Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-08-Speech-3-217"
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"en.20081008.23.3-217"2
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"Madam President, this report closes a certain phase in our EU-Ukraine policies. Starting with trade and service agreements, I will draw a broader vision of the future cooperation within the WTO and then within the enhanced Free Trade Area once this is created.
The report, which is short on statements, is an important step in regulating and facilitating our cooperation with our significant neighbour, Ukraine. We are consistent and transparent in our intentions and deeds. There is an assumption behind them that, if economic conditions improve, then people may invest more energy in solving the other problems that they face – political, social and others, although all of these are interwoven. Today, when the very substance of Ukraine trembles – a minute ago I read a message that Yushchenko has dissolved the parliament – our assistance can be of crucial value, but cooperation limited only to the economy would not be sufficient. We need to have a broader project, a detailed strategy, composed of various aspects.
The frame of our neighbourhood policy gives room for a strategy similar to the Union for the Mediterranean. There is a report by Mrs Napoletano which is very much supported by the present Presidency. It would be advisable for the French Presidency to show more courage in promoting the proposal by a sufficient group of Members to create EURO-NEST, that is an official assembly of European and our eastern neighbours’ parliaments. We should not limit ourselves only to the nations around the basin of the Mediterranean Sea but should have a balanced vision in our neighbourhood policy. We should not leave weak links in the chain of countries surrounding our Union borders.
Taking the example of Barcelona as a potential candidate to be the seat, or as it were capital, of the Mediterranean Union, I propose for the future eastern neighbour union – something like the Black Sea Union – that the city of Lublin in eastern Poland be the location for administering such a body. Historically Lublin has proved itself by being the city of an important international union that preceded the one which we are building at the moment – or at least are trying to build.
In conclusion, the scope of my position and proposal is that I would like to mobilise this House, the Commission and the Council to be more active in our eastern dimension. Why should we do that? The answer is simple. If we believe in our European values as being able to improve the human condition on Earth, there can be no room for passively awaiting political developments in that area.
The case of Georgia is a warning to us as far as the future of Ukraine is concerned. Let us not wake up to find that we are pushed away from the political and economic stage, which has been taken by another actor, or even being accused of passivity, lack of political vision and inability to resolve the conflicts in our neighbourhood. If we rely on the Kremlin strategy – as seemed to be supported by the Socialist Group during its recent delegation visit to Moscow led by Martin Schulz – then we lose out as a player on the international stage. Our European citizens will be the victims of energy prices, tensions and insecurity.
To conclude, even if Ukraine is not as efficient in democratisation as we would expect, we should not decrease our efforts to create an enhanced cooperation with her people, whose European ambitions are crucial, not only for themselves, but perhaps even more for us, the citizens of Europe."@en1
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