Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-06-14-Speech-3-044"
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"en.20000614.3.3-044"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, there are totally opposing views on European political parties within my group. The main question raised is the extent to which they can actually represent a European public. Direct links with people exist not at a pan-European, but at national or regional level. That is where the parties are anchored, that is where their members and electorate are.
The situation is in fact quite paradoxical. First, there are European parties. Secondly, there is Article 191, which states that European political parties are an important factor for integration. Thirdly, at the same time, we still have no idea what European political parties actually are.
On 12 December last year, the chairmen of the Party of European Socialists, the European People’s Party, the Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party and the European Free Alliance and the secretary-general of the European Federation of Green Parties themselves stated in a joint declaration that clarification was needed as to what a European party is. Now I am convinced that, outside this House, no-one, to all intents and purposes, can comprehend or understand this. Plus, the parties tend to take themselves very seriously. It is not by chance that citizens – and not just in my country – are highly sceptical about things such as party memberships. When they commit, it is mainly in civil initiatives, non-governmental organisations and various structures within the civil society.
I have nothing against European parties. I think that they face the challenge of achieving cross-border coordination of their work during the course of integration. But one thing is unacceptable and that is a situation in which European parties exist and receive funding but are still undefined. The criticism of the Court of Auditors was justified.
I should like to close by saying that I too am in favour of finding a solution to this muddle. But the solution must include treating political democratic forces in Europe equally, including those which define themselves otherwise and which, for example, are critical of the EU, and not excluding them from this problem-solving process."@en1
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