Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-09-Speech-2-249"

PredicateValue (sorted: default)
rdf:type
dcterms:Date
dcterms:Is Part Of
dcterms:Language
lpv:document identification number
"en.20040309.9.2-249"2
lpv:hasSubsequent
lpv:speaker
lpv:spokenAs
lpv:translated text
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, our external policy in relation to the Balkans is an inevitable consequence of the enormous mistakes we made at the beginning of the 1990s; at that time we did not have a common policy for this region, but today we do. The Stability Pact is the right answer to the region's problems. The negotiation of the Stabilisation and Association Process, together with financial assistance such as the CARDS programme and the annual progress review, assists progress towards the frequently mentioned objective of the ultimate accession of these countries to the European Union. So this is the right way to go. What then is this new cliché about ‘European Partnership’? The Stabilisation and Association Agreements are the launch pad for a partnership and if all the criteria are met, the application for membership is the next step. Is there any room for a new catchword without any new financial backing? This proposal from the Council is meaningless, and the Commission knows that, but it cannot say that in so many words. We, on the other hand, can say what we think! Commissioner, the Commission and the Council could demonstrate how serious they are about this much-vaunted partnership by taking Croatia as an example. Croatia has been on the right path for years. Cooperation is good in all areas. The extent of cooperation with The Hague is also positive. Two more generals have just been sent to The Hague. We should not be setting ever-higher standards just because one general with a French passport is still at large and is nowhere to be found. We should remember what has been achieved already. This positive view of Croatia would give a signal and add impetus to compliance with the European Union's criteria throughout the region for which European Partnerships are envisaged – and I know what I am talking about. Our common foreign policy in South Eastern Europe is currently being put to the test, and a rigorous one at that. The proposal for a European Partnership without any substantial added value as compared with the Stabilisation and Association Process and without any additional financial assistance will not, I regret to say, enhance our credibility."@en1

Named graphs describing this resource:

1http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/rdf/English.ttl.gz
2http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/rdf/Events_and_structure.ttl.gz
3http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/rdf/spokenAs.ttl.gz

The resource appears as object in 2 triples

Context graph