Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-14-Speech-2-035"
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"en.19990914.1.2-035"2
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"It is indeed welcome of course that the interinstitutional trauma of the last few months is now drawing to a close and good that normal business is about to resume. But, as has been said before by many speakers, we must understand the way in which the interinstitutional crisis of the last few months has altered in some fundamental way the relationship between our two institutions.
It is fair to say that in the past there was a traditional view that the European Parliament and the European Commission should operate in an almost permanent state of collusion to take on the vested interests of Member States and so promote European integration. This is now an outdated view which has been bypassed by recent events.
From now on we should perhaps both accept and welcome a permanent creative tension between our two institutions – that, after all, is the heart of a mature parliamentary democracy. This requires changes not only in the European Commission with which we are all familiar, but also changes in the European Parliament itself. Indeed, I hope that Parliament will take this opportunity to reform our own outdated procedures and practices including the financial provisions for MEPs.
Unless we, as parliamentarians, examine ourselves with the same forensic attention with which we examine other institutions we will find it difficult to reverse the shocking voter apathy which was seen in so many parts of Europe in the elections in June. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that voter indifference remains the greatest long-term threat to the European Union as a whole and perhaps to this Parliament in particular. Thus our overwhelming priority should be to re-engage the disenchanted voter: a reformed European Commission, a reformed European Parliament, interacting in a robust but mature manner, is the only way in which we have any real hope of doing so."@en1
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