Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-06-13-Speech-3-014"
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"en.20010613.1.3-014"2
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"Madam President, President-in-Office of the Council, President of the Commission, it is with great pleasure that I offer my congratulations to the Swedish presidency on the tremendous successes it has achieved on behalf of us all.
The European leaders in Göteborg will address two primary subjects, namely the enlargement of the European Union and how best to solve many of our environmental problems. With regard to enlargement, it is most important that the European Union and the applicant countries get down to negotiating the more difficult chapters, which to date have remained closed. It is in the interest of all the contracting parties that the bottom-line issues that remain outstanding are debated, resolved and finalised.
I would like to make a few comments concerning the outcome of the recent Irish referendum, that was held on the Nice Treaty. I am very disappointed at the result of this referendum in Ireland but I fully respect the outcome of this democratic process. I welcome the conclusions of this week's Council meeting of EU Foreign Ministers; they too stated that the will of the Irish people must be respected.
I firmly believe that the vast majority of the Irish people are committed to the enlargement process and I do not want to see the timeframe for the enlargement of the European Union to include countries from Eastern and Central Europe delayed as a direct consequence of the decision of the Irish people last week. In Ireland we need time now to reflect upon this result in a calm and reasoned manner. Ireland's future relationship with the European Union is a critically important matter. Time for deliberation will be needed if we are to address the complex issues and concerns which arose during the referendum debate.
This referendum undoubtedly underlines the need for greater efforts to be made by all of us to explain European Union policies to our citizens and to involve the citizens of the EU more thoroughly in the debate about the Union's role and its future direction. There are lessons for us all to learn from the results of the Nice Treaty referendum. It is incumbent on the Commission and all the 15 governments of the Union also to reflect upon this result. We must build a European Union that commands the good will and support and enthusiasm of the 370 million citizens who make up the membership of the Union.
I very much welcome the decision of the Irish Government, which last night established a national forum on Europe. This forum will undertake the process of consultation and dialogue on EU policy with the Irish public on matters of concern to them. This forum is also part of the debate on the overall future of Europe that is ongoing in all 15 Member States of the European Union in the run-up to the next Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. All political parties, the social partners and other interested parties will be represented on this forum, which is expected to begin its work very shortly.
Another very important matter is that Mr Bush, the President of the United States, will be in Göteborg later this week to meet EU leaders. It is very timely, therefore, that this summit will be addressing key environmental issues which need to be tackled, both within the Union and in a more global context. I was very disappointed when President Bush earlier this year stated that he wanted to renegotiate the Kyoto Accord. The fact of the matter is that we need to reduce the level of greenhouse gases that are being produced in Europe and in the United States. This is very important if we are to ensure a halt to the depletion of the ozone layer."@en1
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