Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-12-Speech-4-051"
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"en.20070712.5.4-051"2
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".
Madam President, like my fellow Member, Mrs Krehl, I congratulate you on your election and on your first sitting as President.
Commissioner Potočnik, I should like to say to you that this report, which has been presented exceedingly well by our fellow Member, Mrs Geringer de Oedenberg, is first and foremost a cry from the heart. Next, it is a necessity for the European Union, as Mrs Krehl just said, and it is an appeal to the Commission. It is a cry from the heart because the development of poor regions is not just about the development of regions but about the taking account of the situations – tragic situations in some cases – of people who are unemployed or who have to move, etc. It is therefore a human cry from the heart. It is also a necessity – the report explains this well – where the development of the European Union is concerned.
That being said, Commissioner, we need to go further, and please do not regard my remark as a criticism, but as an observation; you yourself made various observations, in six minutes or so, culminating in these words: ‘I await proposals from Parliament’. Well, in the report by our fellow Member, there are a number of proposals. What I would like to convey in these few seconds granted to me is that we need clarification from the Commission, today, on the following: who does what, when and how?
Who? What is the European Union’s role? I believe that, until now, we have for the most part successfully laid down the conditions in terms of funding, regulations and so on. The report by our fellow Member contains some additional initiatives relating in particular to financial aspects, to technical assistance aspects, etc., with the aim of strengthening the pivotal role played by the Commission and of putting it in a stronger position to make proposals and to provide assistance. But then, nothing, or almost nothing, is said about the role played by the Member States. The fact is, if we want to help regions in difficulty, it is not enough to say ‘there are European funds’, it also requires the Member States to assume their responsibilities. At this level, the Commission cannot impose things, given the constraints of the subsidiarity principle. However, in the light of what has taken place in Ireland and in the south of Italy, etc., some observations and suggestions can be made.
I must say that, yesterday, I myself actually hosted some mayors of very small local councils of disadvantaged regions, and it is down to them to build projects – they just need to be told how to do so.
To conclude, Commissioner, what I personally expect, in addition to what is given in the report by our fellow Member, is that the Commission does as it should do and clearly indicates to us who does what, and how."@en1
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