Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-22-Speech-3-218"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060322.17.3-218"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, I would like to thank Mr Leinen for this important report, which provides a good opportunity to both look back at what has been accomplished in the area of European political parties and what could be done in the future.
Finally, we take note with interest of the idea underlined in paragraph 4 of the report, namely that the Committee on Constitutional Affairs should consider the question of a European statute for European political parties, which could go further than the existing regulation. Among the ideas that the committee should consider is the possibility of better defining rights and obligations for the European parties.
The Commission will certainly follow with interest and attention the work which will be carried out by the parliamentary committee in this area. I would like to express here my personal commitment to this important reflection. I repeat that this is fully in line with our ideas in the White Paper. This has to do with creating a European political public sphere where we can have debate and where the political parties will play a very important role.
It was only three years ago, in 2003, that the regulation governing the political parties at European level was adopted by this House and the Council, on the basis of a proposal put forward by the Commission. The institutions were thus translating into practice the objective set by the Treaty of Amsterdam and the new legal basis offered by the Treaty of Nice. As the European Community Treaty acknowledges, political parties at European level are an important factor for integration within the Union. They contribute to forming a European awareness, to expressing the political will of the citizens and to promoting political debate at European level. It is a fact that since the entry into force of the regulation, ten European political parties at European level have been established.
We could take this as an indication that the European public sphere is being gradually built, where citizens can expect their voices to be increasingly heard by the institutions. I have great sympathy for this, as it is also one of the thoughts in our White Paper on communication. We need a European political culture and we need help to promote that. However, there is still a long way to go to connect the European project and the European institutions to the citizens. Again, this is one of the key issues that the Commission addresses in the White Paper on European communication policy.
I am convinced that not only governments and parliaments, but also political parties and public bodies have to place the issue of Europe at the forefront of public consciousness. We should also reflect on the low turnout for European elections and jointly look into ways of increasing voter participation, as the Commission has already proposed in Plan D. It is not always easy to see exactly how we could play that role, but I think the institutions would have a common interest in ensuring that there is also a high voter turnout and high participation in the discussion on these elections.
Mr Leinen’s report emphasises that political parties have to work for citizens’ involvement, not only through European elections but in all other aspects of European political life. We fully share this view.
There are a number of important issues that are raised in paragraph 12 of the report. They concern the role of the European Foundation. As Mr Leinen mentioned, this concerns the role that European parties can play in European referenda and the enhancement of youth organisations. The Commission would welcome a broad and in-depth discussion of these issues. They are all part of our gradual move towards the real European public sphere. Again, we have a great deal of sympathy for these proposals.
Political parties are an essential part of the democratic structure of the Union and it is therefore appropriate that they receive some support from the Community budget.
We take note of the suggestions advanced in the report as regards injecting more flexibility into the public funding system. Many of the ideas outlined in the report could be made concrete by an adjustment of the internal rules supplied by Parliament.
As regards other suggestions, which would imply amendments of the regulation covering European political parties or of the Financial Regulation, we have to look at those in a broader context. You will notice the careful language that I am using on this point. As you know, we are currently revising the Financial Regulation and its implementing rules. We should assess the situation in the light of this exercise, as, again, one has to balance the need to look at other financing, or at NGOs for example, with a view to finding the best tools to improve the current situation."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples