Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-27-Speech-3-010"
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"en.20041027.3.3-010"2
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".
Mr President, President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, one of the most important items at next week’s European Council is, of course, the report on the mid-term review of the Lisbon process. Almost everyone is familiar with the key words of that programme: growth, competitiveness, knowledge, economy, employment and sustainable development. Everyone talks about them, everyone supports them, but results are lacking or altogether far too insubstantial. Of course, the world has changed a great deal since Lisbon. Certain Asian countries are experiencing tremendous growth, and the EU itself has also become much larger. We have been joined by ten more countries, and that does not make things any easier. We have also learnt – indeed, it was spelt out to us in black and white in the spring – that, whereas the Member States are adopting Lisbon directives, they are showing far less enthusiasm for actually transposing them. We also note that the structural measures necessary in the Member States have not been taken, or have not been taken in all cases, or have not been taken in all cases to a sufficient degree. Should we dilute the Lisbon ambitions on grounds that they are not achievable? No, we need to do the opposite; a better approach is to go up a gear. I therefore wish the Dutch Presidency success in providing the initial impetus that steers the debate in the right direction.
The obvious question, however, is how to achieve what we need to do. In our opinion, what we must not do on any account is to dilute the Stability and Growth Pact, nor must we on any account reduce our own room for manoeuvre to effectively do nothing in the debate on the financial perspective. What Europe must do, however, is to facilitate the evolution of Lisbon, and many things are needed and indeed possible in order to do this. I have always wondered whether the Member States can commit themselves to each other such that they are able to use that commitment as an external factor that can be called upon when they lack the courage at domestic level to do what they have to do, and when they are once again tempted to put off the necessary action for maybe just another year. It helped when we created Economic and Monetary Union, and it can help now.
Should we not also all make an effort to speak about the Lisbon process in different terms; to convey it to people in a different way? Even changing our vocabulary could help move the matter a great deal further forward. We have always talked of growth and competitiveness; we could also talk about prosperity for more people and greater opportunities for good jobs. We talk of the problem of population ageing; we could also talk about the prospect of a longer and better life. We must refine the message, but we must also provide a good messenger, and indeed this is something we have been lacking in recent years. I hope that we shall have a new Commission President who carries out that aspect of his duties, too, because we need him to. This could give processes such as Lisbon a boost. That is our task, and we must all do our share. Ladies and gentlemen, if you are planning to vote against the proposed Commission later on, bear in mind that this will be another factor causing considerable delay to the evolution of the Lisbon process, and people can really do without that. President-in-Office of the Council, I wish you every success."@en1
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