Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-13-Speech-2-015"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20040113.2.2-015"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I too would like to thank Mr Herzog for his cooperation. Although our different views on policy made working together difficult, we managed together to get the report underway.
How did we first get on to this topic? The Commission alone possesses decision-making powers in respect of services of general interest – it has had in recent years an increasing tendency to take up these matters – and also as regards lawmaking in connection with competition law. Particularly with the constitutional treaty in mind, we were of the opinion that this was an area in which Parliament should gain greater competence. It was for that reason that we, too, originally favoured a framework directive.
When debating the framework directive, though, we certainly have to ask ourselves questions about its substance too. Can we resolve the problems with competition law? The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats came to the conclusion that the framework directive was inherently unsuited to doing that. The fact is that those who advocate it must ask themselves, over and over again, what a framework directive of this sort is meant to contain. Underlying the debate on services of general interest is, on the one hand, European law on competition in the internal market, and, on the other, the way in which ‘services of general interest’ are defined, by way of subsidiarity, in the Member States or even at the regional and local level. Not under any circumstances do we want services of general interest defined at European level in the future, be it in a framework directive or in the constitutional treaty. We are in favour of competence and responsibility at the local level, where competition can be introduced through tendering, in cooperation with the private sector. The EU of the future, though, with its 25 Member States, will be too diverse for us to lay down at the European level what this expression means. That is why we say ‘no’ to a framework directive and ‘yes’ to local competence, particularly when it comes to the supply of water. This is where the Commission should start by putting before us evidence for competition being a good thing in postal services, public local passenger transport and in other areas such as energy. It is particularly with France in mind that much lost ground has to be made up, and you, Commissioner Lamy, should resolve these problems before tackling any new projects."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples