Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-09-15-Speech-2-218"
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"en.20090915.18.2-218"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Barroso, following this debate I am even more convinced that I am right to back the proposal put forward by the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) to support your candidacy, and as Chairman of the Committee on Petitions, I would like to offer you my modest contribution: Mr Barroso, I endorse your objectives and the priorities you set out, but allow me to suggest two areas of greater focus, in particular with regard to what you refer to as moving out of this economic and financial crisis.
I believe, as you do, that this crisis is also, and above all, a crisis of our values, of the basic values of our society. Over the next five years, the European Commission will have to address major challenges. The geopolitical framework has undergone radical change. The emerging countries, the emerging economies such as India, Brazil and Africa, now play a significant role in the real economy. On the one hand, this affords us new opportunities for growth, while on the other, it exposes us to the risk of market hegemonies which, in the long term, could produce higher levels of poverty.
In this regard, the role of Europe, its civilisation and its wisdom is essential to foster widespread, balanced growth and encourage the attainment of civil rights. It represents the genuine integration of different roots and cultures. I am referring to our roots, our Christian roots, which could be the tool with which we can tackle the value aspect of this extremely serious crisis, but only if we use them as a guide in the promotion of development and the integration of everyone’s rights and duties.
On the financial level, Mr Barroso, we must assess the need for reform of monetary and fiscal policy in order to defuse the struggle between our currency, the euro, and the old hegemony of the dollar, and also the struggle with the emerging currencies of China and India; to obtain stricter regulation of the financial market together with bans on speculation in energy commodities and, above all, food commodities, whose prices can starve many economies; to bring finance back to its main role of serving production; and to replace or support the traditional economic contributions in depressed European regions with tax incentives.
With regard to the citizens’ Europe which you propose to develop by intensifying dialogue and distributing information, I feel personally involved as Chairman of the Committee on Petitions. Therefore, this committee should be called upon if Parliament follows up on the resolution adopted during the previous parliamentary term.
The Committee on Petitions is the first point of contact between the European institutions and citizens. It seeks solutions, provides explanations and promotes actions in response to the numerous and varied complaints made by European citizens. In this connection, Mr Barroso, I urge you to strengthen relations between the Commission which you have the honour to lead and the committee which I chair, the Committee on Petitions, and establish a specific commissioner for it. You have already announced the creation of two new commissioner posts.
A Europe which focuses its work programme on its citizens, as you stated, is a Europe which must provide this committee – which is the forum, the place where citizens’ rights have a voice – with greater rights and greater dignity."@en1
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