Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-10-27-Speech-3-060"
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"en.19991027.2.3-060"2
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"Mr President, President of the Commission Prodi was quite right when he spoke before this House of an error of historical proportions if the Intergovernmental Conference were to be reduced to dealing with the so-called Amsterdam leftovers. No, what the citizens of the European Union rightly expect is true democracy, transparency and efficient decision-making. What is necessary, above all, is the courage to critically examine the policies of the Union so far. The need for a socially just Europe remains highly topical. We need a reform of the Union which finally places the struggle against mass unemployment and poverty at the centre of policy. The reform should also entail having the courage to change Article 4 of the EC Treaty which, in classically neo-liberal manner, defines the Union as an open market economy with free competition.
The same applies to Article 105 of the EC Treaty so that the European Central Bank might have the contractually established political task of using its monetary policy to promote growth and employment. Our citizens must be involved in the debate about the content and objectives of the reform. They must have the opportunity, through referenda, to themselves deliver their own judgement on the results of the Intergovernmental Conference.
I have noted with interest the proposals of Messrs Dehaene, von Weizsäcker and Simon. A number of these I personally consider to be definitely worth discussing, for example the proposals to simplify the Treaties or the proposal that qualified majority voting in the Council and the involvement of Parliament in decision-making ought to be the rule in future. As a Member of the European Parliament representing a large Member State, I attach the greatest importance, of course, to the fact that the rights of small States should not be restricted.
One thing, though, I want finally to say loud and clear here. My Group decisively rejects the integration of the Western European Union into the Union. We want to see a civilian Europe characterised by solidarity. We do not want a military union appearing in future, armed to the teeth, as a Euro policeman on the stage of international politics."@en1
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