Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-05-Speech-3-050"
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"en.20060405.4.3-050"2
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"Mr President, I begin by welcoming the firm stand of the Council on the situation in Belarus and the sanctions that have been agreed.
On the Lisbon Agenda, I welcome many of the Presidency conclusions but, sadly, Europe has yet to find an answer to its underlying economic malaise. Governments find it easy to sign declarations of intent but harder to put into practice what they profess.
On the services directive, I admit I am unhappy with the Council compromise. I have always urged the British Government and the Council to go further in a liberalising direction, but my words have fallen on deaf ears. Mr Blair talks the talk; he says he is leading the way and that the rest of Europe is falling into line, but I think he deludes himself – and not for the first time. A truly liberalising services directive would be the most fundamental sign of Europe reforming, which it desperately needs to do now and not at some vague date in the future.
The most disappointing aspect of the Council was, however, the fundamental failure of leaders to speak forcefully on the rising tide of protectionism. We expected to hear something – at least a memorandum – from Mr Berlusconi, as he seems to have spoken on every other subject recently, and from Mr Blair. But what happened? The Council meeting could have made clear its determination to fight the protectionist threat to Europe’s prosperity and the functioning of the single market. It was the perfect time to seize the high ground and it failed to do so.
Again, it is left to President Barroso to make the case. I congratulate him on his continuing determination on this issue. Last week in Florence he said that national governments were giving in to populist temptations. I agree. It is time to consider what action should be taken against those who seek to attack the basic rules of the single market.
I also congratulate Mr Barroso on the action he took yesterday to clamp down on energy giants in Europe, which are using their industrial muscle to hinder competition and distort the market. This legal action against those who are trying to restrict an open European energy market will be welcomed by all those of us who believe in free markets and the completion of the single market."@en1
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