Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-02-Speech-3-163"
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"en.20010502.11.3-163"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, over a year ago, on 16 February, the European Parliament considered the problem of counterfeiting of the euro, at the time within the context of a common penal framework. It was our fellow Member, Mrs Cederschiöld, with her skill and rigour, who drafted the report then and opened our debate on the matter. She said that we cannot allow counterfeiting to undermine our single currency. This statement is still valid one year later and sums up the fundamental issue: the security of our currency.
We have all spoken here of the euro’s importance for our Union, of its economic importance as a complement to the establishment of a genuine economic area without internal borders, of its importance as a mechanism that has contributed to budgetary discipline and to the transparency of the Member States’ public accounts and also of its political value as a symbol of the European integration that we are developing, taking forwards and consolidating on a daily basis. Therefore, for all of these reasons, the security of our currency is extremely important. In addition, we know that the currency’s security is also tied up with its stability and its exchange rate, but the approach we are considering today is that of protection against counterfeiting. If things do not go well, however, with the other approach, there is all the more reason now not to neglect this fight and to increase our precautions.
In her report, Mrs Cederschiöld quite rightly emphasises the worldwide importance of the new currency and the undeniable fact that it whets criminal appetites. She states that “the euro will be in open competition with the dollar for the title of the world’s most counterfeited currency”. I am sure that Mrs Cederschiöld will agree with me when I say that this is not the competition against the dollar that we wish to win. We are aware that the system will be particularly vulnerable during the transitional period, in which the new European currency and the old currencies will be coexisting. Lack of understanding, unfamiliarity and the obligation on the banks to promote currency exchange will encourage the counterfeiting of both the euro and national currencies. We must also fight against swindling and confidence tricks. We must provide more and better information, especially in my country, Portugal, where surveys show disturbingly high percentages of people not understanding the euro. We have seen examples of the educational contribution made by Catholic priests, particularly in the regions: the contribution of the Church and of the local and regional press must be encouraged and supported. I also agree with the approach adopted by the Commission in its communication, and with the four aspects that have been identified: training, an information system – cooperation, specifically with Europol, OLAF and the European Central Bank – and protection under criminal law.
In conclusion, I shall say once again that I do not share the reservations about the coins having national faces. I think that the increased risk will be compensated for by a greater sense of belonging and of identification, and will also provide a political response to those who are always quick to criticise excessive standardisation. Congratulations, Mrs Cederschiöld!"@en1
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