Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-08-Speech-3-063"
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"en.20031008.7.3-063"2
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"Mr President, it would have been nice if previous speakers had not doubled their speaking time, because we all have other engagements after this debate. Courtesy is not, however, the most common feature of this Parliament.
Mr President, Mr President of the Commission, one of your illustrious predecessors, Jacques Delors, said in a recent interview that the European Parliament would do better to deal with matters of concern to Europe’s citizens rather than focusing on human rights in Guatemala or on women’s rights in Equatorial Guinea. These are undoubtedly interesting matters but, at the moment, what Europeans are more concerned with – and something that the Brussels Summit, if I am not mistaken, is due to address – is the incredible growth deficit that is threatening to engulf the European economy and, within the European economy, those countries in particular that chose to put their fate in the hands of the euro and the European Central Bank. Whatever the criteria selected, be it debt, deficit, growth, unemployment, inflation – the three Member States that did not opt for the euro and which have kept their national currency are doing the best, including – see the Commission report on this matter – in the field of competition and the Lisbon strategy. The three countries that should be stepping up to receive their medals are the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden, which has, moreover, just given an unequivocal response to European monetary policy.
Because the Brussels summit is due to oversee the changeover between Mr Duisenberg and Mr Trichet, perhaps it could consider the policy that has been conducted since the euro was introduced in 1999? Incidentally, Commissioner Prodi, that event is something for which your mandate will be remembered, because you took office before the euro had been introduced and you will leave after it has been established. One incredible aspect of this currency is that it is propelled towards peaks by the dollar – not of its own free will but like a cork tossed up by the power of the wave – whereas everyone knows that thousands of jobs are being axed every day, as the result both of a Malthusian policy and now of a negligent attitude towards the currency market which makes the euro the main handicap to the European economy, particularly for the countries in the euro zone.
Mr President, Commissioner Prodi, on this matter, which is one of the European citizens’ deepest concerns, is anyone going to remind the European Central Bank of its job, which is to ensure growth, or at least to ensure that we have a currency that benefits the European economy?"@en1
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