Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-29-Speech-3-077"
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"en.20001129.7.3-077"2
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"Mr President, I would just briefly like to thank the President for presiding over the debate, Mr Védrine for his speech and the Members of Parliament for this high-quality debate.
This Minister, is what we expect from France, inspired precisely by the great confidence which we have in your country and in the leadership ability that we know France can display at difficult times in Europe's progress.
At this point, I would just like to mention a few specific aspects of the next few days and emphasise the Commission's determination to achieve a high level Summit which will, at last, make it possible for our institutions to function properly once the great process of enlargement that we are undertaking has been accomplished. I would stress once again that this is one of the few major political decisions that the world is expecting in the near future.
I would further stress that the Commission's determination will target not only the points we have just discussed but also the consideration and the attention that will be given to the Charter of Fundamental Rights. I am quite aware that it will not become a Constitution overnight, but I also know full well that it will be a constant reference point for us from Nice onwards with regard to the principles according to which the European institutions are to proceed and the principles which the European peoples are to follow to unite in preparation for future cooperation.
This is why it is so important that the Community method is consolidated at Nice, together with the value of the European institutions – the Council, Parliament and the Commission – and their ways of working together. Here, today, we may be showing too little regard for the fact that we are bound in a single process, that we are not a separate part of a system but a unifying element in the future Europe.
To sum up, Mr Védrine, you mentioned that the situation here appears to be too tense, and you also spoke of a certain pessimism. Well then, I would like to reply to your appeal with an appeal of my own. I am well aware that 15 countries will make the decisions at Nice and that the role of the Presidency is not to be a one-man-band, but I have also learned through experience what the role of the Presidency and the responsibility of the French Presidency are. In recent weeks, we have with great confidence and responsibility presented the French Presidency with a series of major decisions to be taken, aware of the role that France has consistently played in advancing the progress of the European institutions. Although, as you rightly said, we cannot place all the responsibility upon France, we do know that France must demonstrate its great leadership abilities as a driving force by example.
There are two points, which it is my responsibility to stress unequivocally for they emerged this evening as very heated and very important. With regard to the reweighting of votes, it is France's responsibility to propose what is to be the fundamental balance between large and small countries, the balance between the population and the strength of each individual country: it is France which must find the way forward in the construction of a Europe which is the Europe of both peoples and nations, and this is what we expect from the Presidency. But we also expect something else from France. We are quite aware that France is not the only country in the deadlock of incompatibilities and decisions. There are France, Spain, Germany: all the countries save Belgium and Italy have reasons for being unwilling to change from unanimous voting to qualified majority voting.
However, in my opinion, the Presidency's role is of fundamental importance in this case as well, because I am quite aware that, if France is able to interpret the general interest with regard to the decisions on Article 133, none of the other countries will be able to resist the change. We are all awaiting this step forward for it is not a step forward just for France but for the whole of Europe."@en1
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