Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-12-Speech-3-304"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20071212.29.3-304"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, I naturally welcome the progress which Montenegro has made since declaring its independence and which has very quickly led to the conclusion of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
The Montenegrins, of course, should not sit back and relax now but should fully implement the agreement they have signed. They should follow the guidelines they have set themselves and enable their administration to apply enacted legislation. They should ensure that the judicial system is brought up to scratch and that action is taken to combat corruption, especially in the administration and the judiciary.
I am well aware that the particular situation which prevailed in the region in the 1990s allowed corruption to take hold and that it is very difficult to eradicate it today, but it does nothing for Montenegro’s reputation among the countries of the European Union when its name keeps cropping up in connection with smuggling, corruption and money laundering. Montenegrin politicians must do everything in their power to alter that image. After all, at some stage the people of the European Union are supposed to welcome Montenegro into the fold. For this reason it is imperative that the development of democracy and a market economy in Montenegro should take place in a truly transparent framework.
I do not intend to discuss every point that has been raised today or is still to be raised, nor will I refer to everything that is contained in our resolution. I would like to stress, however, that the Montenegrin landscape is a jewel, and special measures are needed to conserve its unique characteristics. This means, as Marcello Vernola said, that the clause in the new Constitution declaring Montenegro to be an environmental state must not amount to an empty promise. The coastline and hinterland must be protected, and megalithic investment projects must be prevented. Natural features and sites of cultural and historic interest must be conserved in order to ensure that Montenegro does not squander its unique tourist appeal. There are enough cautionary examples of such desecration in western Europe.
A sell-out of the coastline and hinterland must be prevented, and judicious development of tourism and cautious land-use are the order of the day. There is an urgent need to prevent overdevelopment of the coastline, and land and property speculation must be curbed. I am pleased to note that there now seems to be a land-use plan for that area. I welcome the cooperation with ICTY, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and hope that it might result in the arrest of Mr Karadžić at some point.
It is also my earnest wish to see Montenegro finally create the national agency that will let the country enable its students and trainees to take part in the Erasmus and Leonardo education programmes.
We will be meeting a delegation of our counterparts from the Montenegrin Parliament next week, and we will encourage them to support their government in its efforts to pursue the path of convergence with the European Union and to combat all the abuses to which we have been referring."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples