Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-03-Speech-2-034"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010703.1.2-034"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the European Council at Göteborg took two conflicting decisions. On the one hand, it confirmed the timetable for enlargement, as the European Parliament hoped it would, by moving the goal to complete negotiations forward to the end of 2002. This is wonderful news! On the other hand, at the same time, the Heads of State and Government decided to disregard the implications of the Irish ‘no’ vote at the latest referendum. Yet, this ‘no’ vote casts major doubts over the timetable for ratification, and perhaps even as to whether ratification will be achieved.
In order for the Treaty of Nice to be ratified, we must now wait for the national elections in Ireland and for these elections to produce a victory in Dublin of a more united majority than the current majority on this issue, and for this majority to be willing to gamble its credibility on this now highly sensitive area. We also need the new leaders to find persuasive arguments to convince the Irish people to change their minds. Those telling us today that this will be a mere formality are the same people who were burying their heads in the sand before the recent referendum.
This means that, for the candidate countries, the Treaty of Nice is no longer the key to the door of the European Union it has now become the lock, a stiff lock, firmly bolted into place by the Irish people and there are no guarantees that it will be reopened. That is why opening accession negotiations on the basis of the current treaties, in other words, the Treaty of Amsterdam, is the only thing that can guarantee that the timetable promised at Göteborg will be respected. That is what Mr Prodi attempted to say and he was made to keep quiet. The policy of burying one’s head in the sand is not the right strategy to follow.
Institutional reform still has to be carried out, whether or not we have the Treaty of Nice. The European Parliament believes that the reform can only form part of a constitutional approach. In the meantime, however, it is our duty to tell the candidate countries that the only way for them to ensure that the proposed timetable will be respected is by negotiating on the basis of the Treaty of Amsterdam. If the Treaty of Nice is finally ratified by the autumn of 2002, there will still be time to support it. If it is not ratified, enlargement can still go ahead."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples