Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-17-Speech-4-046"
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"en.20010517.3.4-046"2
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"Mr President, our Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left is not the group of a left-wing European party. The parties represented in our group have differing positions on the political proposal on European political parties. Some colleagues wonder, not without good reason, how meaningful it is and to what extent they actually can represent a European public. The direct link to the people is not actually forged through Europe; it exists at national and regional level. That is where the parties have their grass roots; that is where they have their members and electors.
I should like to ask Messrs Poettering and Barón Crespo to reconsider their words. Mr Barón Crespo has just said that those who are against parties are against democracy. I do not think that this is the case. Rather I think that parties often tend to take themselves particularly seriously. The public, for example in Germany, are very sceptical – not without reason – about membership of political parties. I think that it is only 3% in the Federal Republic who take an interest in politics by joining a political party. Nevertheless they are still democrats. They get involved in society through other organisations of civil society, such as citizens' action groups and non-governmental organisations.
I want to say that the European party should not be denied the right to exist. Those political forces which consider mergers of this kind to be right and necessary should also be able to proceed with them. Quite apart from that, I am convinced, personally, that European parties, as it states in Article 191 of the Treaty, do actually constitute an important factor for integration. That is why I support Mrs Schleicher's report and would also thank the Commission for its initiative. Against the background of the criticisms made by the Court of Auditors, I think it is necessary for clear conditions to be established. Legal certainty, financial discipline and transparency are indispensable, and I think that in particular the proposals on the statute, and especially the requirement for complete transparency of finances and any donations, should definitely be included in the Regulation."@en1
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