Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-07-21-Speech-3-050"
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"en.20040721.2.3-050"2
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"Mr President-in-Office of the Council, your Presidency will be judged by how well you manage two subjects in particular: the Financial Perspective and the decision on Turkey.
On the first point, the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance remains extremely worried, because the figures you insist upon, as when you enthusiastically signed the infamous ‘penny-pinchers’ letter’ or attacked the Commission for daring to propose that the budget for the Union of 25 should reach the monstrous level of 1.14% of Europe’s GDP, just do not add up.
We agree on the need to reopen the debate on the European Union’s spending priorities. We should like to be able to support a proposal of yours to eliminate agricultural export subsidies or to re-examine certain monumental and costly trans-European network projects.
It is not by aiming at making savings indiscriminately that the European economic system can be made ecologically and socially sustainable and also competitive. You yourself seem to admit as much when you speak of the need to give the European economy a boost by encouraging employment, innovation and research. You also used the word sustainability, a very fashionable term these days but one that for many has very little substance. Even so, there will be a lot to do over the next six months to encourage not only producers but also governments to make economically sustainable decisions. For instance, greater effort could be put into implementing the Kyoto Protocol, standing up to the pressures from the chemical industry on the Reach directive, truly enhancing the action plan for environmental technology, cutting aircraft fuel subsidies, or re-examining the Bolkenstein directive. Mr President, we shall meet again in six months’ time to judge how sustainable your Presidency has been.
Lastly, in relation to Turkey, we support your approach and are delighted that you have stated that Islam in itself is not a topic of debate for its accession. This statement is particularly significant to us because it comes from a leading Christian Democrat. Perhaps you can make a contribution to this discussion in other countries too. In this you can certainly count on our support."@en1
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