Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-15-Speech-4-007"
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"en.20030515.1.4-007"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Garcia-Margallo, ladies and gentlemen, let me say right from the start that the Commission has always had, and will continue to have, our group's support for anything that helps to generate more economic dynamism and anything that furthers the implementation of the common objectives and decisions.
There is, however, one point to which allusion has already been made and which it is important to underline from the outset. We have an internal market concept, we have the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategies, we have European competition policy, we have the Financial Services Action Plan and the Risk Capital Action Plan, we have Article 2, which obliges Member States to pursue a course of economic policy coordination, we have the Stability and Growth Pact, we have the euro, we have EU enlargement and hence the expansion of the internal market into a home market, and we have the eco-social market economy as our model of economic governance, which means competitiveness within a free market, promoting social cohesion while being mindful of its responsibility towards nature and people. Should not all this be enough to put us in a better position than we are in? Why do we need new economic policy guidelines? We need them because we have no European employment policy, because we have no European economic policy, and because the task of implementing all the various decisions that we jointly adopt is therefore primarily a matter for the Member States and because many Member States fail to do their homework. Half-heartedness, superficiality, a lack of courage, and complacency, indeed, insincerity about many of the key issues on the Community's agenda shape the picture. There is a lack of ambition and a lack of political will. Let me say this here today: new economic policy guidelines are no substitute for political will, for the willingness to act instead of apportioning blame, and for greater commitment and a willingness to accept responsibility for all these issues. We need more European thinking instead of wrong-headed national egotism.
There can therefore be only one message sent out from here today, and it is this: we need a benchmark. Who is the best, the most creative, the fastest, the most successful in implementing common decisions? It is results that matter, not guidelines or a succession of summits. It is the successes, not the means of achieving them, that matter, and we must therefore do our utmost to implement what we have agreed. We need fresh impetus, new and courageous efforts, more own capital, more risk capital, and a climate that favours business start-ups. We must strengthen the internal market and remove distortions of competition. We must introduce majority voting on matters relating to taxation and harmonise all business taxes in Europe. We need more competitiveness, more research, more competition in education and research, and more competition on merits. If we finally do what we all pledge to do at all the summit meetings, Europe will not only be the world's number one in terms of its population and area, but also in terms of competitiveness and employment."@en1
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