Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-12-Speech-3-061"
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"en.20000412.2.3-061"2
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"Mr President, a biblical parable teaches the reader to build his house on a rock. After all, a house built on sand has no solid foundations. This parable was meant as a reference to faith and its foundations. Nonetheless, I was reminded of this parable during the IGC discussion. The relentless attempts to turn Europe into a political unity seem to be built on quicksand. Indeed, the citizens of Europe do not feel European and this will not change overnight. Still, the discussion on the EU’s future is peppered with concepts such as European citizenship. This does not exist by any stretch of the imagination and is simply quicksand!
In the IGC discussion or the present report for that matter, the end goal of European cooperation is not taken into consideration. What do we want to achieve as a European Union? I would be keen to hear the Council’s and Commission’s opinion on this. If there
a well-considered vision on the foundation of European cooperation, the European House will be on more solid ground and will be able to brave the bad weather. I share the minority view of Mr Berthu, a member of the Union for a Europe of Nations Group, as it has been included in this report. This document does include a solid foundation for the Union, namely a cooperative of independent states, in which the national democracies enjoy the highest level of legitimacy.
Regarding the enlargement issue, the fact that Member States joining the EU can become fully-fledged Members of the Union should be central. “Degrading” acceding countries to second-class members does not do them justice and has unwanted political consequences. Instead of the idea of different speeds, I support the idea of carrying out only the core tasks, that is to say in cross-border policy areas, at European level.
Another specific point I would like to raise concerns the European Commission. This high official college should in future not have more or fewer than 20 members. If necessary, combinations of countries can alternate in appointing a Euro Commissioner.
I support the policy of granting the European Parliament codecision in all cases in which the Council decides by qualified majority. This must, however, go hand in hand with sound scrutiny by the national parliaments of their “own” ministers in the Council."@en1
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