Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-06-12-Speech-3-019"
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"en.20020612.1.3-019"2
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"Mr President, I believe that in these debates in preparation for the summits, it is important that we remain realistic and take account of two things: first, that the Presidency-in-Office – which in my opinion has been unjustly attacked because destruction is far easier than construction and criticism is far easier than contributing something positive – has neither a philosopher’s stone nor a magic potion to solve all the problems of the European Union to the satisfaction of this Parliament: the other 14 Member States are also involved and all have a contribution to make. Certainly, some of these criticisms reminded me of what Oscar Wilde used to say about bad literary critics: they never enjoy any success, despite having been to all the opening nights. Secondly, it is important to bear in mind that summits give rise to a number of expectations that are not always fulfilled.
I therefore think it should be pointed out that what is most important about a summit – and this is what we are hoping for from Seville – is that it can generate enough political momentum for the project of European union to progress. In this respect, the lines of thought announced by President Prodi on behalf of the European Commission seem to me to be particularly suitable. Leaving aside the subject of the Barcelona mandate and the issue of accession – which will be the subject of a later debate this afternoon, and which will clearly show where the real difficulties of accession lie, as they are neither in the Presidency-in-Office nor in the Commission – I would like to express my satisfaction at the reference made by the President-in-Office of the Council to the fact that Seville will not interfere with the work of the Convention.
I believe it would be desirable to discuss some of the matters relating to the reform of the Council in detail. Perhaps the representative of the Presidency-in-Office of the Council could talk to us about these different functions or mandates of the Foreign Affairs Council and the European Affairs Council and how they plan to proceed more effectively, without dedicating themselves to negotiating every last detail of previous debates, and giving political momentum to the subject on the table.
Mr President, I would like to end by referring briefly to immigration, which is a very serious, urgent topic that is particularly relevant at a time when various Member States are adopting individual policies, some of which are contradictory. I therefore believe that we must clearly support the objectives expressed here by the Commission and by the Presidency-in-Office of the Council, emphasising two aspects: first, that this issue should not be used for the purposes of engaging in manipulative rhetoric, and secondly that we must find real solutions to real problems and try to strip this debate of ideological waffle. It is important that we strike a balance between the European Union’s tradition of welcome and hospitality – bearing in mind our values, as expressed in the fitting phrase “immigrants might not have papers, but they shall have dignity” – and its actual possibilities, which are not unlimited."@en1
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