Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-08-Speech-3-048"
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"en.20050608.3.3-048"2
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"Mr President, Europe was unable to win the obstacle race. The Constitution failed to clear all the fences. This European Constitution was the favourite, but it lost the race. Did it lose, though, because the text was not good enough? Did it lose solely because of European considerations? I think not. Rather, I think that the ground had not been prepared and that the Constitution had to compete with rivals doped up with lies.
We must all react – the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council. What have the voters said to us? ‘Sorry, we do not really know Europe. On the other hand, the situation in our own country has deteriorated, so we will make use of our power to say so’, and they voted for superficial reasons. The results are there, and we have to draw our conclusions from them. For too long, some of our governments have turned their backs on the emergence of a real European culture. In saying that, I am, of course, thinking of France. How many generations of ministers of all persuasions have been suddenly afflicted with amnesia in the course of moving between Brussels and their own capitals? Between the moment when, sitting in the middle of the Council of Ministers in Brussels and speaking on behalf of their country, and the moment when they explain a measure, all of them seem to have severe memory lapses. In Brussels they approve a European measure, which, if it is popular, is immediately credited to the government’s initiative. On the other hand, if an action is indispensable, but unpopular, it is Europe that is held responsible.
This attitude has led us to a sorry state. For too many years now, no one speaks about Europe. Enlargement has not been properly explained. We have moved too fast in the face of public opinion that was not prepared, with people having the feeling of putting up with things rather than participating. Making people like Europe means finding ways of making it understood. One of the major errors in relation to this Constitutional Treaty was not to have organised popular or parliamentary consultation on the same day in all the Member States. Let us remember, however, that ten countries voted ‘yes’ and that it is only by integrating the European debate within all issues of national politics that we can manage to avert the populist hurricane that is now sweeping over our countries."@en1
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