Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-22-Speech-3-224"
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"en.20060322.17.3-224"2
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"Mr President, Madam Vice-President, as a member of the Party of the European Left, which was founded in May 2004, I firmly believe that, as the integration process advances, European political parties can play an important part in ensuring that our continent continues to converge and, above all, that a sense of European identity is able to develop more and more across all our countries.
Political parties are certainly not the only players in our democracy, and they are far from being the best players, but they are a key element, and so the inclusion of a clause on the role of political parties in the ‘democratic life of the Union’ title of the Constitutional Treaty. Unlike the other European political parties, the Party of the European Left is a young European party. To a certain extent, therefore, it is still engaged in the process of its own development as a party. But if I reflect on the heated debates of recent times, and particularly the debate on the crucial issue of the Services Directive, I must conclude that it has demonstrated its readiness and ability to act and has established a profile of its own.
Paragraph 12 of the report calls on all political parties to discuss specific ways in which they can play a more active role in public debates on the future of the European Union, and that is something I wholeheartedly endorse. The current pause for reflection on the European constitution must not degenerate into a break from reflection. I personally believe it is high time to venture into new territory, for example in the domain of European elections. It is several years now since Parliament proposed amendments to electoral legislation, and why indeed should the people of Europe not have the long-overdue opportunity to choose between various European lists of candidates put forward by European parties at the next elections? If I may return to Mr Lehne’s remarks, I do not regard that as an ‘abstract concept’ but as a new political departure. There is nothing, of course, to prevent anyone from combining European lists with more personalised campaigning.
Allow me finally to thank Mr Leinen for his report. His proposals on financial arrangements are balanced, and the Party of the European Left supports them. More financial security for long-term planning and more flexible administration of allocated resources will make it easier for every party to go on developing its political activities."@en1
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