Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-25-Speech-3-040"
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"en.20020925.1.3-040"2
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"Mr President, the previous speaker referred to Voltaire. Let me refer to a Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote a story that many of us have read, The Emperor’s New Clothes. Sometimes I feel that the debate we are holding is a little reminiscent of this very story. Everyone can see that the emperor is naked, but we will not, dare not, actually say so.
I am therefore one of those who cannot in any way see the Johannesburg Summit as a success. I think that it was good that the meeting was held, that a large number of contacts were made and that a number of good decisions were taken. Given the problems we face on this small planet; poverty which continues to spread rapidly, the spread of infectious diseases, the many environmental problems and, especially, the tremendously rapid development in technology in many areas, some form of regulatory framework is required if it is to work well. What we arrived at in Johannesburg is not sufficient. Unfortunately, I am afraid that we will meet here again in five or ten years and that we will then see that a great many of the problems that have quite rightly been identified in connection with Johannesburg will have become worse.
Let me raise an issue where I think that the final result from Johannesburg leaves a great deal to be desired. As early as 1992 in Rio de Janeiro it was seen that current patterns of production and consumption are not working in a world with seven to eight billion people. At the same time, everyone wants the poor countries to develop. It is therefore obvious that production and consumption must change. What I had hoped for from Johannesburg was a real commitment from the rich countries to assist with the modernisation of patterns of production and consumption in the poor countries. This applies to energy production, which is now expanding very rapidly, this applies to transport, it applies to chemicals, waste handling, agriculture and water. Every year, countries like China, India, Mexico, Indonesia and Brazil invest hundreds of billons of US dollars or more in new energy production. Most of this is carbon technology. We have a self-interest in helping out with favourable loans, with subsidies and with technical cooperation in order to actually ensure that the required energy development also occurs in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner. Unfortunately we do not have the instruments. I welcome the initiatives that the Commission took on Sustainable Energy
I think that this was very good, especially in the light of the Commission’s previous doubts about making vigorous efforts in this area. I will gladly contribute towards working out the details, but this is a very limited measure compared with the great needs that exist.
I consider that we need efforts of a completely different magnitude. It seems as if we have realised this too late. In a few years, we will undoubtedly increase resources in this context, but they are required
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Let me conclude by stating that perhaps we simply have too great a level of expectation from this type of international cooperation. I think that Commissioner Wallström made a very true remark in the days after the Johannesburg Summit. She said ‘that it is possible that we must find other ways, that we must identify countries that want to go further, including hopefully the European Union’. We should perhaps create partnerships with companies that want to progress further and faster, with popular movements, with researchers and so on, so that we can achieve greater speed in some of the areas where the situation is particularly critical. We simply do not have any political system at the international level that is a match for the development that is now occurring, where so many problems of different types require common rules.
I look forward to initiatives from the Commission in these areas. I would ask the Commission in each individual case to involve Parliament at an earlier stage. As regards the initiatives that the Commission took in the areas of water and energy, we have never had an opportunity to present any opinions, something which is somewhat frustrating considering that there is indisputable commitment and interest in these areas."@en1
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