Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-08-Speech-3-017"
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"en.20050608.3.3-017"2
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is clear today that everybody wants to tell some truths, and that is how it should be.
We, as European citizens and MEPs, have the right, like all citizens, to know what problems you have in Council, and how you respond to them. Not only what Mr Schröder will say to Mr Blair in public, but how the members of the Council respond when there are other positions, how they react to the positions of Mr Juncker, who wants to carry on, of Mr Blair, who wants to stop, of the Poles, who do not know, of the Danes, who do not know: we want all of that to be made public. The lack of transparency is one of the reasons for failure.
Mr Barroso, this crisis is, in a way, an opportunity: we must seize it by telling the truth publicly. For example, with regard to globalisation, China, all of that, let us say once and for all that, yes, the WTO is important, but that the WTO can only work if it adopts the criteria of the International Labour Office. The problem is not to set up barriers against China, but to impose democratisation in China so that Chinese employees can fight for their salaries.
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If China does not accept this, then we must expel China from the WTO! It is quite simple, and it is the same for other countries. We are fed up with it: business, always business, but when democracy is the issue, we are out at lunch. It cannot continue to work that way. That is what the citizens of Europe want to know!
That is why I would say to everybody: we have lost, yes, we lost in France, but, because I was part of the campaign, I do not want to lose again and I do not want to continue to lie on very clear matters. I will finish by recalling one of those lies: we need a European budget that will enable economic initiatives, we need to develop scientific research, but, to do so, it must at least be said that Europe is more interesting than the stingy proposals from governments as they are set out today.
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The first truth: when, today, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe discovers that we should have proceeded to ratification on the same day, I would remind you that, when we proposed a European referendum across the whole of Europe, even this Parliament did not follow us.
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Today, everybody wishes we had held a European referendum on the same day because, even though it may indeed have resulted in defeat, we would not have this ridiculous problem of asking ourselves whether or not we should proceed with ratification: everybody would have voted on the same day. That is what I want to say and we have only ourselves to blame: why did Parliament not call for a European referendum, as we proposed?
The second truth: I think, and this needs to be said openly, that, with regard to the financial perspectives themselves, the governments and this Parliament have not yet understood what this is about. They have not yet understood that, if we want Europe to be capable of taking action for employment, for social protection, then we need to give it the means to do so. However, even the compromise proposed by Mr Schröder, even the compromise proposed by the others, is not a compromise that will give us the means. Once again, we are lying to our citizens. Let us say this clearly: either we have a budget that enables Europe to operate or we cannot promise anything for Europe. Just for once, let us tell them this truth.
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The third truth: let us be clear! Mr Poettering, what happened in France was not a disappointment, it was a defeat, but today’s defeats will be tomorrow’s victories, I can promise you that. For that purpose, we, the Council, the Commission and Parliament, must really be able to set up and organise a convention with the Economic and Social Committee, with the Committee of the Regions, and with civil society, to reflect on and discuss Europe’s economic and social policies: what have been our successes? What have been our failures? Let us get to work! Mr Schmit, open up the black box of the Council, debate in public on the 16th and 17th, so that the citizens of Europe know what you are going to say!
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The people of Europe are fed up with these press conferences that follow Councils, during which each country, each government representative, only tells half the truth, taking care to disguise the other half, the things he has said behind closed doors."@en1
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