Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-12-14-Speech-3-016-000"
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"en.20111214.5.3-016-000"2
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"Mr President, I want to keep this brief. The Polish Presidency was, without doubt, one of the best that we have had in recent years. This is the 15th Presidency that I have experienced during my time as chair of my group. Let me repeat that: this was one of the best presidencies by far that I have experienced in these 15 six-month periods.
The second is that this is almost certainly my last speech here in plenary as chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. I know that many will be pleased that this is indeed my last speech as chair of this group. I would like to thank all those who have always listened so attentively to me and apologise to those I have wronged, and to all those who think that I am a good Member of Parliament, I would say: give me your vote for the next term of office! Thank you very much.
That applies not only to you, Prime Minister, but, above all, to your government and to the officials that we have got to know here. I would add that there is a high degree of professionalism in this government. I compliment you on this, as do my colleagues. You are so good that you could easily be a Social Democrat, Mr Tusk. Unfortunately, you have chosen a different path.
Historical mistakes can be rectified, Prime Minister, that is not a problem.
There was another development during the Polish Presidency which gives me greater cause for concern and which you touched on. Prime Minister. You said that we are at a crossroads. That is indeed the case. We are at a crossroads, because we are about to lose the confidence of the people in the democratic institutions. Incidentally, this is not only happening in Europe, at European level, but also at national level. People are increasingly losing confidence in the ability of the national institutions to act. Why is that? It is because there is a dramatic process under way that is constantly gaining speed. The power of the financial markets is now so great that even governments of large states are submitting to it instead of endeavouring to use the democratic institutions in such a way as to get the financial markets under their control. However, a nation state cannot manage that because the financial markets operate on a global, supranational level. What has happened is that we are dealing with an economic and financial market system which, in the truest sense of the word, is driving a Ferrari, and the control, where it remains with the nation state, is trailing behind on a bicycle. That is our problem. We therefore need transnational institutions at European level that are capable of getting to grips with this problem.
Defending the Community method involves nothing other than creating an instrument in the 21st century to deal with this economic development of the 21st century using the methods of this century and not those of the 19th century. That is what is meant by the Community method. Therefore, you said that we MEPs are the constituent assembly that has to bring that about. That is exactly how I see it, too. I would like to make it clear in this regard that I am not interested in another Treaty text. For every executive action that, due to the legal situation, reaches a limit in terms of no longer being able to control an economy that is coming apart at the seams, where this is the case, a parliament has to say: in that case, we will employ an alternative procedure for this executive action that is reaching its limits. Therefore, with regard to what we discussed here yesterday, namely, that this Parliament needs to have the courage to develop an alternative concept if the Council reaches its limits due to its complicated unanimity structure, I feel encouraged by you, Prime Minister, that this Parliament really must take exceptional measures, if necessary, even measures that go beyond the Treaty. The Council is also doing this, as we saw last weekend.
Therefore, as regards the comment by Ms Merkel, you and others that we are the strong Parliament, the strong constituent assembly, we take that on board. However, we are also calling on you to make it clear in the Council that, regardless of what we do, it must be given legitimacy by the European Parliament. I then expect you to present what you have announced here to the Council. If the others do not follow you, exercise your right of veto and say that you will not participate until the European Parliament is strengthened.
Mr President, I have greatly exceeded my speaking time. I am aware of that and I apologise. However, I would just like to say two things very briefly. The first is to congratulate my fellow Member, Mr Daul. He was re-elected yesterday with the support of 95% of his group and I am very pleased for him."@en1
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"(Heckling: It is still possible, he is only young)"1
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