Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-23-Speech-4-015"
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"en.20050623.4.4-015"2
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Mr Blair, I think that, today, you have issued a challenge. You have said, ‘I want to change Europe’. Welcome to the club, Tony
You are welcome to do this job. In that case, though, let us make a few things clear.
You are not John, Duke of Bedford, Mr Balkenende is not Bishop Cauchon and Mr Chirac is not Joan of Arc. That is old Europe. The 100 Years’ War is over, and we need to tell that to Mr Chirac, to Mr Schröder, to Mr Blair and to the rest. Europe is exactly the opposite; that is why you were right to say ‘Europe needs leadership’, but who wants to be the leader? Today, a modern leader must tell the truth.
Mr Blair, you applauded when Mr Barroso referred to the 1%, the skinflint letter that you, Mr Blair, comrade Blair, signed. You withdraw your signature. Welcome to the club, Mr Blair, welcome to the club. And, if I understand it correctly, in 2002, it was your government that rejected the setting of a ceiling for the big agribusinesses, it was your government that gave EUR 300 000 so that the Duke of Bedford, the Queen and Prince Charles could have their subsidies from the European Union. Welcome to the club, Mr Blair, welcome to the club. And because you rejected that, Tate and Lyle, the biggest sugar company, received EUR 180 million last year. Welcome to the club, Mr Blair. You will put an end to the situation with Tate and Lyle, with their European aid and subsidies, because they do not deserve it; we agree with you, Mr Blair. You see, telling the truth is sometimes difficult.
You said something else that was very interesting; you said ‘politicians fight populism’. You are right. We, I lost the referendum on Europe, and we must confront that defeat. You must confront your own defeat: the people of Europe said no to the invasion of Iraq. Confront the people of Europe on this subject, too. Welcome to the club, Mr Blair.
It is always easy to lecture everybody, and I am a specialist in lecturing: I know how easy it is. But if there is one thing I know, it is that, if you want to modernise Europe, the modernisation must be environmentally and socially sustainable. That is what we are calling for.
If you say that the French model is not working, that the right-wing French Government is not working, you are right. If you say that the German Government is clearly not working, you are certainly right. In that case, however, the problem is that Europe cannot operate on the model of the United Kingdom, Europe cannot operate on the model of France, Europe cannot operate on the model of Luxembourg or of the Netherlands. The intelligence of Europe lies in finding a blend between those models and, to do that, Mr Blair, you must not remain Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but become President of Europe, with a vision of Europe.
We have economic and social problems, and we have environmental problems. Therefore, take responsibility and say that Europe, the whole of Europe, must meet the Kyoto commitments. You must take responsibility, and the UK must take the responsibility to give more than 0.35% to development aid, because poverty in the world needs it. Mr Juncker was right to propose to eradicate world poverty within the first half of this century. Let us make that commitment together. Welcome to the club, Tony, we are with you
To conclude, it is exactly ten years since Srebrenica; it is ten years since Europe, the shame of Europe and of the world, was put before us. I call on you to take an initiative. The Dayton Agreements cannot and will not make Bosnia and the Balkans work. Take this grand initiative, go to see your friend George Bush, go to see your friend Mr Chirac, go to see all your friends and say ‘We need to put an end to Dayton, Europe has (...)’"@en1
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