Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-01-15-Speech-1-030"
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"en.20070115.9.1-030"2
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"We have half of our term in office behind us, and for many of us this has been our first experience in high-level European politics. It would be appropriate to stop and take stock, and perhaps evaluate what we wanted to achieve and what we have in fact managed to achieve.
If I look at the activities of the European Parliament, and the regulations, directives and recommendations we have adopted for Member States and their citizens, I can say that we have been working well, doing an effective job to the benefit of our voters. However, in order to achieve favourable results, we must face up to the realities of the situation and see what it is we have failed to accomplish, or where we have been unable to meet our voters’ expectations. I think the main failing is the insufficient acceptance of the ten new Member States. This is particularly apparent in our very poor representation in key positions, the small number of our citizens working in the European Commission and our almost zero representation in EU agencies, not to mention the fact that our citizens are appointed to the lowest positions. I try to justify this situation by our lack of European-level experience. This, however, is no longer true, and I hope that in the second half of the term the situation will be put right. This is not a matter of boosting the profile of individuals, but primarily of accepting the ten new Member States as equal partners, not only with regard to their duties but also their rights.
We have set ourselves the great goal of becoming a global leader and prevailing in competition with major world players such as the USA and China. However, the reality of the situation is quite different. The European Union is unable to identify itself with the goals it has set. We are marking time, and we are at a loss as regards the Constitutional Treaty, even though we know that its adoption would benefit us. Competitiveness depends on our level of advancement in modern technologies, yet young scientists, doctors and engineers are leaving Europe every day, as they lack support here.
President Borrell, these are the last days of your presidency in the European Parliament. Allow me to express my gratitude and respect for your work during what has been a challenging period, involving the accession of the ten new Member States. You have handled many challenging situations with understanding and composure, and you have proved yourself willing to listen patiently to others. I wish you much success in your professional and personal life. This is a significant day for the European Union, not only due to the changing of the guard in key positions in the European Parliament, but also as the day on which the aims of the Treaty of Nice were fulfilled with the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union. This brings to an end a very important period of political change in Europe. I know from my own experience what a long and exhausting wait it has been for this day to dawn. Meeting accession criteria has also necessitated the adoption of tough and often unpopular measures. We have thereby put an important period behind us. Your participation in the European Parliament, however, will depend on having an active approach, and to this end the experience acquired by the ten new Member States over the previous period may prove helpful .
A warm welcome to everyone whose actions and intentions have been fair and sincere. I wish you stamina, courage and success."@en1
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