Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-13-Speech-2-433-000"
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"en.20120313.20.2-433-000"2
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"Madam President, Vice-President Reding, thank you for being here and thank you, too, to the President-in-Office of the Council for attending this sitting. This afternoon, we are talking about racism and discrimination. These are serious issues, but they are clearly not serious enough in the eyes of the Dutch Prime Minister for him to come and debate them with us. Nevertheless, it is because of a partner in his parliamentary majority that we are forced to hold this debate today. Over and above his empty chair politics, I regret, above all, that the Dutch Prime Minister is refusing to distance himself from a website that is racist, violent and misleading.
Indeed, it is wrong, first and foremost, to say that European workers do not contribute to the Dutch economy. Throughout Europe, the economy has benefited from the mobility of workers from Central and Eastern Europe.
Ladies and gentlemen, although it is not perfect, the internal market, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is one of the pillars of Europe and there is absolutely no doubt that Dutch companies have benefited from it over those 20 years, as have companies from other countries, and that they have taken advantage of the Central and Eastern European market. Indeed, since 1993, those companies have invested more than EUR 23 billion in Poland, they are the largest investors in Romania and I congratulate them on that. However, beyond the economy, I ask the following question in particular: what message is the Dutch Prime Minister sending when he refuses to condemn the PVV website? That the single market is only for goods and services, and not for workers, men and women? That there are good and bad workers, depending on the passport they hold?
The internal market is not a one-way street. Its rules apply to everyone alike. They apply to services, to financial transactions and to workers. I will say it again: Europe is not just a single market; it is also and, above all, a community of values.
We know only too well that discrimination, racism and xenophobia led to the darkest pages of our history. Here among us are Members whose parents fought and died to liberate Europe and the Netherlands 60 years ago. Can we in all good conscience remain silent and fail to respond to the incitement to hatred of certain parties? I will simply repeat what the Irish philosopher, Edmund Burke said: ‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing’. The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) reiterates its moral appeal to the Dutch Prime Minster to condemn the offending website clearly and quickly and, like Ms Reding, I am very pleased that here in this Parliament, the democrats have tabled a joint motion."@en1
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