Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-12-Speech-3-059"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030212.3.3-059"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"In its report to the European Council on 21 March, the Commission invited the Member States to step up their efforts to comply with the objective that they set in Lisbon in Spring 2000: creating the most competitive and dynamic economy within ten years. This call is welcome, because today we look more like an old Europe falling into a depression.
In reaction to this, the Commission and the Council have just presented some interesting action plans, particularly for the European research area, which should enable us to attract the best brains in the world and also to keep them, I would like to add, through a taxation system designed not to dissuade them from staying. However, the main responsibilities lie with the Member States, and the European Union needs to help them better in several areas.
For example, firstly, we need to ensure that standard European rules do not make the existing rules more inflexible. On paper, standardisation leads to savings in terms of information and transactions, but in practice, it also leads to many costs because a standard rule is liable not to be suited to anyone. That is undoubtedly what is happening with the euro. Let us not repeat this type of error too much. In particular, let us preserve flexibility and truly open economic and social co-ordination, in other words not covertly proposing standard solutions to everyone.
Secondly, we need to stop the Convention moving towards a super-State, which would be cumbersome and restrictive. In particular, we need to entirely reject the European tax that is looming, which would further increase our compulsory contributions, either straight away or later on.
Thirdly, the European Union must help the Member States to only take in immigration that is useful on the labour market. Influxes of immigrants of every category are weighing too heavily on our public finances and on the workings of our societies. Yes, we need to help the poorest people more, but we need to do it where they are, and in our mutual interest. In this respect, the Commission needs to radically change its policy, as I said yesterday when discussing the Terrón i Cusí report.
Fourthly, the Union must defend our interests more forcefully on the international scene. We are tired of seeing that the Commission is again going to offer the WTO, with the agreement of the Council, a 36% reduction in our agricultural customs duties, destroying the Community preference a little more. On the contrary, if we want to gently reduce budgetary support, at the same time we need to strengthen the Community preference. The Member States need to make greater efforts for reform, that is true, but the Union needs to support them and not make their task more difficult."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples