Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-14-Speech-3-339"
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"en.20011114.12.3-339"2
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"Mr President, I think that the Commission proposal has, in fact, come just at the right time, better late than never, and makes it clear that the currency union is not only being completed in the interests of the markets and business, but also in the interests of consumers.
I should like to recall that we have been working on this issue for over 10 years, as the rapporteur rightly said, and that we have always supported self-regulation and voluntary agreements, but that in this sector it has, in the end, always been necessary to adopt legislation, in order for example to bring about quicker, more reliable and above all cheaper transfers. Here I am, of course, also thinking of the double charges which both those who made transfers and those who received them had to pay. Happily, this is now in the past, but this experience in the European Parliament taught us precisely that it is necessary to enact legislation. That is why I welcome both the tone and form of the regulation. It does not dictate prices, but it does state quite clearly that domestic and cross-border credit transfers must be treated on the same footing because we are in an internal market. This internal market requires a European payment system, and not just for large payments, like TARGET, but also for retail payments, for the transfer of small amounts.
Everyone is affected by this: mothers or fathers who have children studying or undergoing training abroad; those of us who order books or wish to pay for a journey or a hotel in another European country. Those who have a holiday flat or even a holiday home are affected by this. All of them suffer as a result of this situation, including migrant workers who receive their wages in one country and want to send them home to their families. We need to think of them. An average of EUR 24 to transfer EUR 100 is quite simply too much and unacceptable. I strongly reject Mr Maaten's proposal. We have tried everything; now we need to make decisions. I must also say that I do not understand Mr Karas's plea. Why should a proposal be forthcoming now, in the next two or three weeks, when it has been overdue for over 15 years? I have to say also that the proposals to postpone all of this to 2005 are really unacceptable in my view. The rapporteur's argument is as far as I am prepared to go, and I therefore think that we need to secure a broad majority in favour of this long-awaited project here in Parliament, because a European payment system would have been a reality long ago if the banks and building societies had wanted it."@en1
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