Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-01-16-Speech-3-128"
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"en.20020116.10.3-128"2
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"Mr President, I will speak on my own behalf. On 1 January, many European citizens made their first acquaintance with the new currency: the euro. And what an acquaintance that was. Barely two weeks have passed and the euro has replaced the national currencies everywhere. If Parliament’s wish to distribute euro notes among the public before 1 January had been complied with, a few smaller problems might have been avoided, but that is probably just a detail.
I could not agree more that the changeover has been a runaway success. This is mainly due to the citizens of Europe, a fact to which you yourself have already made reference, as befits a good Liberal. They have reacted to the currency change with enthusiasm and patience. Shopkeepers should also be praised. They have borne the burden of the actual implementation and, in my view, they are therefore the heroes of the conversion.
However, in my opinion, the introduction of the euro notes and coins is merely a first step, and Commissioner Solbes Mira has already made reference to this. What matters most now is to ensure that the new currency continues to be successful. This requires quite a bit from all participating countries: the political will to support the currency and not to cast it in a bad light, as some members of the Italian government have done, the political courage to leave the Stability Pact intact so that the correct financial framework of the euro continues to exist, and the political power to build on the success of the euro. The time has come therefore, following the most successful European project ever, to take steps in order to further develop the internal market. If we really want to achieve the objectives prescribed in Lisbon, we must commit ourselves to the further liberalisation of the internal market and to making it more flexible.
There are five clear priorities in this respect, namely postal services, transport, electricity, gas and water. These are vital in the liberalised and flexible knowledge-based economy that we are pursuing in Europe, and also in the interests of the citizen. In this way, the citizens know where they stand with Europe. Only by choosing this option can the EU’s economic power be realised and the new currency kept strong."@en1
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