Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-07-04-Speech-2-091"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000704.3.2-091"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the historical issue concerning the French Presidency, for I do feel that it is a historical issue, is first and foremost to open up the way for the construction of a Europe for all Europeans. We invited the new democracies in Eastern Europe to join us now that they have put the ordeal of Communism behind them and we were right to do so. Nevertheless, we were fully aware that we would not fit greater Europe into the institutions of little Europe. Since then we have dawdled and dragged our feet over the reform of these institutions.
Ten years after the fall of the Berlin wall and one year after the Helsinki decisions on enlargement, I see the new Intergovernmental Conference under the French Presidency as the kick-start that all Europeans expect of Europe. I say this because it is not only the size of Europe that is changing; it is also its very nature. If we consider Europe as a whole, we must define Europe and define its borders, its values and the European project. Any definition of borders raises the problem of Turkey, which, to my mind, should become an associate country rather than a fully integrated one. We must also think of Europe in a different light, not as a huge nation-state, with a super-government, a super-president, a super-administration or even a super-tax. Instead, we should see Europe as the construction of an area of genuine federalism, which protects the diversity of people and of nations, which has a clear constitution that defines and limits the powers of Europe and which applies the principle of subsidiarity and ensures that this will be strictly complied with.
Today, the French Presidency has an obligation to achieve results. As the French President said, unless the IGC is successful, there is no point in thinking about the following stages. A review of decision-making mechanisms in order to prevent paralysis and a review of the functioning of the Council and the Commission are all on the agenda and I think that the projects for tomorrow and beyond must not conceal what is required today. The success of the IGC now will actually be the best basis on which to build the huge project for the greater Europe of tomorrow."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples