Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-18-Speech-2-015"
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"en.20071218.5.2-015"2
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"Mr President, President of the Commission, President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, today this Parliament celebrates a fully functioning Europe. The Treaty of Lisbon is signed. Its ratification has begun. I congratulate Hungary, the first of our Member States to have ratified it.
Thank you to the President, thank you to the President-in-Office of the Council, thank you to the President of the Commission, season’s greetings to us all and above all our best wishes for the adoption of the Treaty in 2008 by the other 26 countries.
With the Treaty of Lisbon, our shared values – democracy, freedom, solidarity – and our objectives – peace, security, environmental protection and prosperity – reaffirm our common destiny. Yes, the Treaty of Lisbon gives our Union greater cohesion. The integration process we began 50 years ago is still ongoing: we are still united in diversity! It is this diversity of origin, culture and language that makes Europe truly rich and that is established in the Treaty of Lisbon. It is from inclusion that pluralist Europe draws its strength.
We, the law-makers, have a duty of explanation towards our fellow citizens. Let us make it as simple as possible. The European Union and the Member States are united. They share their competences. They have decided to exercise part of their sovereignty jointly. Let us ask of Europe the things in which it has competence and let us ask of the Member States the things in which they have competence.
My group will continue to campaign for the Treaty of Lisbon and the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, which puts the seal on our shared values. Let us hope that this is explained, understood and above all respected by everyone, and that this Treaty also gains the support of the greatest number of our fellow citizens.
From 2009, the new institutional framework provided by the Treaty of Lisbon will increase this Parliament’s powers. It is important to know that from June 2009 the results of the European elections will determine this Parliament’s composition and will affect the appointment of the President of the Commission. Obviously my group hopes to convince as many of our fellow European citizens as possible to vote for EPP-ED leadership, a leadership capable of pursuing a socioeconomic strategy to deal with globalisation and an ageing population, a leadership capable of investing in research and development, of developing a European area of justice and security to fight crime, illegal immigration and terrorism more effectively, a leadership capable of making the right choices for the protection of our environment, sustainable development and our energy independence, a leadership capable of conducting a foreign policy that enables Europe to speak with one voice. That, for us, is the basis of the competences of a united Europe and of future governance, European governance. That is what is needed in Kosovo today to keep the peace. Peace and stability in the Balkans, at the gates of the EU, is very much a matter for Europeans.
Good governance of Europe also has a medium- and long-term vision, however, and we support the European Council’s decision to set up a Reflection Group to measure the future impact of decisions taken today, here, at the heart of our democracy, which will seek solutions to the challenges that a united Europe will have to face in the next 10, 20 or 30 years, which will reflect on EU development strategies. Only strong governance can dispel the reluctance and opposition to the fight against climate change. The assessment of Bali is a striking example. Europe needs a leadership role in order to tackle climate issues, first in Poznan in 2008, where the next negotiations on the climate will take place, then in Copenhagen in 2009. We European politicians have a major responsibility there. Mortgaging our children's and grandchildren’s future would be a crime. It is up to us to convince our American partners of this.
Climate and good governance in Europe are also matters to be dealt with today, here in Brussels, as the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries meet for their annual marathon of discussions on production quotas. Let us not forget the impact of climate change on food production. We have already experienced large increases in the price of food products, last August. Yet another has occurred, with wheat and rice reaching record prices. Once again, European citizens are waiting for answers from Europe, as well as concerted, coordinated action.
Mr President, President-in-Office, ladies and gentlemen, we have built 50 years of peace, we have managed to create a single market, we have abolished internal borders, we have a Central Bank and a European currency, since Amsterdam we have been working on a common foreign policy, and we have Europol and Eurojust. We are creating an area of security and justice by enlarging and expanding the Schengen area. Europe's demand is greater. The Treaty of Lisbon is bringing the EU out of its downward spiral.
For me and my group, the construction of Europe in the 21st century is once again becoming synonymous with enthusiasm and ambition. From a free trade area to a true political Europe, we are starting to talk about the European project again and are ready to make choices. In this new globalised world, there is no place for ‘everyone for himself’. Our Member States, however large or densely populated they may be, have no chance of prosperity without integration."@en1
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