Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-28-Speech-3-039"
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"en.20071128.14.3-039"2
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"rapporteur.
Madam President, President-in-Office of the Council, Madam Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is a core element of the Lisbon Treaty; indeed, we could even call it the soul of the new Reform Treaty. I am pleased that all three institutions agree that the Lisbon Treaty is not just about institutions or about policies; it is about people, namely the 500 million people in the European Union. This Charter is a visible expression of the fact that the European Union is concerned about protecting our citizens in respect of all acts emanating from the European Union.
The Charter of Fundamental Rights is thus a milestone. We are moving from a Europe of the states to a Europe of the citizens, and we in the European Parliament have always welcomed this development. With this Charter and the 50 rights and freedoms contained within it, the European Union will have the most modern and comprehensive catalogue of fundamental rights in the world. Nothing of the sort exists anywhere else in the world, so we should be proud of this achievement. Starting with Article 1, which talks about protecting human dignity, all the way through the Charter to the final Article, which deals with the right not to be punished twice for the same criminal offence, the Charter provides enhanced protection of rights and also mentions rights which are not necessarily found in all the constitutions of the 27 Member States. I would simply draw your attention to the prohibition of the reproductive cloning of human beings through modern genetic technology, the right to protection of personal data, the right to freedom of information and the right of access to documents, but also the right to good administration, ‘good governance’, which is what we preach to the rest of the world, but which must naturally apply to ourselves as well.
For the first time, a catalogue of fundamental rights puts economic and social rights on an equal footing with political rights and civil liberties. In an age of globalisation, I am confident that this provides people with adequate protection. As Parliament has repeatedly pointed out, it is regrettable that the new Treaty does not reproduce the text of the Charter in full, so it will not be as visible as it might have been. However, I think we should note, with satisfaction, Article 6 of the Lisbon Treaty which states: ‘The Union recognises the rights, freedoms and principles set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which shall have the same legal value as the Treaties.’ That removes any doubts for citizens of the European Union by confirming that, with this Treaty, they do have the opportunity to assert their rights before the national courts and, ultimately, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
We still have to adopt this Charter again in plenary because it has been amended, and it could be said that it is not as good as the Charter from 2000, unfortunately. I am referring especially to the watering down of Article 52, and there may be problems interpreting the very vague clauses you will find in that Article. Nonetheless, the Charter has been rescued and is going to be part of the Treaties. I believe that the Charter is a symbol. As has been said in this House, the EU is not just a large market with an associated currency union; the EU is a community of values, and its task is to defend these values in its internal policies and in Europe’s external policies as well.
It is all the more regrettable that there is an opt-out for two Member States, namely the United Kingdom and Poland. We find this regrettable and I would like to appeal to the governments and parliaments of those two countries to spare no effort to revoke this opt-out as quickly as possible so that all 27 Member States are operating on the same basis when it comes to defending the fundamental rights and values of the European Union. I therefore support the adoption of the Greens’ amendment here, which will be voted on tomorrow as an addendum to our report from the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. I would therefore ask you to vote in favour of this important report."@en1
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