Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-16-Speech-2-190"
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"en.20081216.31.2-190"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen, I would like, first of all, to pay tribute to the remarkable efforts made by the Presidency of the Council over the last six months.
In such turbulent times, one cannot help but see that Europe needs more political stability and effectiveness in its decisions. It is true that we have moved forward in recent months despite the need for unanimity, but there is nothing to suggest that it will be easy to repeat this success.
The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) calls on every country, every citizen who is consulted, to accept their responsibilities and to decide on the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon in full knowledge of the facts. We would ask them to distinguish between facile slogans and reality, between populism and responsibility.
What do people want? Do they want a climate change plan of which they can be proud, a social model that they can pass on to their children, or do they want demagogic proposals that do nothing but waste their time? The question answers itself. Saying ‘yes’ to the Treaty of Lisbon will provide the means to match our ambitions. I will finish, once again, by thanking the French Presidency for its political efforts, and I hope that the next Presidency will show the same commitment. That is my wish for 2009.
Mr Sarkozy, in a very short time, you have managed to create a true political Europe: a Europe that stood up to Russia, that made the G20 meeting a possibility, that is now a respected player in the reforms of the global financial architecture and that has established for itself a pragmatic and ambitious immigration policy; a Europe, finally, that has agreed on the means for giving a coordinated response to the economic crisis and that has taken the lead in international negotiations on the fight against climate change.
Mr President, in the results of your Presidency, you are the very illustration of the idea of political action that the centre right has always espoused. What our fellow citizens want is specific actions, and pragmatic and rational solutions taken by leaders who know how to stay calm. That is what the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council have managed to do together, under the aegis of the French Presidency.
In the face of the financial crisis, the policy of guaranteeing bank deposits, of recapitalising institutions at risk and of injecting cash to boost credit, all in a coordinated manner, has allowed us to avoid chain reactions and the loss of thousands of jobs in Europe.
Recent months have shown that only a united, strong Europe can respond to a challenge like the economic and financial crisis, and they have also shown that only our societal model, the social market economy, can provide a proper balance between employers and employees that allows everyone to benefit from the fruits of their labours and to achieve their ambitions without pointless burdens or barriers, and ensure real solidarity. It is this societal model that we in the political centre right want to continue to build.
Mr Barroso, Mr Sarkozy, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome the result achieved during the European Council on the energy and climate change package. It is a result that puts Europe at the forefront in this field and shows that, even on such a complex issue, we can reach agreement unanimously, between 27, in record time.
The package adopted in the Council on Friday, and in the trialogue on Saturday, reconciles the urgency of the climate change problem with the need to stand up for our economic and social interests.
We are coming to the end of a long road of negotiations, and I would like to congratulate all those involved, in particular my fellow Members from my political group. This is not a question of victory or defeat: we have an agreement between the three institutions, and the European Union has shown that it is able to take the lead in the fight against climate change. It now needs to take advantage of this, by redoubling its research efforts and promoting innovation and new technologies.
We also need to put pressure on our trading partners, including the emerging nations, who are some of the biggest polluters, to shoulder their responsibilities. We particularly expect the new Obama administration to take tangible action in this field."@en1
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