Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-07-21-Speech-3-075"
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"en.19990721.6.3-075"2
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"(FI) Madam President, I would like to thank Finland"s Foreign Minister, Ms Halonen, for her excellent account of the Finnish Presidency programme. As the Member State to hold the Presidency of the Council, Finland is piloting the European Union into a new millennium with an extremely well-balanced programme. It is important to point out, as the Foreign minister made clear in her speech, that together, the internal reform of the Union and the strengthening of civil societies all over Europe will form the cornerstone of EU development in the future. Emphasis on these goals can be seen very clearly in the Finnish Presidency programme.
The hallmark of the Finnish Presidency, a strong and open Europe for a new millennium, reflects the Union"s vital need for reforms. The people"s Europe must be built with the emphasis on the serious importance of transparency among the EU institutions and on the principle of subsidiarity. The enormous challenges of the future, such as the economic changes associated with the single currency, the Union"s enlargement to the east, and the prevention of international crime, require the support of more viable EU institutions than is the case today. It is a positive sign that Finland has started off with concrete proposals. Wordy proclamations will not produce the changes we now need.
Tragedies such as the crisis in Kosovo, and, more generally, in the whole of the former Yugoslavia, show that the peace and stability afforded by European integration do not as yet extend very far beyond the Union"s external borders. The inevitable conclusions must be made regarding this point, so that the Union"s crisis management skills may be strengthened as promptly as possible. The EU must ensure that it has in future an effective non-military range of options at its disposal both to prevent a crisis and to put out fires that have already started. The fact that these goals are high up on the agenda is a very positive sign.
The economic, social and political rebuilding of the Western Balkans must proceed at a brisk pace while Finland holds the Presidency. It is such an immense challenge that the Finnish Presidency will be required to show it has the special ability to keep all the interwoven threads tightly in its hands. Finland has to ensure that all allocated funds are used effectively. Not a single bridge can be rebuilt nor a single school constructed if the costs of administering the reconstruction projects are inflated. The reconstruction programme should be funded in a way that takes account of the use of local resources. In this way, the region"s business community, ravaged as it has been by war, can be revived, jobs can be created, and trade with the surrounding areas and the Union can be developed. The Union"s employment problems cannot be solved by making official appointments at Kosovo"s expense. Aid must go to where it is most needed.
The enlargement of the Union to the East will require the unflagging support of its citizens. The Union must make absolutely sure no bottlenecks in the enlargement process arise through its inability to function properly. Ensuring the single market functions effectively and strengthening the Union"s internal security are the important keys to successful enlargement. We must expect the Tampere Council meeting, which will focus
on questions relating to asylum-seekers and refugees as well as the fight against organised crime, to provide concrete proposals for action to improve internal security.
The Union"s northern dimension concept, about to come into the limelight, features many aspects of EU internal security, such as nuclear and environmental safety and co-operation with neighbouring regions. Furthermore, the ideas expressed concerning the Union"s northern dimension need to be made into more concrete programmes of action.
(Applause)"@en1
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"Matikainen-Kallström (PPE)"1
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