Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-26-Speech-3-042"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030326.5.3-042"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I would like to join my colleagues in welcoming some of the conclusions of the European Council, but I would also like to caution or criticise others. The purpose of the Spring Council was clear at the outset: it was to be an economic forum, an opportunity to review the stage we had reached and also to chart out a new way for the future, in particular by looking again at the Lisbon strategy and establishing what alterations had to be made for us to continue to move towards that target. It should also be an opportunity to focus on continuing the development of economic growth and employment and also guaranteeing quality of life, quality jobs and pension entitlements for all people across the EU.
As we all know, economic uncertainties and global political risks confront us and make alterations difficult. We in the European Union should recognise that our hands are tied, to a certain extent, to the kind of things that we can achieve. However, there are opportunities within our system that allow us to build on the positive developments.
Economic and social dimensions are intertwined in reaching the 2010 objectives. To create and sustain jobs, the European Union must become the most competitive economic area in the world and I am delighted to welcome the Council's decision to establish the Competitiveness Council.
Alongside this, the whole question of education and the kind of skills training that is given to people must be brought into focus. Areas of literacy, digital developments, vocational training and lifelong learning must be seen as key parts of the package to give the people of Europe the necessary tools to be able to meet with the demands of an ever-changing economic environment. We must be enterprise-friendly. We must be more flexibility-friendly, not setting down rigid regulations and rules which drive economic investment out of the European Union, sending it to low-cost labour areas. We must also ensure that the Commission is held to task with regard to the impact assessment it carries out on proposing legislation and the effect it will have on an industry.
Employment is the one way that we can guarantee overcoming poverty and social disadvantage. However, not just any kind of employment will achieve that. It is the quality of jobs and the quality of entitlements that will make it happen. Social partnership has proven itself as a model with regard to how we can overcome difficulties in the workplace, ensuring proper representation for workers and also guaranteeing that enterprises have the freedom and flexibility to move forward.
There are two other points that I want to make very briefly. First of all, one of the key elements must be protection of our environment. We must ensure that when we hand down our countries and our continent to future generations, they are in a better condition than they were in when we inherited them.
The last point I wish to make is one of a personal nature with regard to Iraq. Whatever we feel about the rights or wrongs of the conflict in Iraq, the most important thing to do now – and I congratulate the Greek Presidency on trying to achieve a consensus on this – is to bring all of Europe together with regard to humanitarian aid, facilitating the rebuilding of Iraq and ensuring that its people have the right tools to make their own decisions."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples