Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-07-21-Speech-3-036"
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"en.20040721.1.3-036"2
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"Mr President of Parliament, Mr President of the Commission, Taoiseach, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, we are today reviewing the six-month period of the Irish Presidency. It most certainly proved a very successful time for the European Union. In particular, the greatest enlargement in the history of the European Union took place during this period, as several previous speakers have stated. Enlargement was finally accomplished amidst much rejoicing and celebration in Dublin on 1 May. In June, the enlarged Europe demonstrated it could function effectively when 25 European leaders agreed on the choice of candidate for President of the European Commission. That was an achievement equally worthy of celebration and I congratulate the Irish Presidency most sincerely on this further success.
I would also like to express my appreciation of the Presidency’s response following the tragic attacks in Madrid on 11 March. I am confident that both the resources earmarked for prevention of further terrorist attacks on our continent and those already deployed will produce the desired result. This will represent a significant and distinctive Irish contribution to the creation of a safer Europe.
By way of contrast with the aforementioned undisputed successes of the Irish Presidency, concerns have been expressed regarding the compromise over the draft Constitutional Treaty. Clearly, a compromise would never have been achieved without the determination and drive the Irish leaders demonstrated at the Brussels Summit. Nonetheless, the question does arise as to whether that June compromise and the drive demonstrated at the time will not prove counter-productive in the future, when the draft Constitution for Europe comes to be ratified, especially through referenda.
My misgivings arise from impressions gained during a number of meetings in the course of the recent European Parliament election campaign. To a great many Europeans, the lack of any reference to Judaeo-Christian traditions in the preamble to the Constitution will present a major obstacle when they are called on to vote for its ratification. A great many Europeans are not opposed to a united Europe, nor are they opposed to further integration within the European Union. They do, however, feel that this ambitious project is being built on shaky foundations by omitting the fundamental and obvious fact of the importance of the Judaeo-Christian tradition in shaping the Europe of today and of the future."@en1
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