Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-18-Speech-3-014"
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"en.20060118.2.3-014"2
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".
President-in-Office, you are said to be skilled in drawing and adept at mountaineering. You have sketched for us a clear picture of your Presidency and you have mapped the contours of your summits.
Was it not the celebrated Austrian Simon Wiesenthal who said: ‘Freedom is not a gift of heaven, you have to fight for it every day’? Liberals and Democrats agree. And we trust you will maintain our commitment to individual liberties and human rights in a world where they are increasingly trodden under foot.
Let us ensure that the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia in Vienna becomes a fully-fledged human rights agency.
And press for a world-wide Human Rights dialogue to tackle the death of democracy in Russia, the fetters on freedom in China and the hypocrisy of an American President who kills Pakistani villagers in the name of democracy and civilisation.
I believe that Austria’s Presidency could be a service to Europe, and to the world.
If you uphold the promise of transparency made in December and start holding Council meetings in public, citizens will better understand the Union.
If you can rediscover 1998’s ‘Pörtschachsgeist’ and set a positive agenda for action Liberals and Democrats will applaud your efforts.
If you work with us and your colleagues to put the constitutional debate back on the rails you will breathe hope into the Union’s affairs.
We wish you courage and accomplishment in the coming months.
Your main task over these six months will be to reach agreement with this House on the Union’s seven-year spending plans. As one of the backers of the bid to slash the budget, you have belaboured the Union with its lowest capability ever. This budget will meet not even the demands of Europe’s leaders, let alone the ambitions of our citizens. That is why Liberals and Democrats will vote today to reject the deal brokered by Mr Blair.
If you are to rebuild confidence in the European project, you need to convince Europeans that the EU works to serve their interests. The Erasmus Programme is one of our most visible and successful projects, yet the Council is seeking to cut the budget for young people. The Airbus project is a triumph of common endeavour, yet there will be too little money for research and development to replicate it. We trust the Council will show willingness to work with this House to redirect money towards priorities like research and development.
Each year, large sums are under-spent or decommitted in areas like agriculture or the structural funds. These should be kept for EU priorities, not refunded to Member States. Likewise, the budget should be based on the actual percentage of GNI, rather than nominal figures. With growth just half a percent greater than forecast, for example, 1.045% of GNI could be worth almost EUR 16 billion more. Should the Lisbon Agenda truly succeed in making us more competitive, that figure could be even larger. Can we count on you to study ideas like these for the Interinstitutional Agreement?
Liberals and Democrats look forward to working with you for greater economic competitiveness and more jobs. You have described this as ‘the most urgent task of European policy’. But this means embracing the opportunities offered by the EU, not shrinking under pressure from protectionists.
In a wider Union, the gates of Vienna are no longer under siege, nor is your way of life threatened by the European Court of Justice.
President-in-Office, 2006 is the European Year of Workers’ Mobility. How ironic, then, that you seek to prolong – for the first time in EU history – transitional arrangements which hinder the free movement of workers within our Union.
Liberals and Democrats reject a two-tier Europe in which citizens of the new Member States are treated as second class. Moreover, Europe’s entrepreneurs need all the skilled help they can get in the absence of a consensus on immigration."@en1
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