Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-06-Speech-3-239"
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"en.20070606.22.3-239"2
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".
Mr President, first I wish to thank all the coordinators, the shadow rapporteur and the representatives of different groups for the excellent levels of cooperation they have shown and the desire to find compromises. This was evident when we last voted on the budgetary guidelines in this plenary. We achieved a vast majority in all the important areas regarding general issues.
I would, however, like to start by saying that I hope the President will convey my remarks to Parliament’s Bureau regarding how this process is advancing. In my opinion, it has not gone the way we had hoped, because it so happened that when the Committee on Budgets was voting on the guidelines, Parliament’s Bureau was at the same time voting on the estimates, which are the subject for discussion here today. One might easily get the impression from this that the Bureau is not really bothered at all about what the Committee on Budgets does, because it was already one step ahead. Things cannot go on any longer in this way in the future. We really need to work more closely together and check what either body is doing.
As for the budget’s content, there is an extremely important basic principle here, already approved in connection with the guidelines, that the 2008 budget will remain at the 2007 level. To this, obviously, we have to add the figure for inflation and deduct from this the cost of any buildings projects, which will in any case be a cheaper option than renting in the long term.
Now it appears, however, that various projects are being sought in this area, constituting new items of expenditure. When the proposal mentions ‘justified needs’, that certainly does not mean that it is enough if a project is convenient and agreeable: it has to be really necessary for the business of this House and from the point of view of the taxpayer.
2008 is the last year this Parliament can show the taxpayer that we really can save and operate responsibly when we are drafting the budget. We can show that we will not embark on any new projects unless they are really necessary. Now that there is no enlargement and there are no new languages, these projects must be kept to a minimum. It is most important, however, that we are able to show the taxpayer that this is an accountable institution. The people of Europe and European businesses have to think carefully about what their money is going on and count every cent and euro. Parliament needs to act by way of example. It cannot act in any other way. Otherwise, credibility will fade and afterwards it will be a lot harder to get different things done and there will be far less confidence in Parliament. So now is the right time to gain trust and act responsibly.
One example of the sort of thing we need to put right and of the sort of project we can put money into if we need to is the adjustment concerning translations. We have to ensure that committees receive translations in sufficient time, and I support this proposal by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament. Hopefully, it will have the greatest possible support.
I would finally like to speak about information policy. I have prepared a proposal that Members of Parliament should be able to spend resources on inviting here small and local media, which do not have the funds themselves to send journalists here. This is a way of getting as close to the people as possible. I know from experience that these journalists want to talk to Members of Parliament and write articles about what Members think about issues and why they vote in a certain way. Accordingly, I have put forward such a proposal to consider using small and local media specifically, and I hope that there will be even greater consensus on this than what there is at present between the groups."@en1
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