Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-07-21-Speech-3-051"
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"en.19990721.5.3-051"2
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"(DE) Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, this is the first time that a debate of this kind has taken place in this form. That is progress and we welcome it. Today"s debate is part of a longer process and the Hearings, which are to start on 30 August and run throughout the first week of September, also form part of this process. All those who say that they endorse the Commission or say ‘No’ to it today, be they within or outside this Parliament, are disregarding Parliament, because the Hearings are an important part of the whole process, at the end of which we will be free to reach a decision on whether or not we will endorse the Commission.
(Loud applause)
It shows presumptuousness and arrogance on the part of the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
(Applause)
Our President, whom we elected to Office yesterday, spoke of how important it is for us to receive the Report by the Wise Men as quickly as possible. It is my wish for us all that we should work together to see that this report by the Wise Men is made available before the Hearings begin.
(Applause)
We, or at least my group, will also do all that is necessary to ensure that an adequate period of time is allowed for each applicant during the Hearings, for the one and a half hours which have been allowed for hitherto are not sufficient. We need at least three hours to hold a discussion which is to our complete satisfaction.
(Applause)
I would also recommend, Professor Prodi, that we, as a Parliament, are given the opportunity to enter into probing discussion with you in the appropriate committee. I speak on behalf of my group when I say that the Hearings are conducted on a fair basis and without any form of personal discrimination. This means that as far as the individuals are concerned, we treat everyone equally at the Hearings. There is no prejudice. We are fair and shall also behave accordingly.
(Applause, heckling)
To close, a remark concerning the role of our institutions. Mr President, I support your contention that we the European Parliament and the Commission have equal responsibility for this European Union. The Commission is the guardian of the Treaties and you used the term ‘government’, a term I personally very much approve of, because it implies that this government must also bear parliamentary responsibility and be accountable to Parliament. That is why, Mr President of the Commission, I should be grateful if you would provide me with an answer to the following question. You have said that you have asked every Member of what is potentially your new Commission whether they would actually comply with your request in the event that you were to ask them to resign. That is why I want to ask you the following: if a Committee of Parliament was not to endorse an individual a majority, if the Committee was to say ‘no’, what then would be the question that you would put to your team? Would you then urge the Member to comply with the vote taken by this committee of the European Parliament? I would be pleased to hear you answer this question.
(Applause)
(Applause)
A final remark: As the Group of the European People"s Party and European Democrats, we know that we have responsibility for Europe and when the Hearings have taken place we will make our own decision, remaining true to our consciences, and I hope it will be a decision that serves the interests of us all.
(Loud applause)
Mr President, you said again just now that the Commission is balanced. I don"t know which criteria you would cite in support of its being balanced, but I want to make it crystal clear to you that we, the Group of the European People"s Party and European Democrats do not consider this Commission to be politically balanced.
(Loud applause)
And that is why we must not allow the myth to develop in Europe that this Commission is balanced. If you were to repeat that it is politically balanced then under no circumstances would you be increasing the likelihood of your team being endorsed, although it may well be thoroughly competent.
(Applause, heckling)
Consequently, Mr President, I should be grateful if you could enlarge a little on the criteria used to judge balance. This team has a weak point. You said that you were wholly responsible for putting the new team together. I am bound to inform you that the preceding Council Presidency under the Federal Republic of Germany certainly did not speak in terms of a process in which you as President-designate of the European Commission were involved. What happened to you in Bonn was a diktat from the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
(Applause, heckling)
The Treaty states: the governments of the Member States shall nominate the other individuals they intend to appoint in agreement with the President-designate. As far as we are aware, you had no involvement in the nomination of the two German Members of the Commission. I am bound to tell you that I find this regrettable. The vociferousness of your arguments does nothing to improve them, Mr Cohn-Bendit, neither does it improve the arguments of the others now kicking up a fuss behind me. We consider it unacceptable that whilst Great Britain, Italy, Spain and France nominate two Commissioners, one of them belonging to the Opposition, this example is not followed in the Federal Republic of Germany. I consider it unacceptable."@en1
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