Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-05-16-Speech-2-194"
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"en.20060516.35.2-194"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I did not know that my fellow MEPs, Mr Watson and Mr Poettering, embraced the attitude of young people of my son’s age who, when there is a problem, can be relied on to say: ‘but everything will be all right; really, it will’. For years, we get the same reply on the subject of enlargement: ‘but everything will be all right; really, it will’.
Why should they be made to pay? The fact is, it is not a question of rejecting Romania. It is not a question of rejecting Bulgaria. It is simply a question of saying that, at the present time, neither Bulgaria nor Romania can be integrated, given the prevailing situation in those countries. Instead of talking constantly of monitoring, you should state that these countries will be integrated into the EU in 2008 and you should introduce programmes that will genuinely make it possible to integrate the Roma, or travellers, into Romania and Bulgaria.
Last week, I was in a Roma quarter. What I saw there was unbelievable. You are going to integrate these countries and have allocated funds to finance these programmes. What has happened to the money? Ask the Bulgarian Government what has happened to the money. Please do so. It will be unable to reply to you. What it will say is that it has promulgated a new law. Making new laws is a very good thing to do.
What, however, I, for my part, want to see is a change to the situation on the ground. That is why it is not enough to say that we are in favour of enlargement or that we are good Christians or good Jews or people who care about the world. No; the world has to change. The fact is, the attitude you have is not one that will cause the world to change. There is therefore a need to be clearer and more precise: yes to enlargement, but not on just any terms. Although it has the necessary instruments at its disposal, the Commission is not helping us enough.
I, for my part, hope that it will indeed be all right. The only thing is, Mr Schulz, that responsibility has not been accepted by the Commission alone. It is you too who accepted responsibility when, a year ago, you decided in favour of enlargement when we all knew at the time that neither Romania nor Bulgaria was ready for this enlargement. It is you, then, and not only the Commission, who has accepted this responsibility.
So, stand to your responsibilities.
Or, to put it in German, Do as you have promised! You share responsibility for this!
Because what is in the process of being done today is too easy. It is too easy.
I have read what the Commission has said and repeated: Progress has to be made in various quarters. Mr Watson, what you say about Germany is true, but what ought to be said about Poland is just as true: Mr Haider is a democrat in comparison with a figure like Mr Lepper, who is a notorious racist, anti-Semite and homophobe. Today, it is in Europe – and, more specifically, in Poland – that a far-right government is in power. What has this Parliament, which rightly criticised Austria, said to denounce Poland? Nothing. It no longer dares to say anything where enlargement countries are concerned.
I am going to tell you something very simple. I am in favour of enlargement.
I am for enlarging Europe!
Not, however, in just any old way. Otherwise, the time will come when we shall make the Balkan countries and Turkey pay for our attitude towards Bulgaria and Romania."@en1
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