Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-13-Speech-4-024"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051013.3.4-024"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I should like to congratulate Mr Beaupuy on his report, and say what an honour it was to be part of his team. To date, there has been a conspicuous lack of cohesive European policy on urban-related issues, although over three quarters of the Union’s citizens live in urban areas. Today’s debate is therefore indicative of genuine realism. I am delighted a document of this nature has been drafted. I am also pleased to note that it contains references to the European Urban Charter and the New Athens Charter.
Of course, matters relating to cities cannot ever be considered without reference to the surroundings of the cities that constitute urban agglomerations. It is also important to keep in mind the existence of extensive rural areas. Throughout history, the development of cities has acted as a catalyst to the development of whole regions and conversely, the deterioration of the former has led to the downfall of the latter. This is still the case, particularly as regards regional capitals, or in other words local metropolitan centres. It therefore makes sense to include the urban environment in the strategic objectives for regional development, and consequently to provide for full participation in the Cohesion Fund and Structural Funds.
There certainly are some challenging specific issues relating to municipal engineering. They include urban transport, the supply of energy and water, waste water treatment and waste recycling. Cities have many other roles to play too, however, and I should like to mention education and the promotion of culture in particular. Cities must also deal with a whole range of social issues. Nowadays these include serious security matters, unemployment, and the death of city centres mentioned previously by Mr Libicki.
In conclusion, I should like to recall what Pope John Paul II once said to representatives of Italian cities, as it links in with the human aspect referred to by the Commissioner. The Holy Father stated that a city cannot be an end in itself. Its end should be the service of human beings, to which cities should adjust their structures and governing principles. He went on to say that public authorities should guard against losing sight of this truth, for fear of becoming like a machine that hums uselessly and is likely to cause injury. Let us all therefore strive to be useful, be it in the House, in the Commission, in the Council or in any of the cities in Europe."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples