Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-11-Speech-2-109"
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"en.20000411.5.2-109"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Lisbon focused on employment, economic reform and the shift to the digital age. But Lisbon is not the first summit to discuss the topic of “employment”. Since Essen, we have had numerous declarations of intent and well-meant action programmes. The only way to achieve a sustainable increase in the employment rate is to give companies the entrepreneurial room for manoeuvre which they need in the form of framework conditions. The proposed measures to promote SMEs are confined to analyses and to drafting yet more non-binding declarations of intent. Paper is cheap. Unfortunately there is a total lack of concrete results. A sustained improvement in the employment situation can only be achieved through structural reform, which means reducing the tax burden, simplifying tax systems and making it easier to incorporate a company. We are all familiar with these requirements. Everyone says, “Yes, that is quite right”. But implementation is where it falls down.
As an Austrian member, I must also address the sanctions of the 14 in connection with Lisbon. The ability to be democratic goes hand in hand with the ability to discuss. The efforts of the presidency to ban the subject of Austria from the agenda gave me even more food for thought. It is in the interests of the Union to clarify relations between Austria and the EU. Refusing all discussion was never a recipe for resolving a conflict. Many people back in Austria ask me “How can the peaceful house of Europe be built if the highest representatives are not on speaking terms or refuse all discussion?” These symbolic gestures are the right way to open up old wounds between people. I therefore say to everyone who declares that the sanctions are for the government but not the people, that such a separation is not possible. A democratically elected government cannot be separated from the people who elected it. This is illustrated by absurd examples such as the taxi boycott in Brussels, problems with school exchange programmes and much else besides.
The distrust shown towards Austria, despite the fact that it has not once violated democratic principles since 1945 stands in clear contradiction to the spirit of this Community. Judge the Austrian government by its deeds. You will not find any violation of the spirit of the Union."@en1
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