Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-19-Speech-2-109"
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"en.20021119.2.2-109"2
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"Mr President, President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen and future fellow MEPs up in the public gallery, this is an historic day, a kind of preliminary celebration before the big celebration we are soon to hold together.
It is a celebration that will mark the end of the long journey we have made together with the goal of jointly achieving the unification of Europe.
Strasbourg and the region we are in were witness to the ways in which attempts were made to unify Europe in the past. All the anonymous graves in which thousands of French and German boys lie buried are a tragic reminder of the way in which violence and compulsion were used to impose European unity. The Berlin Wall, on the other hand, was, inversely, a way of preventing people from meeting and ideas from being shared. What is unique about the EU is the brilliant, but historically unusual, idea of bringing people together at the negotiating table instead of through trench warfare. My colleague, Mrs Paulsen likes to say that the EU is about giving power to bureaucrats rather than to soldiers, and that is quite a good way of putting it.
The EU consists, however, not only of bureaucrats but also of politicians with ideas and visions. The European Parliament’s combined idea and vision has been the fact that it is convinced of the advantages of developing European cooperation together. With stubbornness and consistency, we have given impetus to enlargement by establishing clear dates, requirements and staging posts. There have sometimes been stormy moments for governments and domestic policy, but we have stood firm. Mr Brok’s report is a clear expression of this agreement. The Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party supports the report.
For ourselves as liberals, enlargement – or reunification – has been the issue to which we have given top priority for many years. It is a natural follow-on from the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakthrough for democracy, freedom and the market economy in Eastern and Central Europe. The EU has for a long time been incomplete, with members only from Western Europe. It is only by acting together that we can defend and stand up for our common values and ambitions: freedom, democracy, human rights and a functioning market with growth and prosperity in a Europe that gives the citizen pride of place.
The major challenges to come – the environmental problems, cross-border crime, the role of Europe in the world and our responsibility for a more just world order – also demand joint efforts, such as the work on reforming the European institutions so that they become more democratic and efficient. I am looking forward to our new fellow MEPs’ contributions and fresh ideas in this area.
Mr President, in a united Europe, we are all different, but we are of equal worth and must be judged by the same yardsticks. We liberals have stubbornly fought for a situation in which the Copenhagen criteria, especially the political criteria, are respected. Human rights abuses can never be excused, and we are delighted about the considerable progress that has been made in the candidate countries. We shall continue to monitor these areas, that is to say respect for minorities, press freedom and good governance in both the old and the new Member States. We think that it is in this way that the safety clauses should be used, that is to say through continuous examination of how we all apply and respect our common values. We must make demands upon ourselves, both in the old and the new Member States, which we must not see divided into A and B teams.
Many difficult issues have been resolved during the autumn. The Danish Presidency has made fantastic efforts, as have the candidate countries. Certainly, it would be marvellous if, at the end of the year, we could also see a solution to the Cyprus issue. I hope that everyone can contribute to such a solution. I also want to appeal for a clear and positive signal to be given to Turkey. The new government is worth much encouragement and support on our part.
Mr Brok’s report should be interpreted as welcoming those of you in the candidate countries and inviting you to a celebration. It will be a celebration at which the division between ‘we in the EU’ and ‘you in the candidate countries’ ceases and at which we all become ‘we in the EU’."@en1
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