Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-13-Speech-2-028"
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"en.20070213.3.2-028"2
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"(
) Mr President, may I begin by offering my sincere congratulations on your election to the position of president of the European Parliament, which is the most democratic and, at the same time, one of the most important of European institutions. You have become the first president of the European Parliament after the adoption and implementation of the Treaty of Nice. Currently, the European Union comprises 27 Member States. I have not referred to this fact by chance, as political experience demonstrates that the implementation of one treaty is followed by preparations for another. Two years of wavering and marking time with regard to the Constitutional Treaty have harmed the idea of a united Europe. You are assuming office at a time when Germany, one of the founding Member States, holds the presidency of the European Union, and I therefore expect you to decide on what needs to be done next concerning the Constitutional Treaty. Most Member States have opted for supporting the Constitutional Treaty and are willing to carry on implementing the vision of a united Europe, and their wishes cannot be overlooked because of the negative stance adopted by two of the Member States.
I would appreciate it if, following the election of its president, the European Parliament would now give some thought to introducing new rules or revising the existing Rules of Procedure. I have respected the 'gentleman’s agreement' made in the past by the two big political groups with regard to the election of the president of the European Parliament. However, a democratic system should also allow a candidate from a smaller political group to be elected. I am quite sure that in this House there are many distinguished and capable people in smaller political groups as well.
Mr President, I sincerely hope that during your term in office you will advocate greater involvement by the twelve new Member States in the shaping of European policies. Looking at how the new Member States are currently represented on the committees of the European Parliament, I cannot help feeling dejected. Similar discrimination against the new Member States can be seen from the number of their nationals employed by the European Parliament. What is important here is not only the mere numbers but the positions these people fill. There are nationals from our countries who often have two university degrees, foreign work experience and a good command of three of the EU 15 languages, and yet are in secretarial positions and therefore assisting superiors whose academic and language skills may be significantly inferior to their own. By way of an example, let me refer to the procedure known as internal tendering to fill secretarial positions, which was carried out last year and served as the basis for assigning about 50 employees from the new Member States to secretarial jobs. All of these people are university graduates and are currently performing at grade B and A levels but collecting secretarial pay. The European Union is generating savings, as skilled work is carried out for low pay, but I am wondering whether this represents fairness and non-discrimination. Non-discrimination also includes gender equality, a topic so often debated here. We even have a dedicated committee to deal with this issue, but we are lagging behind in enforcement.
In conclusion, Mr President, I would like to wish you every success in your role as president of the European Parliament. I have great esteem for you personally as well as for your rich track record and experience in European politics, and I believe that you will make a good and just administrator of public affairs."@en1
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