Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-16-Speech-3-104"
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"en.20000216.7.3-104"2
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"We have abstained from voting for Jan Andersson’s report on a coordinated strategy for modernising social security.
We are basically well disposed towards the European Union. As Swedish Liberals, we see European integration as an opportunity to find solutions to cross-border problems such as the environment, trade, movement across borders, human rights and conflict management. In these areas, Europe’s democracies have a chance to show the world that cooperation leads to peace and increased prosperity.
We also believe in the principle of subsidiarity whereby decisions are to be taken as close as possible to those they affect. That is why we are actively pursuing the issue of a constitution for the European Union where the distribution of responsibilities is clear for all to see. It must be perfectly clear to all citizens that the EU will only become involved in those issues it is best qualified to deal with, which is to say cross-border issues. All other questions ought to be dealt with at local, regional or national levels.
Social policy is an example of an area in which the EU ought only to have limited powers, except where it is a question of freedom of movement for people within the Union. Each Member State ought to have full responsibility for, and the right autonomously to decide upon, its social security systems. Health care, child care and care of the elderly are clear examples of areas which are not obviously transnational. The same applies to labour market policy. We do not believe that common European legislation in these areas is a solution to the problems involved in designing systems of social security. For us, it is important that the EU should instead concentrate on just a few areas in which it can really be of use. That does not, however, prevent the Member States from cooperating and exchanging ideas in the social sphere.
Equality and social security are issues which are traditionally high on our Liberal agenda. We wholeheartedly support, at national level, many of the ideas presented in Mr Andersson’s report."@en1
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