Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-01-16-Speech-3-059"
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"en.20020116.6.3-059"2
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"Mr President! Prime Minister, you have chosen More Europe as the theme for your presidency. Liberal Democrats hope that this will be reflected in your commitment to enlargement of the European Union. Just as this House insisted on Iberian enlargement some 15 years ago, despite doubts in certain national capitals, so we will militate for an early and successful eastward enlargement in which 2002 will be crucial. We will judge your presidency primarily by your achievements in preparing the reunification of our continent.
The reform of the Council that you talk about is most welcome. We hope that you will ensure that the Council abides by its undertaking to allow public access to documents and that it seeks better relations with this House, which, sadly, does not get a mention in your programme until page 20. This House is the true democratic forum of our continent and we want to see its rights respected.
If for my Group something is missing in this document it is a recognition of Europe's different regions and cultures. It reads to me as a rather Castilian programme that does not reflect entirely the Spain which I have visited and the Spain that is represented in my Group. What has become of the work of the eminent Director-General in the Commission, Mr Eneko Landaburu? Your second definition of More Europe talks about 'signifying the European nature of Spanish society.' Our second definition of More Europe would be that it signifies the contribution of all Iberian cultures and the flowering thereof among other European cultures in the creation of a Europe whose strength is not that of a monolithic state with deciduous development, but one of unity through diversity. In wishing you every success, Prime Minister, I look forward to a vigorous debate with the Spanish Presidency.
We wish you success, too, in your efforts to guide smoothly the introduction of the euro. As one who saw in the New Year in France, I am particularly grateful for Spain's role in lending Chirac and Jospin a little small change. Perhaps next time you see Tony Blair you will hand him a few coins as well and ask him whether his indecision is final. British entry into the euro would certainly mean the kind of More Europe we would like to see.
Your vision of the future speaks of new transnational challenges. Relations between India and Pakistan are deeply worrying but Afghanistan must be uppermost in our minds. Soon the bombing must stop and the building must begin. We must respond to the plight of the people through generous giving from our aid budget and more help in patrolling the peace.
Your programme speaks of a war against terrorism. This is no conventional war and it will not be won with conventional weapons. Some of us fear that military intelligence, which is leading to bombing and military solutions, may be causing collateral damage and storing up other problems for the future. We hope that Europe can offset this collateral damage by adding to our armoury emotional intelligence, recognising that political problems often require political solutions.
You kindly referred to my report on terrorism, adopted on 6 September last year. I would draw your attention, too, to our resolution on cooperation between the United States and the European Union in the fight against terrorism. Liberal Democrats view with deep unease the divergence between the US approach of emergency laws and military tribunals and the rights-based approach that we want for the Union. We insist that you can be both tough on terrorism and true to our Treaties.
You will take forward the building of the area of freedom, security and justice defined in the Amsterdam Treaty. Your presidency programme asserts that current exceptional circumstances require putting security first. If this is true we will nonetheless push you to make sure that freedom and justice are not far behind.
In drafting a programme like this any presidency faces a dilemma. We recognise that. A list of priorities soon becomes a universal catalogue. Each Member State brings something different to the party. While we welcome the input that Spain can make to the Barcelona Process and Euro-Med, we are nonetheless fascinated to read in your programme that the European Union's northern dimension is one of your priorities. We will follow development in this matter closely."@en1
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