Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-13-Speech-2-021"
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"en.20070313.6.2-021"2
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".
Mr President, in actual fact, the way in which the Eurocracy, as a kind of enlightened despotism – always for the benefit of the people, of course – imposes its own will on the European peoples never ceases to amaze me. Only a few weeks ago, Mr Barroso, the President of the Commission – and even though a President of the Commission may be a high official, he is, in the final analysis, only a purely politically elected official – told the Dutch people in their own country that they should now move on and accept this European Constitution, which, despite the rejection and democratic referendum in two Member States and despite the fact that quite a few other Member States do not even dare organise a referendum on this topic, is gradually being implemented anyway.
This is not entirely dissimilar from the accession negotiations with Turkey, which have no democratic basis whatsoever and which were also decided on by European institutions that are far removed from the citizens, by excessively privileged officials and Heads of Government who very deliberately refuse to ask the public its opinion even on an issue as fundamental as this one.
Today is no different. In its policy strategy for 2008, the Commission has announced measures that should bring about a fresh immigration wave to Europe, even while its citizens are demanding the exact opposite. They are finally asking us for effective measures to limit, or ideally put a stop altogether to, the immigration from non-European countries by adequately protecting our borders and by phasing out the semi-legal immigration channels, such as that of family reunification, which is far too lenient.
In the Commission proposal, the impression is given that this is a temporary phenomenon and that non-European temporary workers are expected to return to their countries of origin in a relatively short period of time. This is deception. Reality has taught us that these temporary workers do not return home, that their relatives join them sooner rather than later, and that subsequently, no measures of any kind will force these people out of the country. As a result, the Community is once again lumbered with the consequences of this short-sightedness, the clash of cultures, the forming of ghettos, crime as a result of people being uprooted and eventually, the breakdown of a whole community.
I repeat, then, that a fresh immigration wave is absolutely pernicious. Instead, we should start by protecting our European borders, develop a European policy for returning illegal immigrants and aliens who have become involved in criminal activity, and should demand that those non-Europeans who are on European soil legally should become thoroughly integrated.
In Brussels, Europe’s capital, 40% of the residents of non-European origin, including third-generation, are currently unemployed. So do not try to tell me that we should import even more unemployment. Finally, I come to the essential thing, which is that the European project is once again being met with much distrust among the European citizens. Europe will not generate renewed enthusiasm until such time as it becomes truly democratic and listens to the wishes and needs of its peoples and citizens."@en1
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