Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-21-Speech-2-144"
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"en.20031021.5.2-144"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, there are just a couple of points arising from the Budget for 2004 that I would like to single out. I would like to ask the Commission whether it really thinks it makes sense, now, at the beginning of the new year, to cease to provide funding for the Euro Info Centres, the Carrefours, or, indeed, town twinning. I find myself wondering even now whether the Commission really thinks it has such a good image in the eyes of Europe’s people that it can afford to do without the few who are working for Europe in these areas. I really am slowly coming to wonder about that. The fact is that we, not only in our capacities as MEPs, never stop trying to advance these things and to motivate them, yet the Commission does nothing about making immediate arrangements for the funding of these bodies to be continued. This, I think, is where it should do something as soon as possible to enable us to fund – let me say it again – the Euro Info Centres, the network of Carrefours, and also town twinning arrangements. If you no longer have the people on your side, you will soon be very alone, and the Commission will find that far from pleasant.
Let me take up another issue, that of the agencies. We in the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats proposed that 10% be put in reserve for these, and thank God that was accepted. This is about making it possible for the agencies to be monitored. We have seen all this happening before in many other areas. We will see to it that adequate controls are ensured in the agencies in the future.
Let me add something political. Up to now, I have assumed that category 3 exists to fund internal policies. There are already over ten agencies in this area, and I really am slowly losing the desire to fund more and more administration using the parts of the Budget that are actually meant to be for political activities. This category is for funding policies rather than red tape, and that should be set out clearly.
There is only one thing I would wish to add to the great deal that Mr Elles had to say on the subject of Iraq. It is that those of our fellow-Members from other groups who are already calling for a supplementary budget should be honest enough to vote in favour of our amendment and thus enable us to have sufficient funds available for the whole of 2004 and not have to ask for additional funds in six months’ time. I do believe that a true and transparent budget involves it being specified at the beginning of each year just how much money is available.
For my final point, I would like to address myself to the Council. Last November, we expended a great deal of effort, between first and second reading, on negotiations towards extending Parliament’s right to be consulted on the Common Foreign and Security Policy. I am disappointed by the way that three Council Presidencies have told us that this resolution would, at last, be activated if we were to give EUR 10 million for the Police Mission. Let me make it perfectly plain that what this boils down to is that either we agree to something, or the negotiations are stalled. It really is a pretty poor state of affairs if the Council thinks it can wrest something from us by making promises in respect of something that has already been agreed. I would also like to point out that our group has always called for funding for this Police Mission. I do not actually have the time to thank the rapporteurs, which is what I wanted to do, but I will do it all the same. Thank you very much!"@en1
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