Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-13-Speech-2-202"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20011113.10.2-202"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Madam President, Mr President of the Commission, Commissioner, I have, of course, some questions, but a few statements are in order. Let me say first, Mr President of the Commission, that we are glad to see you here. We were, though, somewhat astonished to see your name appear on the monitor during our bureau meeting. It took us by surprise, which may have been a mistake by our group. We do, of course, make mistakes, but in general, according to what I hear around the place, it was not known that the President of the Commission was going to be here this afternoon. We are glad that you are here, even though we would have liked prior notice.
A second point, to which I would also like an answer, is that I was told this morning while the Group Chairmen were holding press conferences, that Mr Verheugen had also held a press conference. I would be very interested to know, Commissioner, whether it was on the subject to which you have just been speaking. If you can shed some light on that, then so much the better.
Now for my questions. First, let me inform you that our group's leaders had a meeting in Hungary last week. There was grave concern in Hungary that the enlargement could, for them, be delayed if in another country, namely Poland, developments were not proceeding as quickly as might be wished. Of course, we all want Poland to be in the first round of enlargement, but a consequence of that must not be that, if a Member country is not yet ready, the others have to wait and we cannot keep to the 2004 deadline. Each country must be assessed on its own merits if enlargement is to be able to take place at all. I would be obliged if you could say something about this.
I then have a very specific question. There was also disquiet in Hungary about the critical judgment passed on the 'status law' on Hungarians in other countries. This law was adopted by 95% of the Hungarian Parliament, and a commission of the European Council, the so-called Venice Commission, explicitly stated that this law was acceptable.
One last question: How do you see the overcoming of the past with reference to some EU countries today? I am thinking of the Benes decrees and of the acquisition of land in Poland, for example. Can you say something more about that? Can we take as our starting point statements which, if these countries join the European Union, will make it possible for them to have a future with a clear record, which we of course very much want? We want the 2004 deadline to be adhered to, so that these peoples can take part in the next European elections."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples