Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-09-Speech-3-098"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030409.4.3-098"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, enlargement of the Union is essentially a political necessity. Personally, I am in favour of uniting Europe in a geographical sense. I am also in favour of strengthening political and economic ties within Europe. Clearly therefore, I did not support those opposed to enlargement of any kind. I was unable to vote in favour, however, because the enlargement decided on at Copenhagen will not be implemented in an open and systematic manner. We shall instead descend into confusion. In time, European integration is likely to grind to a halt as a result of enlargement. The economic and social situation of almost all the new Member States is precarious, to say the least. Calculated in terms of purchasing power, their standard of living is about 40% of the Community average. Nonetheless, accession aid amounted to only 0.03% of Community GDP, according to the report by Mr Wim Kok. In other words, it is a pittance. The SAPARD appropriations intended to facilitate structural adjustment of agriculture in the candidate countries disappeared into a maze of Community red tape. Only 6.48% of the EUR 1.04 billion initially allocated for 2000 and 2001 was implemented."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples