Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-08-Speech-3-054"
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"en.20050608.3.3-054"2
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"Mr President, we have been inundated with a multitude of analyses, interpretations and speculations ever since the referenda in France and the Netherlands. An oft-repeated claim is that the victory of the ‘no’ camp in these countries was a public protest against the recent EU enlargement, and that the failed referenda are a form of punishment for what happened one year ago.
Continuing in the same vein, the conclusion drawn from this is that the brakes must be put on enlargement, and that accordingly we must wait until the EU has ‘digested’ the new Member States, much as a boa constrictor might swallow and digest a rabbit. People have already expressed doubts, both in this Chamber and elsewhere, as to whether allowing Bulgaria and Romania to join the EU on 1 January 2007 was a wise move. The decision to open negotiations with Turkey in October is quite openly being called into question, and Ukraine’s European ambitions are being written off.
Of course, no one can be forbidden from expressing these and similar opinions. It would be a grave mistake, however, if they were to form the basis for restrictive political decisions, and there are at least three reasons why this is the case.
Firstly, we must not go back on the commitments we made, and that were made to the citizens of the EU candidate countries. I would remind the House that we must not only abide by principles when it suits us, and when they are in any case redundant, but also when we encounter difficulties in doing so. Secondly, every enlargement carried out to date has been an economic success. Thirdly, the European Union is not intended to be an elite, members-only club. It should be quite the opposite, namely an open area of democracy, respect for human rights and minorities and peaceful methods of conflict resolution.
In my opinion this last point is of particular significance, as it represents both the essence and the mission of the European Community. Unless this mission is accomplished, not only will the Constitutional Treaty be killed off, but also the EU itself."@en1
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