Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-10-Speech-3-051"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20040310.2.3-051"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner Verheugen has spoken of his concern that people in today’s European Union countries are not well enough informed. I share that concern, but I would like to ask what the alternative would be. The alternative – and we must tell people that – would be continuing lack of freedom, the continuation of a totalitarian regime. That is why we should be glad and grateful that the nations of Central Europe – and of course Cyprus and Malta – are joining our union of values under different circumstances, on the basis of human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the market economy. We wish the nations of Central Europe, Malta and Cyprus a warm welcome. It is an occasion for joy. Our group and the entire Parliament have always supported it.
We will be having the first free elections in Europe. In the accession countries, our political friends and the people there refer to these European elections as Europe’s first free elections. That is why we must reject the call, from the prime minister of one of the accession countries, for there to be a single list. No, ladies and gentlemen; elections are a political competition and we should be glad that such competition is now possible in the countries of Central Europe, too.
The enlargement of the European Union is, however, not just a material question. In essence, it is a question of values, a spiritual question. We should also be saying to our new partners in Central Europe, Malta and Cyprus: do not ask what you can get out of the European Union, but let us all in the present and future European Union ask ourselves what we can do for Europe together to make this Europe strong, to make this Europe democratic and to make this Europe carry weight in the world.
I have great admiration for what the accession countries have already achieved. After more than 50 years of communism, these nations have had to make a tremendous effort. There is still a lot to be done, however. Commissioner Verheugen, Mr Brok and the other rapporteurs have already drawn our attention to that.
I believe we will do it, however. We should put across to the people of the European Union that our experience with enlargement when Spain and Portugal joined shows that in the end everyone will gain, materially and economically too. Tremendous challenges remain in the area of internal security.
I have just been talking to an expert on internal security from Europol. Of course we must secure the external borders. But that expert explained to me that the drugs mafia, which is already making trouble in the European Union, will also expand its activities to the accession countries. That means we must strengthen Europol and police cooperation as a whole.
One final remark. Commissioner, you and this Commission still have to give an assessment of Turkey. Opinions in our Group differ over whether Turkey should become a member or not. I will not go into that now. However, we expect the Commission, we expect you, to make your assessment on the basis of the Copenhagen criteria and not to make a politically opportunistic recommendation, but to comply with the law. The Commission is bound to do so as guardian of the Treaties, and we will judge you by that yardstick. We will meet and discuss this matter again."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples