Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-15-Speech-3-274"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020515.10.3-274"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, like others I take it to be a great privilege to participate in this debate – late in the day, though it is.
My own group has two particular points that we would like to ask colleagues to build into the report before it finally sees the light of day. Firstly, just an allusion to the significance of the democratic deficit and the need, finally, fully to democratise the institutions of the Union. As long as we do not call it a "permanent" democratic deficit, I am sure that the PPE-DE Group will be with us on that, and I hope that will be written in.
Further, we suggest – and colleagues on the left are very much in agreement with this – that a little more emphasis on the social, as well as the economic and political element – should be written in. Apart from that, we are really very happy with the way this is going forward and look forward to voting for it tomorrow.
The key point Mr Lamassoure makes – and has made throughout – is that the issue is not one of needing to rewrite a new list of competences for the institutions but a need to draw to citizens' attention to the fact that there is already a very adequate statement of the different kinds of competences – the Union's own competences and the shared ones – and the fact that the principle of residuarity governs the rest. The states are responsible for what is not given to the Union. All that is clear in principle, but it could do with being stated more clearly in practice so that citizens are better aware of it. That is a very important point.
In that context, we raise the issue of subsidiarity. Where competences are shared, it is important indeed that in all those areas where local knowledge ought to prevail, local knowledge does prevail. That is to say, that decisions are taken at the most appropriate level for them. Recital G makes a very important contribution to expanding and giving greater bite to the idea of subsidiarity, and that is also to be very greatly welcomed.
We in our group believe much in extended subsidiarity. Subsidiarity does not stop at the front door of the Member States: it goes right down to the territorial entities within the Member States, to the local authorities within the Member States, and that is of critical importance to us all. We, along with the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism and the Liberals, would like a little more strength to it, but we do not mind. This report as it stands now represents a huge step forward in the thinking of Europeans and of this Parliament.
I repeat, it is a huge privilege to take part in this debate and in particular – and I say it in his presence – it is a privilege to have taken part in a debate led by Mr Lamassoure, who has done such an extraordinary job of setting up the architecture but being willing to adjust the sculpture, to borrow a metaphor of his own this morning. He has done a fantastic job, we are all greatly in his debt, and I hope my group will vote unanimously with him tomorrow."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples