Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-03-Speech-3-180"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000503.11.3-180"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"We very much welcome the report by Mr Carraro and his colleagues. I totally agree with the remarks of the honourable Member, Mr Linkohr, about the quality of the report. I am also grateful for the authoritative comments made by the honourable Member, Mr Carraro, and by representatives of other relevant committees during this debate and the other contributions we have had as well. One or two honourable Members have been able to bring in subjects about which they care passionately like the honourable Member, Mr Rübig, and I commend them on their inventiveness. But it has been a useful debate which has reflected the importance of the subject.
We are extremely satisfied that Parliament has given this verbal approval to the seven agreements with Switzerland. They are the result of four years of extremely difficult and tough negotiations. The outcome of those negotiations has been excellent and I am delighted that Parliament has reacted in the way that it has.
The agreements are very important. They are very important politically and they are very important from a technical point of view as well. They unblock the stalemate in the relations with one of our closest neighbours and our second biggest trading partner. They open the way to closer relations and, I hope, to further integration.
Through these agreements the biggest problems in our bilateral relations will be resolved in a number of key sectors: technical barriers to trade, public procurement, research and development about which the honourable Member knows so much, agriculture and air transport. Equally important, a viable solution has now been found for alpine transit. The European standard of free movement of persons will also be introduced in relations with Switzerland.
I am glad that Parliament has found the result of the negotiations to be in general so positive but we have also taken note of some more critical remarks, especially regarding cooperation in the fight against transit fraud, cigarette smuggling and other fiscal crimes, where you want to see our Swiss friends doing much more. Parliament has repeatedly called for better cooperation and the problem will be further investigated I know by a special delegation of the Budget Control Committee.
I want to make it absolutely plain that the Commission shares these concerns. Losses of several billion euros are caused to the Community budget every year because Switzerland does not apply the relevant Council of Europe protocols on judicial cooperation. The Commission has repeatedly stated that we see a rapid solution to this problem as the prerequisite for any further agreements in other areas. It is a point that I am looking forward to discussing with the Swiss Foreign Minister when he comes to Brussels a little later in the summer, as well, I hope, as discussing more positive matters with him.
I want to assure all honourable Members that we have taken account of the detailed concerns that have been expressed in this useful debate and of the other comments that we have received on these negotiations.
As a number of honourable Members have said, the Swiss Parliament has already approved the seven agreements. They did that in October last year. We very much hope that the Swiss people themselves will give their blessing in the referendum scheduled for May 21. It would be constitutionally indelicate I am sure for me to urge them to vote in one way or the other but I do very much hope that these negotiations which have been conducted in good faith and have led to very satisfactory outcomes will be endorsed by the people of Switzerland.
I am sure that the assent of the European Parliament will be very helpful in this respect in encouraging people in Switzerland to vote on May 21 in what we all think would be the right way. So I very much hope that the vote which the Parliament holds tomorrow does not surprise any of you and does not surprise the Commission either."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples