Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-11-Speech-3-051"
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"en.20070711.4.3-051"2
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"Mr President, Prime Minister, honourable Members, I also should first of all like to take this opportunity to express our solidarity with the Bulgarian nurses and their families, and also with the Palestinian doctor, following the disturbing news we have received. We are extremely disappointed by these decisions, but I would also like to say that I am confident that a solution will be found. In particular, I would like to assure the Bulgarian nurses and their families that the European Commission, in conjunction with the President of the Council and the Member States, will do everything possible to safeguard their right to life and freedom.
Prime Minister, the debate has clearly demonstrated that Parliament supports the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council. As Mr Schulz said, a message of support for the European project has come from the various political and ideological areas. The European project cannot be seen as merely the property of one political or ideological sector or another. It should unite political forces that have that common objective of making a stronger Europe, a Europe that responds to the aspirations of its citizens. That is what we have seen here today. We very much agree with the your analysis regarding the need to resolve the institutional issue. The fact is that the non-resolution of the institutional issue has cast a shadow of doubt, of scepticism, of negativity and at times even of cynicism, over everything Europe has done.
Europe has not been deadlocked. In recent years, and the cooperation between the various institutions has been important in this, we have succeeded in dealing with difficult issues, we have approved a budget for the next seven years, we have achieved a hard-won consensus on an issue as divisive as the service directive, at the March European Council, we succeeded in adopting the most ambitious package of measures so far presented concerning the fight against climate change, the relaunched Lisbon Strategy has borne fruit, thanks to a new system of governance. The fact is that at present Europe is, broadly speaking, enjoying a successful period; we have economic growth that gives us fresh cause for hope, we are creating more jobs now than our US partners and Eurobarometer results confirm that we have the highest level of confidence in Europe for eight years. Times are, therefore, better.
The fact is, however, that until the institutional issue is resolved, this doubt is always present and, particularly when we are outside Europe, we are confronted with questions to which we have to attach due prominence. We are asked how Europeans can want to lead the world in the fight against climate change, how Europeans can ensure energy security, how Europeans can want to transform their economy into one of the fairest, most inclusive and most competitive in the world, when they are incapable of deciding how their own institutions should function and how decisions should be taken.
This, therefore, is a matter of credibility. That is why it is absolutely essential that we resolve the institutional issue and the Prime Minister, the President-in-office of the Council, will leave here today, with, in my view, the very clear support of both Parliament and certainly the Commission, to find a solution in full compliance with the mandate and if possible a solution as early as the October European Council. That should be our objective and in that, Prime Minister, you have our total support.
Lastly, I would like to say that we have taken careful note of the priorities established at the December European Council: immigration and matters related to the new Agenda for Security, Justice and Freedom in Europe. One of the improvements we have made to the Treaty is to increase our capacity to take action on matters of justice, freedom and security. As previous speakers have mentioned, immigration issues are crucial from a human point of view – they are human dramas that we have to deal with. As regards the Agenda for Innovation, the Prime Minister has just now taken the opportunity to lend his clear and unequivocal support to the creation of a European Institute of Technology, to the launch of the first Knowledge and Innovation Community, innovation precisely targeted at the issue of climate change, and anything we can do to give fresh impetus to the Agenda for Innovation. This is one of the issues in which Europe cannot afford to lag behind, or to give ground, not only in relation to our US partners but also in relation to other, emerging powers; Europe needs to make more determined efforts in this area. I feel that if we achieve these objectives we shall be entitled to be proud of ourselves.
Finally, with regard to Africa, a problem that has been discussed here, honourable Members, we cannot accept that our relations with a continent like the African continent should be dependent on one dictator or another, whoever it might be. The fact is that Europe has partnership relations at the highest level with Asia, where there are dictators, and with Latin America, where some countries are also not democracies. What is more, the red carpet is laid out for some of those dictators in certain European capitals. I therefore cannot understand why we are prevented from having high-level relations with Africa, whilst we keep the door open for those who are sometimes actually hampering Africa’s democratic development, because we are in some way being held hostage by one dictator or another.
We therefore resolutely support this priority of the Portuguese Presidency, and it is certain that the objectives, or one of the objectives, of the summit should be to discuss democracy, freedom, human rights and the need to develop our relations for the benefit of good governance in Africa, and all areas of relations between our respective continents. If so, I think we can be happy with this Presidency because we are sure that, during these six months, we shall continue to advance towards a stronger Europe for a better world; a Europe where it is demonstrated in practice that only by working together can we produce results that are really in the interests of European citizens."@en1
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