Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-23-Speech-3-048"
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"en.20021023.1.3-048"2
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"Mr President, I wish to thank the Danish Presidency, which has guided the process from Copenhagen to Copenhagen not as a national, but as a European goal. The Danish Presidency has demonstrated clearly that it is Europe’s servant, and that it is not pursuing specifically Danish goals. It is the European goal which is being pursued, and, as usual, it is the small, eager, competent countries which are pursuing it. No new conditions for enlargement should be imposed. It has been said time and time again, and our political group obviously shares this view of the matter. No new conditions. It is clear that a debate on agricultural and funding reform will follow, but, as so many have said here in the House, these must not get in the way of enlargement. This is something that must be solved in stages.
We have been discussing the provision of information to our citizens on enlargement. Is it, however, the Commission which is going to do that? In my opinion, it is all very well for the Commission to supply factual information, but in actual fact it is us, the politicians – our governments and the parties in our countries – who have to solve the problem of information. I think we have to realise this, because different countries see things in different ways. Some things are more important in the north, other things in the south, but the common thread must be that we are carrying out enlargement because we wish to have peace in our territory; peace for when our children and children’s children grow up. It is a very simple message, and I think that it is the pivotal element in this connection.
Many issues have been raised along the way, and one which is raised in at least some of the countries is the question of whether widespread corruption exists, which will undermine the fair distribution of EU subsidies. It is not an insurmountable obstacle, however. We must of course invite the applicant countries to participate in the existing system of subsidies on an equal footing with the present members. We should have faith in the applicant countries’ governments, too, being minded to do their best to prevent the misuse of common funds. They are equal members, but if it should be established that there is any corruption or fraud involving EU funds, the Commission should, in a transitional period, step in and take over the administration of subsidies, so that the money is paid out to those for whom it is intended.
We wish for many things, including that the democracy which we are developing, and which is developing all the time, be strengthened by the accession of the new countries. They bring with them a wide range of highly educated, extremely interesting people, who will enrich immeasurably the territory we are shaping together, and it is precisely their contribution to the creation of a new treaty which is absolutely crucial in ensuring that this takes into account the many cultural and national aspects which should go into building the new Europe."@en1
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