Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-02-Speech-2-047"
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"en.20020702.4.2-047"2
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"Mr President, I am not going to use this speech to give praise. Although if I wanted to, it would be difficult for me to better the adjectives that have been used in the last six months by, for example, the Secretary-General of the Council, Mr Solana, the British Prime Minister, or the current German Chancellor, who are all of the same political leaning as Mr Barón, although that may not appear to be the case.
It is, however, reasonable to say that in the past six months we have made more progress than ever in the field of justice and home affairs. And something that I think is more important, perhaps, than having agreed a common definition of the crime of terrorism, having created Eurojust, or having adopted the arrest warrant, is having understood that terrorism is a problem and a threat for all Europeans and that it therefore requires measures at Community level.
Those who murder, or use extortion and threats as a means of achieving their political objectives are undoubtedly a threat to democracy and to the system of freedoms. But the same applies to those who instigate or cooperate with terrorists. Those who contribute funding, for example, which the Batasuna treasurer is accused of, after the French judicial authorities found more than EUR 200 000 in his car boot which he said he was given by a Member of this House. I am therefore very relieved, and I think we all should be, to know that the Bureau of the European Parliament has intervened in this matter.
On the subject of attacks on human rights, there are few actions that are more repulsive than the trafficking of human beings. The fight against illegal immigration also requires an effort at European level. Of course my Group wanted to get further, like the majority of the members of the Council, but I think that we should be satisfied with the agreement that was reached, which was a result of the requirement for unanimity and which is undoubtedly a step forward, especially for those who not long ago were demagogically demanding papers for all.
I want to end by repeating some words that were said in this plenary in January 1996, during the previous Spanish Presidency of the European Union. The spokesperson for my Group, Abel Matutes, said then that the Presidency does not belong to the Government that is temporarily exerting the power, but is the responsibility of the whole country and all of its people. The
as Mr Matutes said then, has therefore given you its loyal support in order to achieve the objectives set out.
We have fulfilled that objective and therefore, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, I would like to say that we take the good and bad elements of this Presidency as our own. There are people this morning who have missed the opportunity to show the slightest institutional loyalty. They will always have the freedom to continue bringing strictly national discussions to Brussels and Strasbourg. They therefore also have the opportunity first of all to lose the debates in their country of origin and then lose them again here, in Brussels or Strasbourg."@en1
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