Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-07-03-Speech-1-077"
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"en.20000703.6.1-077"2
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"Mr President, I should like to congratulate the Portuguese Presidency on its term of office: progress has been made on various issues and the debate on the future of the Union and preparations for it have been instigated at political level, despite the fact that the Intergovernmental Conference has stuck at present to the original agenda. The resolutions on the European Security and Defence Policy and the new rules governing collaboration between the Union and ΝΑΤΟ are highly positive, even if certain aspects of future developments are still somewhat obscure. The Portuguese Presidency referred to federalism and to future issues in general, but without, for example, raising the matter of own resources and without a spectacular increase in own resources, enlargement will become practically impossible and politically painful.
Mentioning closer cooperation as the Union's main means of progress gives the impression that we are preparing, formally, for a two-speed Europe. Only if this cooperation is confined to certain sectors will it remain the driving force behind the Union. We were delighted with the confirmation of Greece's accession to the euro zone and if this presages the accession of all those who are still outside the euro zone, then so much the better. In essence, as far as employment, competition and environmental and public health policies are concerned, the Lisbon Summit made minor concessions to the citizens of Europe, but not enough to meet their real needs.
Mr President, the Feira Council neither surprised nor disappointed us. However, we must concede that, institutionally, the Union is in a rut. At the same time, certain parties responsible for European policy are voicing various ideas in the press which the citizens of Europe can follow, but without the opportunity to take part in any debate. Europe will be complete once we are all involved, including those who want no part in it. And it must be a Europe which gives hope to all its citizens, whose fundamental rights will, we trust, be incorporated in the new Treaty."@en1
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