Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-01-15-Speech-1-026"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070115.9.1-026"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, at the start of this parliamentary term, I gave the following response to your first speech, in which you set out the broad outlines of your Presidency: ‘Your words’, I said, ‘reinforce our view that we can develop very constructive and cooperative relations with you.’ That is exactly how it has proved to be, and I thank you for a number of reasons.
I should first like to commend you for being a genuine progressive. In spite of the constraints of your office and the particular conditions under which you exercised your mandate, you have succeeded in remaining true to our shared ideals. Just a few days ago, in your speech to Humboldt University, you fiercely criticised the trend, and I quote, 'of letting social and fiscal competition develop between our countries, which leads to Europe coming across not as a constructive response to globalisation, but rather as a Trojan horse that undermines social connections.' I share that view. This type of convergence could, on its own, justify the view that we enjoy an excellent relationship.
There is another quality, however, that you have shown and that I should like to highlight. Although they are close in certain areas, your political views do not coincide a great deal with those promoted by my group, and on some issues they are far apart, a case in point being the draft Constitutional Treaty. Yet what we appreciate in you is your ability to listen to different points of view, even on a matter as tricky as this one. It is not that you listen politely against a background of indifference; rather, you listen attentively against a background of respect for the speaker and, by extension, a desire to understand the speaker’s motivations.
I am grateful to you for understanding the idea that one can be in favour of the European project whilst being staunchly opposed to a headlong commercial and financial rush forwards, and to the widespread competition that goes with it, which we call liberal Europe. I repeat this today, the day on which we welcome our fellow Members from Romania and Bulgaria: if we want to haul ourselves out of the crisis of confidence – the crisis of common sense, even – afflicting Europe, we need to view the current model with a critical eye. If we call for far-reaching changes, we do so in order that the citizens of our 27 countries might recognise that the Union is theirs. Our criticism is therefore constructive, and I am grateful to you for understanding this.
When we take stock of a term of office of a President of Parliament, there is almost always a defining event or act that stands out, a landmark moment of some kind. If I had to pinpoint that key point in your term of office I would say it was last summer as war was being waged against Palestine and Lebanon. As all politicians should do in such a case, you clearly asked yourself: in my position, what can I do, however modestly, to oppose such an injustice? Your response was to call all the group chairmen back from holiday to do something on Parliament’s behalf that the EU-25, at their level, had proved incapable of doing, namely to call for, at the very least, an immediate cease-fire and a return to the rule of international law; you also called for talks to begin aimed at exchanging prisoners and for international negotiations to be held at the earliest opportunity on the basis of all the relevant UN resolutions on the Middle East. Admittedly, we did not change the face of the world with our unanimous resolution, but we at least, thanks to you, saved Europe's honour.
For these reasons, Mr President, I thank you. I hope that your future duties will enable us to pursue our excellent, fruitful cooperation."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples