Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-14-Speech-3-502-000"
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"en.20110914.31.3-502-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, we are in the midst of a euro crisis, a crisis that was obviously caused, first and foremost, by the irresponsible behaviour of financial institutions, but there were structural causes, as well. The extent of economic development varies quite substantially from one European country to another. This is not just a question of different levels of innovation and productivity; it is quite apparent that corruption is a huge problem in all of the Member States which are struggling.
As a group of like-minded MEPs, we have had an excellent dialogue with Commissioner Malmström about the urgency of combating corruption. I wish to thank her for that and for her proposals in this area, which I very much welcome. However, as far as current events are concerned, could the Commissioner tell me what role she is playing in discussions about saving countries like Greece? Has a master plan been developed for stamping out corruption, not only in this country, but also, for example, in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy? Or are we, in practice, continuing to pay lip service to this policy area? My perception is that Commissioner Malmström is playing a leading role in the negotiations on support for euro area countries that land in trouble and where corruption is a major problem.
Let me sum this up, once again: corruption hampers the operation of an effective and fair tax system and gives rise to an informal economy which fails to contribute to the public purse or, thereby, to the common good. Public services, such as health care and education, are not accessible to all if there is corruption in those sectors and, thus, it is much more difficult to set up a knowledge-based economy. I would like the Commissioner to tell us which specific plans are currently in play for combating corruption in the weak euro area countries.
Finally, another question to the Commission, also an urgent one. What is the situation as regards the Commission’s report under the UN Convention against Corruption? The Commission should set an example to the Member States here. Do you still have internal coordination problems or is this being efficiently addressed? Despite these comments, I, in any case, wish to support Commissioner Malmström’s policy wholeheartedly and I have every confidence that she will also play an important role in the areas I have mentioned."@en1
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