Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-02-15-Speech-3-061-000"
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"en.20120215.4.3-061-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, honourable Members, on behalf of the Council, I would like to thank Parliament for a lively and very committed debate. I would also like to make it absolutely clear that we have listened and that, as far as possible, we will follow the good advice that has been given here today.
It is very important for the Danish Presidency to make it clear that the approach that has been set out concerning a responsible economic policy – where we tighten our belts and where we need to implement the ‘six-pack’ and the other financial initiatives fully and with precision in order for us to ensure that Europe gets back on track – will be a top priority for the Danish Presidency.
However, I would also like to state very clearly that this cannot stand alone. There is also a need for us to set a clear course when it comes to growth and the creation of jobs. From the point of view of the Danish Presidency, these two things should go hand in hand: financial restraint, on the one hand, and growth and jobs, on the other. We must not be satisfied with just the one, but need to have both of these if we are really to get Europe and the EU back on course.
It is therefore very positive that it was made absolutely clear at the informal meeting of the Heads of State or Government on 30 January that precisely these aspects of growth and jobs are now to be placed very high on the European agenda, and that we said that what is needed in particular is to create jobs and opportunities for those young people who, throughout Europe, are looking to the European Parliament, the Commission and the Member States to answer one question; namely, how they can be assured of, and have a real chance of getting, a job in this Europe of ours.
There are millions of young people waiting for the answer, and it is an answer that we must provide jointly. It is therefore absolutely necessary for us to make a start on creating the opportunities for the nearly seven million young people who lack jobs and training. We also clearly need to take a perspective that encompasses all of the 23 million Europeans in the EU who are without a job right now. This is a top priority for the Danish Presidency, and I would like to thank all of the Members of Parliament here today who have raised the important question of how we can ensure that this remains on the agenda. I would like to thank both Mr Daul and Mr Swoboda and all of the other speakers who have made this point very clearly.
With regard to Greece, our position is clear. In Europe, we have a joint responsibility to help Greece out of the crisis. However, Greece obviously has a responsibility to help itself out of the crisis, too. We therefore also believe that it was a very good thing that the Greek Parliament took a firm, difficult, but also necessary, decision a few days ago. This does not mean that all of the problems are solved, but it does mean that we can now make a start on hopefully getting Greece genuinely back on track. We also have to say to our friends in Greece that it was, without doubt, important to take the decisions in Parliament, but it is even more important to actually put these decisions into practice. All of us have a responsibility to help Greece to do that, and all of the political players in Greece also have a responsibility to help this become a reality.
In other words, this meeting that we have ahead of us is a very important one. Even though we have talked a great deal about the economy today, even though we have talked a great deal about Greece, it is also important to remember that the vision and direction of a Presidency encompasses other areas, too, and that is why it is also important to set the international environment/climate change agenda at the G8 and G20 and, of course, at the EU+20 meetings as well.
I would also like to emphasise what Mr Guerrero said regarding the fact that Parliament as well as the Commission and the Member States need to remember to speak out strongly for European values and to come down hard on any attempts at protectionism or attempts by Member States to separate themselves off or to attack the right to be different in Europe. That is an important point of which I hope everyone took note.
My final comment is that, at a time when Europe is experiencing such a deep crisis as it is right now, it is, in the Danish Presidency’s view, absolutely crucial that there is close cooperation between this Parliament, the Commission and the Member States. This is not the time to fight one another; it is the time to stand together shoulder to shoulder for the sake of the seven million young people who deserve a new opportunity and for the 23 million people who need a job, and because we need to get Europe back on track."@en1
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