Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-25-Speech-1-089"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2004-10-25"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Restructuring of the automobile sector2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20041025.14.1-089"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2004-10-25-Speech-1-0902
lpv:speaker	lp:Ria Oomen-ruijten2
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; FEMM (2004-09-08--2007-01-14)3 substitute; ENVI (2004-07-22--2007-01-14)3 member; Temporary committee on policy challenges and budgetary means of the enlarged Union 2007-2013 (2004-10-14--2005-06-08)3 member_of_the_bureau; EPP-ED (2004-08-31--2007-02-14)3 unknown; Christen Democratisch Appèl (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 member; Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China (2004-09-15--2007-03-13)3 member; EMPL (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3 substitute; Delegation for relations with the United States (2004-09-16--2007-03-13)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, let me start by responding to Mr Kuhne. We did not want a resolution about this issue, the reason being that, in a resolution, we would be forced to write: ‘We want all Europeans to trade in their cars straight away and make sure that they buy new Opels and Volkswagens’. Our economy is not a planned one; it cannot arrange this sort of thing. What is happening, quite simply, is that consumer demand is stagnating in our society. There is no confidence in the economy, not in Europe and certainly not in Germany. That is why fewer cars are being bought, which, in turn, impacts on production. Production units are in any case trying to reduce production costs. They are computerising, they are relocating plant, and so on. What the cutbacks at Volkswagen and Opel actually illustrate is the need to opt for another route. What is that other route? I share your view that we should ask workers to be more flexible in order to ensure that something can be done about working conditions too, but those workers cannot solve the problem on their own. Although we have to restore confidence in the economy, the workers in the companies concerned should also receive back-up, not only from governments, but also from social partners, in order to address the problems jointly. I am not referring to the labour costs alone, because we have just learned from the Commissioner that labour costs in the EU are still below those in the United States. It is mainly the indirect labour costs that are proving pernicious in Europe. It follows that we must – and I think that this is also one of the issues – try to reduce the indirect labour costs, and the Lisbon process can play some part in this. In my view, along with the high-level group, which I appreciate greatly, we will then need visible results from the studies that are due shortly. Credit where credit is due, Commissioner – and I say that also on behalf of our group."@en1

Named graphs describing this resource:

The resource appears as object in 2 triples

Context graph