Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-06-Speech-1-069-000"
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"en.20110606.17.1-069-000"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I have four comments that I should like to make. Firstly, I should like to come back to Mr Schmidt’s speech so as to discuss the process again. Given that a role as important as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund is at stake, I think that, compared to the energy that is at times put into recruiting third-level managers in companies, the way in which this process is being handled shows a lack of professionalism.
Instead of a relatively open, transparent and criteria-based process, what do we have? A series of caucuses bringing together Heads of State or Government who say to each other, ‘I would definitely put forward such and such a person’. That does nothing to enhance the European Union’s credibility. The fact is, after the Dominique Strauss-Kahn episode, Europe cannot afford to cut corners when deciding who its candidate is going to be.
This is a missed opportunity as far as I am concerned. I do not hold you responsible for this – you are not the one calling the shots on this issue – but we would most certainly benefit from taking a much more organised, concerted and professional approach.
Secondly, I should like to respond to Mrs Swinburne. It is time to respond frankly to those who, like you, Mrs Swinburne, and you, Mr Farage, continue to peddle the mistaken idea that we Europeans will be able to influence world affairs – which affect us too – by speaking with a multitude of voices.
Mrs Swinburne, it is all well and good talking about voices singing in harmony, but you know very well that it does not work like that. If, at some point, we have something other than a democratic federation, the voices will not sing in harmony, because everyone will look after the interests of his or her electorate. That is how it works.
Furthermore, if you think, Mr Farage and Mrs Swinburne, that you are going to defend the so-called sovereignty of the United Kingdom – and that applies to all the Member States, be they small States like my own, or large States such as Germany, France and the United Kingdom – if you think that, alone, you will still be able to exert some influence in the world, then I think you are sadly mistaken.
My third comment concerns the IMF’s attitude during the crisis, when compared to that of the European Union. On this issue, Commissioner, I do hold you responsible. After all, we recall that, in all the discussions held by the Troikas travelling to the various Member States that we are trying to help, ultimately, it is the IMF – and it almost pains me to say this after everything that we Greens said about the IMF in the 1980s and 1990s – that is the most reasonable today, while the Commission and the Central Bank are the ones setting the toughest conditions.
We cannot permit this state of affairs as Europeans. I cannot understand why you are trying to act like a bigger Catholic than the Pope – I am not sure whether I can say that to a Finn but, there, I have said it anyway!"@en1
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