Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-09-06-Speech-3-207"
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"en.20000906.9.3-207"2
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".
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I wanted to make a personal statement before this house, together with Commissioner Verheugen, in order to clarify the political significance of the interview with him in the
of 2 September and the political significance of a number of ensuing press statements. Mr Verheugen will shortly explain to you exactly what he said and why he said it.
For my part, I want to reaffirm solemnly before you, Members of Parliament, the full commitment of my Commission to the great task of enlargement. I have repeatedly stressed that enlargement is the Commission’s single most important task and that the Commission is committed to starting the process off along the right track.
There is a pressing need for this new page in the history of the Union to be completed, in accordance with the objectives set by the European Council and the Commission itself and frequently presented before this House. As you are well aware, this is a highly complex issue from a political point of view, and with your strong, unwavering support, the Commission is conducting the negotiation process transparently and objectively, with rigorous adherence to the conditions laid down in its mandate.
The democracies of the countries which are going to join the Union are making a huge effort, which we are in constant danger of underestimating. However, this effort must be matched on our side by considerable political generosity, expressed in many different ways. The Union’s first act of generosity, and I must stress that once again, must be to be ready to open its doors to new Members by January 2003. In order to put our house in order, therefore, the Union’s main concern must be to agree in Nice, at the end of the year, upon a high-quality institutional reform which will prevent our system from being watered down.
There is another side to the political generosity which it is our duty to display: we must all make every effort to win as many citizens as possible over to supporting the enlargement process. For my part, I fear that the public is not yet sufficiently convinced.
In seeking democratic support for this historic enterprise, we are certainly not attempting to delay the process but to reinforce it. It is clearly up to each individual Member State or candidate country to decide which ways and means to use to ensure support from its citizens. In particular, the national procedures for ratifying enlargement are purely national issues. It is certainly not the intention of the Commission or Commissioner Verheugen to interfere in this matter.
Nevertheless – and this is a different matter – we must all play our part in making clear to our citizens what is at stake. I have always found Parliament, before which I sit today, to be fully committed to doing just this: explaining to our fellow citizens, over and over again, that enlargement is not a threat but a historic opportunity in all respects, and, above all, a historic step towards establishing peace in our continent.
The loyal commitment of all the Commissioners to the Commission’s policies is a hallmark of my presidency, and, as this House is aware, I do not lack the means to enforce that if necessary.
In this particular case, I am entirely confident that Günter Verheugen fully supports the Commission’s policy, which this House has approved on many occasions. I therefore have every confidence in his ability to bring the enlargement negotiations to a swift, successful conclusion."@en1
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