Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-04-Speech-3-074"
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"en.20021204.4.3-074"2
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"Mr President, I have to describe Mr Karas's speech as meaningless. The question to the Council went: Is the Council, at the level of Heads of State or Government, prepared to enter into a dialogue with the European Parliament about the circumstances for the adoption of the Statute of Members? The answer is yes. I said that quite clearly. Moreover, I repeated what the Council has said all the time, namely that the ball is now in Parliament’s court. Now Parliament has agreed on something there are prospects of the Council’s adopting and approving, I assume that the ball will be passed on to the Council. I shall not go into details concerning the statement by the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market to Parliament’s Conference of Presidents. That statement has not of course been sent to the Council, and it has not been adopted by a majority in Parliament. The Council will not submit a detailed proposal. That is an answer for Mr Lehne. The ball is in Parliament’s court.
I should like to remind you of the events of 1999, when the then German Presidency made a great effort to arrive at a compromise. That is something I believe the present rapporteur can remember, so we do not need to repeat it. I agree with those who have said that it is absolutely crucial for a Statute now to be adopted with clear and transparent rules that can increase the dignity accorded to the individual MEP, together with public respect for Parliament. There must be clarity regarding the reimbursement of expenses; there must be an appropriate salary level; and travel expenses must be calculated on the basis of documentation. That is what the Council has emphasised all the time. We must have this Statute in place in good time for the next elections to the European Parliament. In the light of impending enlargement, there will be a greater focus upon these elections than ever before and, if this problem is not solved, it will give rise to very damaging debates, especially in the new Member States.
It is bad if the electorate treat this Parliament with indifference. There are unfortunately too many people who do just that. This can be seen from the fact that they do not turn up and vote. It will be even worse if, the first time they go to the polls, voters in the new Member States at the same time read about debates on the Members’ Statute on the front pages of their newspapers. In that way, we are in danger of seeing a great many voters treating Parliament not merely with indifference but also with contempt, and that would be the worst thing of all that could happen.
Finally, I would pull no punches in now calling for the President of Parliament to be supported in the initiative he has taken and for a package solution now to be arrived at that has prospects of being approved by the Council. The Council has of course given clear signals. It must be possible for these things to be done, Mr President. It lies in your hands and in those of your MEPs.
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