Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-14-Speech-1-092"
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"en.20000214.4.1-092"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am not always proud of the fuss that goes on here in Parliament, but the URBAN programme is one of the best examples of our work: it was created following an initiative in Parliament. The Commission would have abolished URBAN, but this time Parliament drew the longer straw. It is good that URBAN is to continue, as it has had good results at local level. The problems in Europe’s urban areas are getting worse; fortunately, we now have consensus with the Commission.
The majority of the population of Europe live in cities, and their problems are among the most pressing within the context of regional policy and very complex matters in themselves. There is an immense risk of exclusion. In many cities in France and England there are now slums, breeding grounds for many sorts of problems. None of us wants South American type
in Europe. We have to act now, before it is too late. Our cities are also of decisive importance for Europe’s economy.
We always come back to the same basic problem in Europe: our economy does not support the individual sufficiently, nor is it sufficiently dynamic. The economy has to be strong for us to be able to attend to the problems of our fellow-citizens and our environment. This is not policy; it is life’s simple logic.
It is good that spending has become focused, as otherwise the buckshot gets scattered to the four winds. Now we have to concentrate on solving problems in small and middle-size towns and cities, as they do not have enough resources. In this way we will also be able to speed up matters in surrounding rural areas; it is often forgotten that urban and rural problems in fact go hand in hand. The basis for all this is that we should be encouraging individual innovation and entrepreneurship, as group action begun by the individual will help revitalise an area internally. Granting funds without an economy that can stand on its own two feet is like carrying water to fill up a dry well: there will be enough to drink for a while, but tomorrow the well will be dry again."@en1
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