Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-15-Speech-3-024"
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"en.19990915.3.3-024"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the Heads of State and Government took the initiative almost a year ago to call an Extraordinary European Council meeting which would be principally dedicated to the area of freedom, security and justice. This is therefore an act of great importance which will guide the activities of the Union during the coming years.
Therefore the Commission, like Parliament, hopes and trusts that the Tampere meeting will provide an initial impetus. The issues are very complicated, very sensitive and, as Mrs Halonen said, very different political cultures will be dealing with the same phenomenon, but it is good that this process has been started.
In this context, it is important that the European Parliament, whose activity during this last year has been considerable, ensures that its voice is heard after the resolution adopted in its April plenary part-session which established the political framework which is now required.
The resolution on what we are debating today, furthermore, will have the advantage that it will be adopted on time so that it will be known in the informal meeting in Turku which begins tomorrow. And the fact that you are talking at the same time about the area of freedom, security and justice and the Charter of Fundamental Rights illustrates the unavoidable political relationship between the two objectives.
The area of freedom, security and justice must be backed up by a solid guarantee of the respect for rights corresponding to the realities of contemporary society, which is in line with the open and innovative approach which this Parliament wishes to see.
The Commission, for its part, totally shares this approach, and will firmly commit itself to the process of drawing up the Charter and, of course, Mrs Halonen, we will communicate to the next Commission your invitation to the Commission to make specific proposals in this regard.
The European Parliament has given some indications as to the most radical institutional reforms which will have to be taken account of during the preparations for the next Intergovernmental Conference.
In this respect, neither must we forget, although there is much that must be changed, the possibilities which the new framework of the Treaty of Amsterdam offers, particularly in relation to democratic control and transparency. The Commission fully shares your opinion on the contents you wish to see for the area of freedom, security and justice.
Some common ground has come into view; for example, with regard to the importance attached to access to justice, the development of a coherent strategy in the field of immigration and asylum, the protection of the weaker groups and those suffering from discrimination, or the strengthening of the mechanisms used in the fight against organised crime. These are very sensitive points and they will all firstly require a broad political consensus and a great political will in order to find common solutions.
As I said before, the establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice is a basic objective in bringing the Union closer to the citizens, and this matter forms part of the daily concerns of the citizens of the Union. It is therefore essential if European construction is to have even more legitimacy. For this reason, failure is not an option."@en1
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