Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-12-Speech-3-145"
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"en.20000412.4.3-145"2
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"Madam President, at a time when the future of the European Union depends more than ever on the balance and smooth functioning of our institutions, I want to begin by thanking the two rapporteurs, Giorgos Dimitrakopoulos and Jo Leinen, for the high quality of their work.
We all agree today that we must adopt institutional and political reforms prior to any enlargement of the Union. That is the challenge we have to meet at a moment when many of our fellow-citizens are beginning to feel doubts and see few political prospects. Today the European Union which the founding fathers conceived, achieved and then bequeathed to us must evolve and change. Europe is at a crossroads. Either we content ourselves in future with being merely a free trade area, or we seek to construct a political Europe.
But let us make no mistake: if we choose to sit on the fence, we are likely to see the worst scenario. A Europe with a single currency, but without its attributes of political power, would revert to being merely a geographical area, which would give free rein to national rivalries. The time has come for Europe to be a power capable of genuine political expression, of sustaining a social project and framing a common foreign and defence policy. It is up to us, the elected representatives of the people of Europe, to work towards improving the efficiency and democracy of our institutions.
But Europe will only be democratic if the people themselves determine the principles and rules of its organisation. I am happy that the Dimitrakopoulos report takes this aspiration into account in the framework of a constitutional process aimed at simplifying and clarifying the Community treaties. But I think we need to go further; we need a constitution, i.e. a basic law, so that Europe can assert itself as a genuine democratic society.
Thus the reform of the institutions is not only the condition for enlargement, it is also the condition for the survival of Europe. Commissioner, I hope the representatives of the Member States will embark on real reforms and take the measure of the issues at stake in the Intergovernmental Conference, so as to make this century into the century of Europe."@en1
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