Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-15-Speech-3-031"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"1999-09-15"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Preparatory work for the European Council meeting in Tampere2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.19990915.3.3-031"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:1999-09-15-Speech-3-0322
lpv:speaker	lp:Johannes Blokland2
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij - Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond - Reformatorisch Politieke Federatie (1999-07-20--2002-03-17)3 co-chair; EDD (1999-07-20--2001-01-29)3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 substitute; ECON (1999-07-21--2000-02-02)3
lpv:translated text	"Madam President, the area of freedom, security and justice we have spoken of is a utopia that we will never achieve on this earth. The institutions have high expectations in terms of what the further development of the European Union will bring its citizens. I think there is a need for a certain amount of modesty when it comes to the things we can achieve, and that we should exercise a certain amount of caution when it comes to extending European competencies in the field of justice and home affairs still further. There is certainly a need for this. A European policy on asylum is long overdue, for example. Opening up the borders has created a need for co-ordination. A number of countries, of which the Netherlands is one, have had to deal with a disproportionately large influx of asylum seekers in recent years. The reality of the situation is compelling us to bring about substantive harmonisation of legislation in order to prevent a “race to the bottom”. The main thing is that genuine asylum seekers should not suffer as a result of the tightening-up of EU legislation. The minimum standards must not be allowed to become quite that minimal. However, we do not consider it to be a good idea to draw up a European Charter, a new catalogue of civil rights. The constitutions of the Member States, the ECHR and other treaties already offer adequate protection to citizens, so there is no need for there to be an accumulation of all different kinds of constitutional systems of government, as the Dutch Minister for Home Affairs said last week. In short, there are many items on the Tampere agenda offering us the opportunity to get down to some real work. However, the European Parliament runs the risk of putting itself beyond the discussion by straining to achieve its own utopia in which the citizens are enabled, by virtue of the advantages of European citizenship thrust upon them, to at last see the light at the end of the tunnel."@en1

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