Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-05-04-Speech-2-120"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20040504.7.2-120"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Europeans, the long-awaited hour is here. Poland has become a Member State of the European Union, along with another nine countries and peoples . Integration into Europe has been the hope and ambition of many nations, including Poland. The Polish people played a significant role in this endeavour. After all, Poland initiated the process of structural transformation in our part of Europe, and it was the Polish Government that was the first to propose enlarging the European Union to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. We therefore have good reasons for pride and satisfaction.
The date of 1 May 2004 will become a symbol of the end of the Yalta order in Europe. This order artificially divided our continent, placing some in a privileged position, while sentencing others to a sluggish pace of economic development. Let us hope it is gone forever. Today, with the sense of a job well done, we should look forward in hope to the future of Europe. Thanks are due to all those who strove towards integration, both in the countries of The Fifteen and in the candidate countries. They are to be commended on their unshakeable determination and on helping to bring about integration through concrete facts and actions.
The next step on this road will be the adoption of the Constitutional Treaty. It is our expectation and hope that this will occur during the current Irish Presidency. In this period of globalisation and terrorism, it is necessary to reinforce our European solidarity, cooperation, unity, and security. In order for work on this important document to be completed successfully, it is vital for all the Member States to be willing to compromise. I agree with Commissioner Verheugen. He is a great friend of Poland and of its people. The Commissioner stated that European integration called for courage, courage of thought and the courage to compromise. Courage is also required when considering the future of the European Union, because the process of enlargement will not stop at this stage. It will continue until the time our common neighbours in the east and south of Europe join our great strong family in their turn. We should maintain the best possible relations with them, endeavouring to ensure they are properly prepared for the process of integration at the appropriate time.
I cannot predict whether the Polish electorate will decide if I should continue to sit in this House. Allow me, therefore, to finish by thanking President Pat Cox and the European Parliament for enabling me to represent Poland in the European arena over the last year. I am sure I speak for the other observers too. It has been a great privilege to witness events that will go down in history and an honour to have been actively involved in shaping them. I am conscious of the significance of this moment for the history of Europe. Confident of our shared courage and determination to build a better world I face the future with confidence and hope."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples