Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-08-Speech-1-111"
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"en.20040308.9.1-111"2
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".
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I wish to express the Commission’s satisfaction at the results achieved by Parliament and the Council in an area as sensitive as the free movement of the Union’s citizens. I also wish to give particular thanks to the rapporteur, Giacomo Santini, for his efforts to enable this legislative instrument to be adopted during this parliamentary term.
The Commission considers that the common position has achieved the three objectives contained in its original proposal, which were: codification, citizenship and making conditions for residency more flexible. The first aim was that of codifying the complex body of legislation that exists today. We have replaced nine directives and two regulations and have incorporated a huge amount of case-law in the field of free movement and residency into a single legislative instrument, which has the advantage of providing clearer and more transparent rights for our citizens and for national administrations. Secondly, the text of the common position should be seen as forming part of the legal and political framework created by citizenship of the European Union, which enables us to adopt a new approach to the exercise of citizens’ rights and to create a single system of free movement. This objective has been achieved despite the fact that specific rules have been retained for workers and students, in order to preserve the
. In third place, we have the objective of adding flexibility to the conditions and formalities linked to exercising the right to freedom of movement. In the Commission’s opinion, this has also been achieved by removing the obligation, for EU citizens, to obtain a residency permit, which has been replaced by simply registering with the local residency authority; through introducing a right of permanent residency that would no longer be subject to any conditions after five years, or continuous residency in the reception Member State; and finally, through more clearly defining the status of family members and by enhancing their rights, not least as regards those family members that are not nationals of any Member State.
The Commission considers that this text, which does not correspond exactly to all the objectives contained in its original proposal, in any event constitutes a crucial step towards producing a solid concept of citizenship. I feel sure that the new provisions of the directive will have a considerable positive impact on the lives of millions of Union citizens currently residing in another country of the European Union and of many other citizens who will in future use the right to freedom of movement.
Consequently, I thank Parliament and the rapporteur for the support I feel sure they will give to adopting the common position without amendment and I hope that this support sends a positive message to the citizens, explaining to them clearly that, although the Union has made significant progress in the field of security and justice in the last four years, this directive will enable us to say the same as regards this added value that is the freedom of Europe’s citizens."@en1
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