is a great task that we must perform together."@en1
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