Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-11-Speech-2-281"
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"en.20030311.11.2-281"2
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"Mr President, I would like to join in thanking the rapporteur, Mr Karas, which I think is only fair. I have been a privileged witness of the ferocity of the bulls he has had to fight: the Council – which is very divided – the Commission, the other groups in this House and in particular my own group, which has given him more headaches than all the other groups together.
Secondly, I would like to stress the generosity of the European Parliament. It is true that we have managed to have many of the amendments we presented at first reading accepted, but it is also the case that we have sacrificed legitimate, well-founded and well-argued aspirations in order to achieve a text which can be accepted by the Council.
We have sacrificed these positions, however, because we have always been aware that this directive was essential, at least for three reasons. Firstly, to make the freedoms enshrined in the Treaty more effective and more real, particularly the mobility of workers. Secondly, in order to supplement the public social security systems at a time – as has been said - when the challenge we must face in the coming years is a demographic one, the ageing of the population and the sustainability of public finances. These professional systems of a supplementary nature – I would insist on this aspect – will serve to maintain the future incomes of workers. This is a social approach which my group applauds. And, thirdly, because it will help to increase European saving, to increase the depth of the European financial market, which is the global objective of the financial services action plan. That saving will allow us to fund – and this ties in with what I said in the previous report – the investments we need in order to grow, in order to increase our employment and our productivity.
Mr Karas has highlighted many of the amendments which have enriched the original text of the Commission and the Council. I would like to stress the increase in transparency due to the information obligations required of the providers of these services, of the people who provide and guarantee these pensions, both with regard to the authorities and the participants. Secondly, and contrary to what somebody said from the benches of the left, because it incorporates social orientations which are very dear to those of us who advocate a social market economy. And thirdly because it increases the coordination of the supervision authorities and promotes the possibility of cross-border activities.
I would like to end, Commissioner, by stressing some of the deficiencies pointed out by the rapporteur. It will be necessary to make progress on tax harmonisation – I pointed this out in the previous report – if we want these cross-border activities to genuinely be expanded and freedom of choice to be real."@en1
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