Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-14-Speech-3-346"
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"en.20010214.11.3-346"2
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".
Mr President, it has already been said that our group will approve the Council proposal. Mexico is an important country. It is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Accordingly, this agreement is of great political importance. But I would like to stress that it is also of great importance to us to approve this agreement, because it is evidence of the common foreign policy of the European Union. I address this remark in particular to the Commissioner responsible for foreign policy.
In this, I differ from my British colleagues for whom it would be preferable that the Member States concluded individual agreements with Mexico. I regard the fact that the European Union is tackling this issue as a united front as a great step forward.
For us, the agreement with Mexico has a high priority. What is more, it is the first in a series of agreements we are currently negotiating with Mercosur and Chile. Implementing the Mexico agreement therefore serves a pilot function. As far as our foreign trade policy is concerned, this will improve our trading situation in Mexico. The share of Europe’s trade with Mexico has fallen back to simply ridiculously low levels. This situation must improve and I believe it is also in the interest of Mexico not to be solely dependent on trade with the USA but to have a well-balanced trade position, with Europe playing a role. This, I believe, is a truism. To this extent, the agreement is in our interest as much as it is in the interest of Mexico.
While approving the EU/Mexico agreement, we should nevertheless honour the fact that Mexico is changing. The election of President Fox means that, for the first time since the Mexican revolution, there has been a changeover of power. Mexico now ranks among the states in which democratic changeovers of power will become the norm. There is also hope that the conflict in Chiapas, in the south of the country, will be settled peacefully.
Mexico has opened itself up to the USA, but it is also prepared to open itself up to Europe. I would therefore very much welcome it if, for instance, the newly elected President of Mexico were to pay a visit to Europe in the not too distant future, and perhaps speak to us here in this Chamber, and if European heads of state were to visit Mexico.
A final word on the Lucas report: as is always the case, it is clear that we do not agree on the explanatory statement contained in the report. Here, the rapporteur is free to express his or her opinion. But I would like to say in this connection that cooperation with Mexico, a country with which we entertain friendly relations, is critical. What is more, this works in both directions. We want to have the freedom to say what we do not like in other areas and we also ask our friends to tell us what they do not like. That can best be exemplified by the situation with the USA: we have had some very serious clashes with the USA – and vice versa too, I might add – without that having changed our cooperation partnership and our mutual trust in any way."@en1
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