Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-07-21-Speech-3-062"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"1999-07-21"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Statement by Mr Prodi, President-elect of the Commission2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.19990721.5.3-062"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:1999-07-21-Speech-3-0632
lpv:speaker	lp:Michael John Holmes2
lpv:spoken text	"Madam President, Mr President-elect, I represent the EDD Group, a small group in this Parliament, but extremely democratic. I share the platform this afternoon with my French colleague and I share his concerns for the future role of this Parliament. Parliament, at the moment, does not appear to be very democratic. It appears also that Members of Parliament are not very concerned as the auditorium is now half empty. To get a democratic structure we have to change over the years so that Parliament is not the servant of the Commission but the Commission is the servant of the elected representatives of the electorate of Europe. Until that happens there will be extremely low turn-outs at all future European elections. It would be better if the future of Europe was entrusted to elected representatives who can be dismissed from office at elections and not to nominated bureaucrats in the form of Commissioners. Turning to Mr Prodi, I believe that half this Parliament at least is disenfranchised because he was endorsed by the previous Parliament and just over 50 % of us were not in that Parliament. I would seriously suggest that he should put himself up again for reselection with his other Commissioners in September. (Applause ) In the long-term, I am convinced that, while the cart is in front of the horse – and that is the Commission exercising greater policy-making influence than the elected Members of this Parliament – throughout Europe people will remain apathetic toward this institution. In the United Kingdom, we already have a very Euro-sceptic electorate. We probably are the most Euro-sceptic according to a survey conducted on behalf of the European Union published two weeks ago. If Mr Prodi and his colleagues wish to remedy Euro-scepticism and Euro-apathy, I am calling for true democracy and for the elected representatives to have much more authority over the programme and policies of this institution."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; UK Independence Party (1999-07-20--2002-12-15)3 member; EDD (1999-07-20--2001-07-01)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Holmes (EDD)"1

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