Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-10-25-Speech-3-030"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2006-10-25"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Results of the informal summit of heads of state and government (Lahti, 20 October 2006) (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"fi"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20061025.4.3-030"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2006-10-25-Speech-3-0312
lpv:speaker	lp:Esko Seppänen2
lpv:spokenAs	vice-chair; Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (2004-09-21--2009-07-13)3 unknown; Vasemmistoliitto (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia (2004-09-15--2009-07-13)3 member_of_the_bureau; EUL/NGL (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 substitute; CONT (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3 substitute; ITRE (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3 member; BUDG (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Prime Minister, Commissioner, the informal meeting at Lahti was originally convened to discuss EU competitiveness and innovation policy. This meeting will not have left any trace of these topics in EU history. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to Lahti to play solo with the EU orchestra. People wanted to speak to him about energy. At the same time it was an opportunity to talk about the country’s human rights issues. Human rights and freedom of the media cannot be sidestepped when policy on Russia is being considered. It is nevertheless impossible to reach agreement with the country on these matters, just as it is impossible for a certain other superpower on the other side of the Atlantic to agree with anyone on ending the torture of prisoners of war or trying US citizens for war crimes in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. President Putin wants a strategic partnership for the EU and Russia. It reminds one of the strategic partnership between NATO and Russia and the institutional solutions adopted for it. Within this framework Russia is prepared to conduct a dialogue on energy and will even commit to a legally binding instrument. It remained unclear, however, as to whether this would then mean opening up markets on both sides or only in one direction. Moreover, if it were in one direction, which one would it be? Lahti did not provide the answer, and the next time it is discussed will be at the EU-Russia Summit in November. The Lahti Summit was a kind of rehearsal for that. The country to hold the Presidency, Finland, receives gas from Russia more cheaply than other EU countries. Electricity for industry and households in Finland is among the cheapest in the EU. Harmonisation of the electricity markets in the EU would mean a rise in electricity prices in the country which Prime Minister Vanhanen represents, while in a few countries prime ministers would certainly rejoice over a common energy policy of that sort. Mr Vanhanen’s Government used the Lahti Summit to obtain a show of support from the other EU countries for price hikes for electricity and for covering up the wretched state that democracy is in, so that the Finnish Parliament is compelled, on the government’s suggestion, to ratify a constitution that perished in referenda held by other EU countries. All the European federalists are enthusing about it, but that is not democracy. The EU elite may be speaking with one voice today but they are not listening to the people."@en1

Named graphs describing this resource:

The resource appears as object in 2 triples

Context graph