Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-07-21-Speech-3-061"
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"en.20040721.2.3-061"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is important to ensure continuity between Presidencies. I should therefore like to begin by referring to the Irish Presidency. It proved a historic Presidency, because it saw the enlargement of the European Union through the accession of ten new Member States. That was a momentous event for the new Member States and indeed for the Union as a whole.
The issue of the draft of the new Constitution also fell within the Irish Presidency. During the coming presidencies, these drafts will be considered. They will be debated at European Union level and in all the Member States. I believe it is important to make it clear at the outset that a full assessment will only be possible after the new Constitution has been endorsed. But to achieve this, several concerns must first be addressed. In a number of countries notably my own, Poland, very large sections of public opinion are gravely concerned by the decision to omit all reference to God and to Christianity from the preamble. There is concern too about Union legislation taking precedence over national legislation in certain fields. The change in the voting system presents a further difficulty. We cannot agree to it. There is also the matter of the unfair advantages granted to the eastern German
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Ladies and gentlemen, Montesquieu said that local legislation and traditions must be respected when establishing central legislation. There is much talk about bringing the Union closer to the people. It is important to give very careful consideration to the implications of increased centralisation of the European Union and of extending the economic competence of the central bodies of the European Union. In theory, the principle of mutual support must always be applied. Will this actually be the case in practice? Will Montesquieu’s warnings be heeded as the Union gradually strengthens its central bodies?"@en1
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