Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-16-Speech-4-108"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000316.3.4-108"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, we heard many speakers from the federalist majority of this Parliament say here yesterday that the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights under preparation would give a big boost to citizens’ rights.
However, the conditions under which this initiative was put forward tend more to reflect contempt for the life of the citizens and give us cause for serious concern about what will happen next. First of all, a few months ago, we discovered, tucked away in the Cologne conclusions, in paragraphs 44 and 45, the decision to start drafting a Charter of Fundamental Rights. Who was consulted beforehand? No one, and certainly not the national parliaments, who had never heard of it. All the same, however, we must remember that basically fundamental rights come within the remit of the national parliaments and, as a whole, of the various peoples of Europe.
Of course, some people will say this was merely a new formulation of existing rights, but it is clear that this operation will go much further, with the European Parliament already calling for an innovative Charter. In any case, whatever its final form, the national parliaments should not have been sidelined.
They are now involved in the Convention to draft the Charter, but only as one partner among others, which will guarantee an imperfect job. Worse still, they will not even be involved in the final stage, since the Cologne conclusions provide that the Charter will be proclaimed jointly by the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission. Yes, I did say “the Commission”.
So the national parliaments find themselves sidelined and replaced by a body of officials who will ‘proclaim the Charter’. That is quite ludicrous! Democracy is sidelined, supposedly for the good of the citizens. But then is that not how Europe usually works?"@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples