Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-23-Speech-3-051"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20021023.1.3-051"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the process of enlarging the European Union by ten more States is now entering its final and decisive stage. Our group has always followed it and played its part in shaping it; we have been active in doing this, but have kept a critical mind. There are real fears that the hopes enlargement has nurtured over many years – for social improvements and an economic upturn – will not be fulfilled in precisely that way. The stertorous political utterances, heard over and over again in this Parliament, about overcoming of the division of Europe and doing away with the inheritance of Communism, block out any more sophisticated view of Europe's post-war history and, there being so many different problems in the central and eastern European states, go over people's heads.
People are hardly being involved in the process at all. The process went ahead along largely administrative and technical lines and was seen by Brussels as having to do with the acceptance of the acquis communautaire. The governments of the candidate countries were sometimes not allowed to say much, and their parliaments were programmed to give approval after largely uncritical debates. The acquis communautaire, which every country is to adopt and transpose, constitutes a paper mountain of over 80 000 pages. If – as is the case – officials are scarcely able to get an overview of this, how can the public be expected to?
Under such conditions, there was little chance of the debate on the future of Europe, which we are often told we should be having, really getting going, either in the Fifteen or in the candidate countries, and little desire that it should do so. That there is particularly deep-seated frustration among rural communities is no secret. If you examine the differentials resulting from enlargement after previous accessions, you cannot fail to see that parity is to come about only in 2003. Coupled with that, it is intended that the cooperative firms, alleged to be relics of the Communist command economy, should have the ground cut from under their feet by new directives designed to improve efficiency. Let me say in blunt terms that European integration will not be made to work well by means of a reheated anti-communism, which cannot do other than target a fair number of the leading politicians elected by the peoples of the candidate countries. I could name to you several good acquaintances of mine who fall into this category.
It seems necessary, in view of the dangerous lack of information, that we ask as a matter of priority, what effect the European Union has on the public's everyday lives and how we are meant to discuss it with them. What is demanded of us is to talk less about transparency and democracy, and do more about them!"@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples