Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-12-Speech-3-149"
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"en.20000412.4.3-149"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, enlargement is the most crucial European issue as far as we are concerned. It is now also at the top of the agenda prior to the Swedish Presidency. We do not, however, want to see European cooperation cease or degenerate into bickering, which would be a risk if 30 countries could constantly use their vetoes.
Development of the Union can only seriously be accorded priority through also, at the same time, welcoming qualified majority voting in the majority of areas but excluding, for example, the area of new treaties. We also want to see majority decision-making in regard to Article 289, because it would then be possible, where the European Parliament’s headquarters and meetings are concerned, to establish rules which would prevent the waste of human resources and tax revenue. Swedish taxpayers, who also pay net amounts into the European Union, are in fact at a loss to understand the madness of travelling backwards and forwards with thousands of cases every month. Perhaps it would be more efficient to have the offices in a pan-European caravan than to waste all these man-months, as we now do, upon plane journeys. We have every respect for symbols of peace, but the billions spent on gadding off to Strasbourg could, of course, be spent instead on our neighbours in the East, who perhaps have more use for these “peace billions” than we do.
Finally, I want to thank the rapporteurs for a very good report and to express my hope that the Citizens’ Charter will usher in the new Treaty. I also want to end by expressing special thanks to Commissioner Barnier for being present throughout the debate and for his commitment to these issues. In fact, he gives me hope and inspiration on many occasions when I think that the Member States are being both negative and unreasonable on a whole range of issues with which, as European citizens, we really have problems. I would thank you, Commissioner Barnier, for your efforts which in fact help me to take an optimistic view of Europe’s future development."@en1
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