Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-26-Speech-3-158"
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"en.20051026.17.3-158"2
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"Mr President, I am sorry that the Prime Minister has had to go. But, speaking, as I do, for the real and responsible Conservative delegation of MEPs who believe in constructive engagement in this House and in Europe, I want to thank the Presidency for the Prime Minister’s statement. He gave us a shopping list in June, but he has not informed us today of the safe delivery of the items on the list. Instead, he has produced another shopping list for us, merit worthy though it may be, and I want to know – and I am sure his minister will answer this – when delivery will take place. A common energy policy was referred to by the Prime Minister. It seems to me that is a reversal of a previous position and I would like some clarification on that.
When the Prime Minister was here previously, he stated in this Parliament: ‘The people of Europe are speaking to us. They are posing the questions. They are wanting our leadership. It is time we gave it to them.’ I very much welcomed those comments but I am bound to say that they seem to have failed their test. Indeed, the Prime Minister is reported to have said that his own Presidency has stalled. Others across the political spectrum have lined up to express disappointment with the lack of progress.
I welcome the agreement on proceeding with care in accession negotiations with Turkey, and it is important that we send a signal to the people of that country, but the rest of the agenda seems to be stuck in a rut. The Council will discuss economic reform and the challenges that the EU faces with globalisation tomorrow, but where are the concrete proposals from the Presidency? Where is the answer to the real challenge that Europe faces from India and China? Where is the leadership on the Doha Round? The Prime Minister says that it is progress on liberalising world trade that we need, but the process seems to be bogged down in a failure of political will on the part of the EU.
Where is the leadership on the future financing of the EU? Surely, it must be understood that the United Kingdom and others have vital interests. Is the Prime Minister prepared to defend those? Could he or his minister tell us what the position is? Does he agree with the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Prescott, when he said that Britain was ready to do a deal with the British rebate without any fundamental reform of the CAP? Where is the leadership on the future of Europe? We thought that, during the ‘pause for reflection on the Constitution’, we might have had some answers, but we have not.
I said at the outset of the Presidency that it should be judged not by rhetoric, but by results. There are two summits to come on the Prime Minister’s watch, so there is time to make real progress between now and the end. We had hoped that the rhetoric of his speech in June would now be matched by some solid progress. Sweeping difficult problems under the carpet for future presidencies to grapple with is not the kind of leadership we have been led to expect from the Prime Minister.
Time is short, winter approaches. We wait for some real results."@en1
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