Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-24-Speech-3-018"
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"en.20011024.1.3-018"2
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"Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, President Prodi, ladies and gentlemen, our group supports the Ghent statement on terrorism, but, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, we also say that words must now be backed up by deeds. It is not acceptable that this is the second time that the Heads of State and Government have made recommendations which are then not promptly put into effect by the Ministers of the Interior and of Justice. We call upon the Ministers of the Interior and of Justice to act with speed. We also say, above all, that cooperation merely between States cannot continue as at present. Important issues of home affairs and justice policy must also be dealt with on the basis of Community law, and the Commission must have a central role in observing the situation and implementing Community law. Continuity is not achieved by the Presidency of the Council rotating every six months. Continuity must also be ensured by the European Commission and the European institutions.
Mr President-in-Office of the Council, we are in broad agreement with you as regards Laeken, but please ensure that the Convention does not only have the task of enumerating options. Its task will be, rather, to present a majority proposal. There may of course also be a minority vote. This must not lead to negotiations without binding effect. That is not what we expect of the Convention, but rather a proposal which can then go to the Heads of State and Government for discussion. We also expect this Convention not to have too large a bureau. It is crucial that five persons should be represented in it: the chairman/chairwoman and the representatives of the four institutions involved. This body must exercise real leadership, taking the Convention into a better future. We would like to see this Convention's work timetabled in such a way that it can conclude a Treaty in 2003 under the Italian Presidency, a Treaty that we hope will lead to the fundamental treaty of which you have spoken.
Let me make another observation, a very practical one. In Ghent, you discussed transfers between bank accounts in different countries of the European Union, a question which one might think not to be so important. Our Parliament, though, has put forward a proposal by means of Mrs Peijs' report. We have made clear that the high costs incurred in bank transfers are not acceptable. I think that the Heads of State and Government have done the right thing in taking this issue on board.
Please permit me one final observation: there has been a certain amount of friction between the Presidency of the Council and the Commission, which is very regrettable in view of the Presidency of the Council being held by Belgium. At issue was our common presentation of ourselves to the public – who said what, and when. There was a certain annoyance because three Member States had met together. I want neither to play that up nor to ignore it. I would, though, like to point out to all the European institutions that our Europe is so complicated that it must not be a Europe of vanities or a Europe of dominance, but all the institutions must meet each other halfway. It is important that we understand each other and work together, for our common European future is at stake.
I hope that the crisis in which the world currently finds itself will bring the European institutions together and lead them to common action for Europe.
I ask you also, in your capacity as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium, to resolve the issue of the security of the European institutions, including the European Parliament in Brussels, with a solution that will be satisfactory both in principle and in practice.
We have to make Europe's voice heard more. It was surely right for prominent individuals from the European Union to go to visit the American President, but I find it no longer acceptable that, for example, the situation arises where the American Secretary of State appears before the television cameras with three prominent Europeans alongside him. We will have to learn lessons for the future from this; a crisis is always also an opportunity. We need one European face to represent us to the world!
We now have a coalition against terrorism. Our group supports it unreservedly. We now, though, also need a coalition to rebuild Afghanistan. I welcome the position you have taken on this, Mr President-in-Office of the Council. Afghanistan has been suffering for twenty years. We must make an effort as a Community, also at an international level, to give Afghanistan a good future.
You and the President of the Commission have spoken rightly about the Middle East. Our group rejects the deliberate killing of people, be it in Palestine or in Israel. We call on the parties involved to at last give a signal for peace. We want there to be cooperation, we want there to be a Palestinian state and we want Israel to be able to live within recognised and secure borders. We urge all those involved to take a step away from the policy of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and towards one of cooperation, peace and mutual understanding.
We see the Mediterranean dialogue as an important challenge. It is for that reason that we have proposed the Euro-Mediterranean Meeting in Brussels on 8 November. I wish to thank Mrs Fontaine for promptly implementing our joint decision in the Conference of Presidents. We hope that this will send a message about cooperation with the Arab and Islamic world."@en1
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