Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-12-16-Speech-2-151"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-12-16"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Draft 2004 budget as amended by the Council and Letters of Amendment 1,2,[amp] 3/20042
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20031216.4.2-151"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-12-16-Speech-2-1522
lpv:speaker	lp:Bartho Pronk2
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Christen Democratisch Appèl (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; EMPL (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 substitute; BUDG (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway (2002-03-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, much has already been said about the budget. Nevertheless, I believe that we can give ourselves a little pat on the back today. This week’s states that the gross national product of the European Union has risen above that of the United States again this year. This means that we have become the world’s leading GNP power, and out of all of this we are spending 1% on this budget. That 1% ensures that we are able to maintain the possibilities of that GNP. That 1% is truly the best investment imaginable, therefore; and you could make yourself extremely sad listening to the weeping and wailing in the Ecofin Council. I do think, however, that the issue of Ecofin is a difficult one. What does Ecofin consist of? It consists of ministers who think that they should in fact be prime minister. They think it totally unfair that there is also a European Council; they believe that they themselves are that Council, and thus they go ahead and make their own policies. That is the main problem at this time. The Treaty assumes that there is one European Council, which has a definite coordinating role. The members of Ecofin think that they, too, play that role, and the way in which they go about it is so parochial, so sad, pedestrian and mournful, that it makes us shiver. Naturally, everyone thinks that I am only talking about Mr Brown, but unfortunately there are other ministers, too, who think along the same lines. That is a problem, and I think that this is perhaps the main point. I am not concerned with restricting the rights of this Parliament, but what would be eminently possible would be to restrict Ecofin’s rights somewhat when the European Council meets again. This might enable us to be a little more forward-thinking and to finally go the right way about drawing up an EU budget, rather than only going by the lowest common denominator out of the 15 – soon to be 25 – Member States."@en1
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"The Economist"1

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