Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-26-Speech-3-033"
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"en.20030326.5.3-033"2
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"Mr President, we cannot deny for one moment that the last number of weeks have portrayed the European Union in a very poor light. Consensus building – which is at the centre of policies being pursued by the Greek Presidency – could not become a reality because of the polarised viewpoints on the war in Iraq taken by different countries in Europe.
The Greek Government tried valiantly to secure a common political position on Iraq and Europe, but notwithstanding its tenacious and determined efforts, this objective could not be secured. The Greek Government must be commended for the measured approach it has taken during this very turbulent time for the European Union.
In very simple and blunt terms, we are here today to try and pick up the pieces after what has been a bruising experience for all Member States within the European Union. We must remember that the European Union has been through difficulties before and has always managed to rebuild itself in the face of adversity.
This is the core of the challenges we now face. The European Union has brought political stability to the people of Europe for over 50 years. We must not, and cannot, lose sight of this fact, but we must look at the bigger picture. The European Union as a political and economic entity has brought prosperity and a sense of political purpose to the people of Europe. We have an internal market, we have a single European currency and the European Union is shortly to increase in size to 25 Member States.
These are all real political achievements which are contributing to the standard of living and the quality of life for many people in Europe. We can all be proud of these achievements because we all played a key role in making them a reality.
The events of the last few weeks have rocked the European Union to its foundation. We must now ensure that we pick ourselves up from this position and play a central role in providing all the necessary humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq over the coming months. I welcome the conclusions of the Brussels summit and the commitment of the European Union to rebuild bridges with America and to support the transatlantic relationship. America and Europe can achieve so much across a range of measures when they work together, as opposed to working against the interests of one another. We must try to rebuild this relationship as a matter of urgency.
The European Union must carry out its moral political duties in ensuring that the humanitarian problems of Iraq are addressed with vigour and determination. We must continue to work with the United Nations, whose authority has also been very badly shaken in recent times.
Like many others here today, I greatly wish for a speedy end to the war in Iraq. The atmosphere here today is muted, but that must not disguise the fact that the European Union does have a lead role to play in ensuring that the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people will be fully addressed. This is our duty, a duty which, last week, the EU leaders recognised must be faced up to. I believe the European Parliament must take a similar political position here today."@en1
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