Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-17-Speech-5-072"
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"en.19990917.5.5-072"2
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"Madam President, as I was not allowed to speak in the debate, I hereby submit my intervention in writing, as announced by the President chairing Friday morning’s sitting.
He was right to point out that this debate is not the time to state whether we are for or against having the Parliament based in Strasbourg. It is all the more incomprehensible then that he should systematically refuse the floor to MEPs who want to speak in defence of Strasbourg, in response to the attacks on this city which he has allowed others to voice quite freely. I protest strongly at this extremely biased way of conducting the debate, which appears to be an abuse of the Agenda. We have a British gentleman, Lord Bevin, to thank for the choice of Strasbourg as the seat for the Council of Europe, because he saw this city as a symbol of reconciliation between France and Germany, and of reconciliation between all Europeans.
We are now at a time when we must go back to fundamental principles, to rise up and outline for our citizens the horizons of our continent’s peace-loving organisation, which respects human rights and is founded on a European model of economic and social development. Bearing this in mind, what do the colours of our buildings’ walls or the pressure of our toilet flushes matter? Any citizen listening to us is going to ask us if we have nothing more urgent to discuss than the details of our own comfort! I am not denying that this building would benefit from some improvements. Anyone who is keen on the use of new buildings, as I am, realises that it takes some time to break them in; in six months time, we will have forgotten these details. I would also like to thank the President, for having shown such great interest in particular problems, and I would especially like to thank and encourage all the staff for their genuine and determined efforts, the effects of which have been very evident this month.
We are all concerned about putting the European taxpayer’s money to good use, and I was extremely sorry to hear our Dutch colleague leaping to the defence of “her” taxpayers in an outburst which she felt was appropriate, but which actually showed utter contempt for any concept of European solidarity. Well, I want her to know that my citizens, whom I do not claim to be my own, but whose honour and taxes I shall defend, have, themselves, contributed to the financing of these buildings, and the vast majority of them are extremely proud of this fact. Without matching the huge sums spent on the buildings in Brussels, the European Parliament has, henceforth, a worthy seat which is bound to encourage all those who visit it and work there to act with dignity and with a sense of duty."@en1
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