Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-10-19-Speech-1-088"
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"en.20091019.17.1-088"2
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"Mr President, like Mr Coelho and many other fellow Members, I would like to emphasise that the creation of the Schengen area during the 1980s and 1990s was one of the most important reforms of our time. Jean Monnet, one of the EU’s most important figures, is purported to have said that the goal of a European Union is not to bring nations together, but to bring people together.
Over the centuries, people’s movement has been severely curtailed in Europe. Suspicion of our fellow men has dominated relations between the countries of Europe. Trust between the countries has, at times, been decidedly lacking. Mistrust, rather than trust, has typified relations. Fortunately, this is in the past and we are now seeing new possibilities for Europe. Most of us here in the European Parliament have, for a long time, had the opportunity to avail ourselves of the freedoms that the Schengen area provides. It is easy to forget the unique level of trust between the States that formed the basis of its creation. It is easy to forget the arduous road to get to that point. However, free movement is a prerequisite for people to be able to meet across national boundaries.
Mr President, as Mr Coelho so rightly said, it is, of course, important for there to be an effective and transparent evaluation mechanism for the Schengen acquis so that the area remains, and develops into, an area defined by free movement. However, the basis of Schengen is trust between the States involved in the cooperation, not the mechanism itself. It is important for this mechanism to be both effective and transparent and I therefore see a problem with the Commission’s proposal. The problem is that the Council’s current role is transferred to the Commission and that the scope for cooperation is severely reduced. However, my most serious objection is that we, the popularly elected representatives in the European Parliament, are excluded from the process.
We are talking about something as technical as an evaluation mechanism, but we must not forget that this concerns the basic foundation of European cooperation: freedom, security and justice. It is therefore important for us all to be involved in taking new decisions in this area. I would therefore urge the Commission to take note of the criticism expressed here in this Chamber. I urge the Commission to come up with a new and better proposal as quickly as possible. The substance of a new proposal must be that any amendments to the evaluation mechanism must be the subject of codecision between the Commission, the Member States and, in particular, the popularly elected representatives in the European Parliament."@en1
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