Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-23-Speech-1-071"
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"en.20001023.7.1-071"2
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"Mr President, the Commission has tabled a very ambitious proposal, and I should like to take this opportunity to thank the Commissioner for combining great understanding of national differences with considerable determination, without which this would never have been anything other than a pretty piece of paper. I should also like to thank the other Anna for the substantial work she has done on this matter, something we could not have done without.
The debate today and in the Committee shows that there are major political differences and major differences in ambition in this area, and I think it good that these differences should be clearly brought out. In this way, people have a clear choice when they vote at the next parliamentary election: a choice between those who want to see a social Europe and those who merely want the EU to regulate the internal market. A choice between right and left. Our fellow MEPs from the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party and, in particular, from the British Conservative Party, have re-tabled a series of amendments which would genuinely weaken the ambitions of this social action programme. Every time legislation is proposed, these Thatcher-inspired neo-liberals embark upon an ideological crusade.
Europe does not deserve dogmatism, however. What Europe needs is for us to assess pragmatically what regulatory tool will be the most effective in the practical situation. In some cases, we need the open coordination method. On other occasions, it is better for the two sides of industry to negotiate their way towards an agreement. We must not, however, be afraid to use legislation if this is what is required for us to achieve our objectives. I also want to raise another practical issue which this strategy has focused upon. This is the need to come up with a definite strategy for the working environment which would give us the opportunity to devise a coherent policy in this area. Within the area of the working environment, too, we must make a practical assessment of which tools are best for solving the various problems. Here, too, dogmatism is not the way forward but, rather, finding pragmatic solutions to real problems."@en1
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