Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-02-Speech-2-042"
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"en.20020702.2.2-042"2
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"Mr President, the key objectives which the Spanish Government set out for its presidency of the European Union have been achieved. Negotiations for the prospective enlargement of the European Union have accelerated at a strong pace and it is now likely that negotiations with many of the applicant countries may indeed be concluded before the end of this year. This is a tight timeframe, but one which can now be achieved because of the strong progress which has been made over the last six months.
The Barcelona meeting earlier this spring ensured that the ongoing development of the European economy remains a centre stage priority. EU governments fully recognise that the development of the European economy cannot be achieved unless we take full advantage of new and evolving information technologies. The promotion of e-business activities, e-health programmes, e-government and e-learning initiatives under the auspices of the e-Europe Action Plan 2005 is being implemented in its entirety across the length and breadth of Europe.
The level of red tape for small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe is still a barrier to job creation. Under the Spanish Presidency the new charter for small and medium-sized enterprises was put into effect to help European business grow and prosper more easily.
The reform of the pensions systems in Europe has also been prioritised. The citizens of Europe are unfortunately growing older and EU governments are going to have to be innovative to ensure that public and private pension programmes are both supported and protected. We must implement initiatives which guarantee that older people in our society can lead fulfilling lives with confidence and with a full sense of reassurance that their needs are fully protected.
From an Irish perspective, the Seville Summit was a most important one. We are all aware in this Chamber that the people of Ireland rejected the provisions of the Nice Treaty last year by a small margin. One of the concerns for many Irish people was the issue of whether the Nice Treaty would jeopardise Ireland's traditional neutrality. Irish troops have a proud record of serving in peace-keeping and humanitarian missions abroad under the auspices of United Nations mandates and the Irish people want this to continue to be the case in the future.
I welcome the two declarations agreed in Seville, one signed by the Irish Government and the other approved by the European Council. In essence, these declarations spell out in clear and unequivocal terms the fact that Ireland's policy of neutrality is fully protected. In line with our traditional policy of military neutrality, Ireland is not bound by any mutual defence commitment. Irish defence forces serving overseas require United Nations approval, the agreement of the Irish Government and the approval of the Irish Parliament. Our European partners have declared that the Nice Treaty does not impose any defence commitments on any Member State of the European Union. I am hopeful that these declarations will fully clarify the political concerns that people had with this specific issue during the last Nice Treaty referendum.
Ireland's home lies in Europe, both historically and politically. Isolation in Europe would only bring economic uncertainty to our country, which has a high level of inward investment comprising hundreds of thousands of jobs. We want to ensure that we remain a popular location for outside investors, who view Ireland as a gateway to the single market within the European Union. We do not want to jeopardise what has been a successful job creation mechanism by sending out strong signals to investors that we do not want to remain at the heart of the European Union and at the heart of the internal market.
It is very clear that the problem of illegal immigration in Europe is one that needs to be tackled and I welcome the agreement reached by our leaders to intensify their coordinating efforts at sea and land borders to halt illegal immigration into the Union. We must continue to coordinate with countries where high levels of illegal immigration originate and we must ensure that organised criminals involved in the sinister business of human trafficking are arrested and prosecuted for their crimes. Finally, the Spanish Presidency of the European Union has been a very successful one. I thank it sincerely. Let us all work with the Danish Government to continue the progress over the next six months."@en1
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