Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-14-Speech-3-059"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2001-02-14"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Lisbon2
dcterms:Language	"nl"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20010214.3.3-059"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2001-02-14-Speech-3-0602
lpv:speaker	lp:Johannes Blokland2
lpv:spokenAs	co-chair; EDD (2001-01-30--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij - Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond - Reformatorisch Politieke Federatie (1999-07-20--2002-03-17)3 member; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 member; ECON (2000-02-02--2002-01-14)3 member; Temporary committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine (2000-12-13--2001-11-29)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Slovak Republic Joint Parliamentary Committee (1999-09-28--2002-01-14)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Slovenia Joint Parliamentary Committee (1999-09-29--2002-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, following the launch of economic and monetary union two years ago, there would indeed appear to be great resistance to the coordination of economic policy. It seems an almost impossible feat to get 12 different economies with divergent economic situations to sing from the same hymn sheet. The fact is that the Member States accepted monetary union reluctantly, but are not about to sacrifice even more policy freedom in order to achieve the real convergence required. The socio-economic performance indicators proposed by the Commission represent an attempt to bring about a form of socio-economic coordination nonetheless, without having to go through a legislative procedure bristling with pitfalls. It is far from ideal, but better some of a pudding than none of a pie, you might say. Given this political reality, it is very foolish to nip this convergence process in the bud by proposing a confusing mass of indicators. The business community is already complaining of fact-finding overload. The national statistical offices simply do not have the resources or manpower for the job. And to saddle Eurostat with it would be putting the cart before the horse. The 27 indicators proposed by the Commission is on the excessive side as it is. We should start with around ten and then increase the number carefully, and where there is a pressing need to do so. It is a shame that the Bullmann report is sending the convergence process into the wilderness in its tender youth. I hope that the Commissioner will shortly explain in clear and specific terms to what extent, and in what kind of timeframe, the far-reaching proposals from the motion for a resolution can be put into practice. In any case, statistics do not tell the whole story. They provide a snapshot of reality. After all, we do not say that the United States has the greatest sporting prowess because they won the most medals at the Olympic Games. You only have to divide the number of medals per head of population for the US to drop like a stone down the international league table, and for most European countries to emerge with better sporting achievements than the United States. And of course Belgium has long been renowned for its skating prowess. In short, indicators are a means of steering policy but not an end in themselves. I would just like to say that, broadly speaking, my group is able to support Mr Gasòliba’s report, although, unfortunately, it devotes far too little attention to the drawbacks attending liberalisation."@en1

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