Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-21-Speech-1-031"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20021021.4.1-031"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Mr Prodi, we owe you a big thank you. It took courage to say that the Stability and Growth Pact is stupid, and you have shown even more courage today in persevering and clearly defending your point of view.
We now need to go further, and revise this Pact and set a new objective. The Pact is stupid when your house is on fire, and you are right, we must stop burying our heads in the sand. The financial crisis is even more serious in Europe than it is in the United States. We must be prepared for at least two difficult years of restructuring, with the inevitable social consequences that this will entail. And we will not be able to overcome this crisis without strong public initiatives, which will require use of the budget.
The Pact is also stupid when the Union is moving away from the Lisbon objectives, as you mentioned. It is stupid when enlargement would require a Pact for the countries joining the Union to bring their economies into line with those of the current Member States, with practical solidarity.
A Stability and Growth Pact worthy of the name would protect public spending of general interest, put a stop to fiscal competition that scorns ethics and effectiveness, provide the Union with a real budget, and guarantee the Member States’ capacity for action, while maintaining a discipline of control over public debt.
Mr Prodi, you are demanding that the Commission be given real authority over the coordination of economic policies, but we want more than early warnings and the authority to take corrective action. What we want most of all is for the Union to adopt an economic policy that addresses the current economic situation and sustainable development, and although the Commission is in effect the only executive body designed to promote common interests, it does not yet have the necessary culture and legitimacy to implement an economic policy
That is why we are protesting so that the future constitution of the Union clearly establishes a new legitimacy and political will. The Union would no longer be merely a marketplace but would participate in societal choices and concepts relating to the public economy. Its mandate would come from the people and the powers of civil society, and parliaments would be set up to draft and monitor decisions."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples