Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-11-Speech-2-159"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030211.7.2-159"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur for his patience and determination. I too am convinced that the outcome of the deliberations of the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism is the right solution, unlike that presented to us by the Council, and it is a good solution precisely because it reconciles two things which are difficult to reconcile: on the one hand, respect for and enhancement and stepping up of all the efforts to preserve the environment on both sides of the Alps – for there is an Italian side of the Alps as well as an Austrian side – and, on the other, respect for one of the fundamental principles of the European Union, if we really do believe in a European Union, in other words the internal market, the free movement of persons and goods, which are the minimum conditions necessary if there is to be a community of people as well as a community of economic principles. It is therefore a balance which settles once and for all – and it could not be otherwise if we were to avoid making a mockery of the Treaties and the law – once and for all the question of ecopoints, while recognising that a transitional period is still needed, introducing a time frame which we feel to be preferable to that proposed by the Commission and which we would ask the Commission to evaluate.
I therefore fully support and endorse this approach, to which we contributed, moreover. However, quite frankly, there is something I must say in conclusion to the Austrian Members. I am rather saddened by the fact that the Austrian Members receive great support in this House from their fellow countrymen, of all political parties, of course, but that they do not enjoy any support at all from the Members of other nationalities. I invite them to reflect on this. Ladies and gentlemen, as part of our responsibility as Members of the European Parliament at such a difficult time for the European Union – in terms of this and other matters – we have to explain to our citizens that belonging to a Union brings advantages and benefits but that it sometimes brings problems too. We will not find a European solution by accentuating the problems. I urge you strongly to think about that. We too could have taken up a stance and refused to budge on this matter but we decided to adopt a more reasonable approach instead. I feel that, for the good of Europe, your attitude should be more tempered and more conciliatory."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples