Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-05-Speech-2-090"
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"en.20060905.14.2-090"2
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"Madam President of the Republic of Finland, ladies and gentlemen, Mr President of the Commission, the European Parliament, which always advocates that there should be more women in politics, is delighted to be able to welcome you to this House today. We welcome the first woman elected – and indeed re-elected – to occupy the highest post in the Republic of Finland.
Your country was the first to talk about a European immigration policy. Tampere entered the history books as the place where, seven years ago, Europe began to deal with the problem of immigration. At that time, we probably could not have imagined that the problem would become as serious as it is today, with waves of desperate people trying to reach the part of Europe closest to them, with hundreds of bodies being washed up on the beaches. Urgent European action is required in this regard as well.
In Tampere, you introduced a political will that has unfortunately progressed little. Even in the case of illegal immigration, where we had actually made some progress, new reservations are now being expressed.
History has presented another Finnish Presidency with the opportunity to give new impetus to a policy that is no longer an emergency response to an exceptional situation, but rather an everyday and permanent response to a structural problem that will become increasingly serious.
Furthermore, you in Finland are in the vanguard of research and innovation: you have been able to transform your production structure in order to move on from old industries to new pioneering activities in the field of communication and knowledge. You have also taken decisions in the field of energy policy: you have decided democratically to opt for nuclear energy, for reasons of security and diversification. This is a live and controversial issue within European debate, and I have no doubt that Parliament will have much to say about it.
For all of these reasons, and given the question of Bulgaria and Romania, which are about to join us, and legislative issues such as REACH or the services directive, this will not be a Presidency of ‘transition’. It is facing too many issues in need of solutions for us to allow ourselves to take a nap while we wait for others to decide for us.
We therefore welcome you to this Parliament, Madam President, as the Head of State of the country holding the Presidency, and we are sure that much of what you say will guide us in our actions. Please rest assured that Parliament is receiving you with great affection and optimism.
Thank you very much, Madam President.
Your re-election at the beginning of this year, Madam President, was a significant way to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage in Finland, the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why, a century later, a woman is now the President of the country.
On behalf of all of the Members of this House, I would like to pay tribute to your personal commitment in many international fora, to which you have contributed with your experience and influence in the service of causes that are of the greatest possible importance to us Members of the European Parliament.
I would like to point out that in 2000 you took on the joint presidency of the Millennium Summit and that you subsequently chaired the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation, something which is now highly topical – the social dimension of globalisation – something which is having an increasingly significant impact on Europe.
You have also done a lot of work on sustainable development and on respect for human rights and the rights of minorities, something which is also highly topical in certain countries of the Union today, unfortunately.
There is no question: you are a woman who is committed to her time, to her world, to a more humane world and to European integration.
Furthermore, your country holds the Presidency of the Union. At the beginning of this Presidency, many commentators predicted that it would be a Presidency of ‘transition’, while we awaited events that would break the deadlock in the debate on the Constitution.
History does not allow for transitions, however, and nor does it let us stop the clock or allow us to wait for other things to happen. History is presenting us with a very full programme for the coming months.
History has brought us responsibilities in the Middle East, a region that has suffered another war and a region in which our Union is going to try to restore peace. I would like to acknowledge that, when the hostilities broke out, the Finnish Presidency reacted quickly and vigorously. I was delighted by the attitude of its Foreign Affairs Minister, who spoke frankly and directly and who inspired the European Union to show the will that fortunately led to a courageous decision: to deploy stabilisation forces on the ground."@en1
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