Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-09-Speech-4-053"
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"en.20031009.5.4-053"2
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".
I would like to thank you, Mr President, for the warm welcome and for the invitation to address you here in the European Parliament. I am particularly pleased to speak my native language, which will soon become one of the official languages of the European Union, therefore the first part of my speech will be in Latvian.
The EU's pre-accession financial assistance, along with future support from the EU's Structural Funds to projects in such fields as value-added manufacturing and the development of science and research, is already helping and will serve to promote the establishment of a knowledge-based economy in Latvia. It is also helping to provide incentives for talented people to stay and work in Latvia.
An advanced infrastructure will be greatly significant for the development of an enlarged European Union, particularly in the new Member States. It will therefore be crucial to link the new Member States with the existing ones as rapidly as possible. It has been envisaged that the
project will greatly influence the development of Latvia. We hope that this project will be implemented as soon as possible. The EU's support for this immense project will be crucial for its implementation. Further modernisation of the
road network is also of great importance.
It is essential for Latvia to ensure uniform development in all of its regions, as well as in its rural areas. We wish to devote special attention to our eastern region of Latgale, which is in most urgent need of assistance. We are planning to use the EU's Structural Funds to address the above-mentioned issues. Latvia's agricultural sector and rural areas will benefit directly from our accession to the EU. We are also planning to develop modern agricultural production, while maintaining the traditional Latvian rural landscapes.
This is the first time that a Latvian head of State has addressed the European Parliament. I perceive it as a great honour for Latvia to be accorded this opportunity to share its ideas about the future of our continent at this significant and historic moment. I see it as an acknowledgement to the people of Latvia for everything that they have achieved since regaining their independence in 1991. I would also like to thank the Members of this Parliament for their convincing vote in their support of Latvia's accession to the European Union. This was a significant step towards the long-awaited reunification of Europe.
Latvia also said a resounding 'yes' to the European Union, with 67% of the people voting for accession. Our referendum on 20 September 2003 was the last among the European Union's new Member States. The positive outcome of this vote means that we can continue working together to repair the division of Europe that resulted from the Second World War. For the people of Latvia, the day of the referendum was a very special one. We were responsible for our own future, we were responsible in front of our neighbours. We had been asked to provide an answer to all the Member States of the European Union, which had sent the following message to us, the ten candidate countries, at the Copenhagen Summit: 'Let us build the future of Europe together'. Or, as Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, put it 'Our new Europe is born'.
Latvia has always been and will remain a part of Europe – in the cultural, historical and geographical sense. We live and work in accordance with the same values that are cherished in our western neighbouring countries – democracy, freedom of speech, the rule of law, and respect for the individual. We share the same world view about life, the environment and social issues. This is why Latvia's closest allies are in Europe. We are returning to work together with other European countries and to stand for the vision, spiritual values, and world order that we, as Europeans, share.
We are returning to Europe to contribute our knowledge and experience. Knowledge, together with a spirit of innovation and the ability to convert scientific discoveries into products with high added value, are what Europe needs today in order to become competitive on a global scale. Latvian scientists today can be proud of their top-level discoveries in the field of physics and chemistry. In Latvia there are several European-level centres of excellence in the field of nano-physics, in the study of the properties of various materials, in chemistry and in the natural sciences. We have always had very capable mathematicians and display great potential in the fields of computer science and information technology. Since 1999 Latvian scientists have been working as equal partners with their colleagues in the European Union Member States. They have been working within the scope of the Fifth and Sixth European Union Framework Programmes for the development of science and technologies, and they are ready to contribute to the creation of a Single European Research Area.
One might ask what Latvia expects from Europe. Within the fold of the European Union, Latvians see the opportunity to irreversibly reinforce their sovereignty, and to maintain their identity, culture and language. The European Union is a large family of European democratic nations, where the interests of each and every nation are respected, and where solidarity is the cornerstone of cooperation.
The people of Latvia see security and stability as the pillars of their development. Hand in hand with other European Union countries, we will be able to combat more effectively such threats as organised crime, corruption, the smuggling of goods, and the trafficking of drugs. Latvia will be responsible for securing the external borders of the EU, and this is a task of particular importance. Therefore we appreciate the participation of the European Union in this field, which will help us to improve our collection of duties and taxes and to combat smuggling more effectively. We will also be in a better position to act according to our interests with regard to third countries.
Latvia's membership of the European Union will stimulate a change in people's attitudes and ways of thinking. Latvians in their everyday life will become increasingly exposed to the numerous cultures and identities that exist within the European Union. This will induce them to become more open towards other nations and to develop a better understanding of the interests of other countries. The European Union itself came into being when post-war France and Germany turned a new and decisive page in their relationship. The EU will help Latvia to focus more on the future, to look and think forward rather than to dwell on the past, which has been replete with loss, suffering and injustice. Nobody can change the past; only the future can be changed.
Latvia must become a modern and economically developed country, and the European Union will provide us with numerous opportunities for growth. First of all we will be able to work and study in the whole territory of Europe, for example. This will be a unique experience, which we will then be able to apply in Latvia. It is, of course, important to ensure that those people with accumulated experience return to Latvia. This is where the EU policy in the field of science and technologies will be invaluable, in particular with regard to the strengthening of the weaker regions and in preventing a 'brain drain'."@en1
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"President of the Republic of Latvia"1
"Rail Baltica"1
"Via Baltica"1
"Vike-Freiberga,"1
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