Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-04-Speech-3-255"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2002-09-04"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:European Agency for Reconstruction2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20020904.7.3-255"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2002-09-04-Speech-3-2562
lpv:speaker	lp:Baroness Sarah Ludford2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, I would like to thank Mrs Stenzel for her very effective and useful report. I cannot claim to be a close observer or to have very detailed knowledge of the operations of the agency and therefore I find her report very valuable. As someone who for the last three years has been on the delegation to south-east Europe and more recently a vice-chair, I feel it is essential that we keep up and develop the financial assistance to allow the Balkan countries to aspire to the eventual goal, which must be membership of the European Union. I was one of those who was not convinced by the original decision to site the headquarters of the agency in Thessaloniki. It was the rather traditional story of doling out prizes to Member States. I may have slightly changed my view because Greece is playing a very valuable role in leading and in coordinating regional cooperation. Yet I think we need to reconsider whether this is the most effective way for an agency that has several different bases to operate. The agency is doing a good and essential job. It will be important over time to rationalise and if possible to expand our assistance to the Balkans. This assistance must evolve from reconstruction to development, just as it evolved from emergency aid to reconstruction. The network of agencies that are perhaps in danger of tripping over themselves in south-east Europe is a challenge we have to resolve. It is a very complex scene – a kind of alphabet soup. It is very difficult, even for someone in my position, to understand who does what and I am not sure what the impact is on the local citizens. Mrs Stenzel makes several valuable points, among which is the need for agreements with other donors on 'sharing' out who is responsible for what sector to avoid overlaps. She particularly mentions that the agency should take the lead on energy in Kosovo, with which I would agree. She also emphasises the need for a strategy on the future of the agency's relations with EU delegations. I wonder from my experience in Skopje whether we have not gone too far in bypassing the competence of the local Commission delegation. I felt there was a danger of the agency taking a slightly imperialist tone towards the local delegation. In view of the upcoming elections on 15 September, I am still not sure that we have reconstructed enough houses there."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Liberal Democrat Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 member; ELDR (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Cyprus Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-04-30)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Ludford (ELDR )."1

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