Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-21-Speech-4-035"

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"Mr President, Commissioner, now that the internal market is complete, our regions are obviously operating in a more competitive environment. That is why it is necessary constantly to improve European rules in this field. Since, however, the European Union does not exist in isolation from world trade, a competition system is also needed in the WTO context. If we are to take seriously the task that we set ourselves at the Gothenburg Summit, following on from the Lisbon Summit, then competition policy must not only be limited to economic conditions, but must also take into account social and environmental factors. An economy cannot be competitive if it does not have a highly skilled workforce at its disposal, if wages and salaries are so low that competition does not bolster domestic demand but chokes it, and if manufactured products carry no guarantee that they are not harmful to public health. That is why we need a change of thinking here, to transform the internal battle for subsidised locational advantages into a debate about how we can make the way people live more sustainable. Competition policy must champion the concept of equal opportunities. It will not, however, be possible to achieve equality of opportunity if technical standards are insufficiently harmonised, if Member States' tax policies differ so greatly that it is impossible to compare the actual cost burdens, and if social standards in the Member States diverge widely. I do not oppose state aid; I support it, provided that these aids have a binding legal basis that is the same for everybody and provided that they do not help to perpetuate the use of old, environmentally damaging techniques and technologies but instead promote investment for the future. In short – and this brings me back to where I started – competition policy is about creating an equilateral triangle around economic policy, social policy and the environment."@en1

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