Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-19-Speech-3-144"
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"en.20031119.16.3-144"2
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Mr President, distinguished Members and guests, I am delighted to accept your invitation to address this Parliament and indeed to have the privilege of doing so at what is a remarkable juncture in the evolution of our European Union.
The strength of this Parliament's voice has grown as the Union has grown. Now transformed from a consultative into a legislative body, a transformation indeed well supported by the Irish people, this Chamber demonstrates the central place of democratic politics right at the heart of the Union and in its debates bears witness to the expanding areas of cooperation within the Union - so much greater today than those early preoccupations with trade and the economics alone.
The valuable role played by Parliament's representatives to the European Convention is a further recent manifestation of the extent to which you are the shapers of the future of the Union. As the directly elected representatives of the Union's citizens you are particularly well qualified to inform the debate on bringing Europe closer to its citizens, an issue which has taken centre stage and which will form a special focus for the Irish presidency.
The Union's founders knew the devastating wasteland from which this exciting adventure in democratic partnership developed. They knew the price that had been paid for its birth. It is an infant still, a robust infant but an infant nonetheless in the scheme of human history and it needs champions to keep reminding us how lucky we are that it was conceived at all. Infanticide by disinterest or neglect is simply not an option and all of us who believe in this Union are challenged to generate in its citizens a passion and a zest for its continued development and growth - that is what the Irish presidency hopes to do.
I represent, as you know, a country which has arguably changed more in the three decades of membership than at any time in our history: our economy has grown stronger, our population decline has been reversed; our self-confidence has increased; our relations with our nearest neighbours in Britain have never been better; and our standing in Europe and beyond is one of which we can be proud.
Although geographically situated on the periphery, Ireland has had a very distinctive and unique European outreach over many centuries and indeed has played an important part in the cultural, religious, educational and social development of many parts of our continent. Virtually every time I visit a Member State I am reminded that an Irish saint got there first many centuries ago! It is not going to be any different with the accession countries. When we joined the Union there was, therefore, something of the homecoming about it but in Ireland there was also a courageous facing up to the future and an acknowledgement that past insularity and protectionism were dead-weights holding us back. Through membership we first realised our true potential.
The European Union is probably the world's best example of learning from past mistakes. This continent paid an outrageous price to learn that collegiality is infinitely more humanly decent than colonialism, that cooperation is better by far than conflict, that peace is essential to prosperity, that difference does not have to mean disdain. To the Union table we each bring our national sovereignty, our differences, our national identities and our histories. Through respectful dialogue and a shared belief in partnership we dare to forge a working team of neighbours, each of whom loves his or her native land and yet each of whom shares a devotion to our common European continental homeland.
This Union is living proof that humanity can comfortably carry a range of identities, that they can complement and enhance each other and that we can deliver a better future for our people inside the Union than outside it.
This House, I know, is home not just to many political perspectives but to many cultures, languages, identities, traditions and heritages. You speak many different languages and you particularly understand the connection between language and culture, so I know you will be a particularly receptive audience if I too take this opportunity to speak in the Irish language for a moment.
When Ireland's presidency of the Union begins in a few weeks' time we will bring to it the enthusiasm of very committed Europeans and the gratitude of a country which has manifestly benefited from that commitment. We know that this will undoubtedly be our most challenging presidency to date but we also know that we will have your support as we attempt to be an effective and an impartial arbiter in search of practical and even-handed outcomes in the interests of the European Union as a whole. The needs are very simple: the Union must be effective internally, influential externally and must equip itself for the future. The solutions, of course, are not quite so simple and they will be greatly testing of all our ingenuity. Yet we have no lack of ambition in this Union, no fear of added responsibilities.
The most important moment in Ireland's presidency will, of course, be the formal accession of ten new Member States on 1 May 2004. It is an awesome, positive answer to the challenge laid down in this very forum just under a decade ago by Václav Havel, whom I had the great pleasure of welcoming to Dublin last week. He rightly declared then that 'history has thrown down a gauntlet - we can, if we wish, pick it up. If we do not do so, a great opportunity to create a continent of free and peaceful cooperation may be lost.' The gauntlet has been well and truly lifted.
The citizens and leaders of the European Union, including this Parliament, have shown themselves equal to the mammoth task of preparing both the Union and the applicant countries for enlargement. The citizens of the accession countries have endured the painful reforms required for membership and thanks to their determination they stand on the doorstep of the Union much more quickly than anyone could have anticipated. Where not long ago totalitarian regimes reigned, now, respect for the rule of law, democratic institutions, human rights and fundamental freedoms have put down deep roots again. If the war graves of Europe could speak they would tell us we are living a miracle - a radical transformation of human history is being wrought by a relentless process of sheer hard work and utter fidelity to the vision of the transcendent power of cooperation which is at the heart of the Union.
And, of course, the enlargement process does not conclude on 1 May 2004. During the Irish presidency, the accession negotiations on Bulgaria and Romania will be pursued, based on the same principles that have guided all the enlargement negotiations to date, with a view to a target date of 2007 for their accession. In addition, the Irish presidency will monitor very closely developments with Turkey, in advance of the key decisions on opening negotiations to be taken in December 2004.
The new Member States will be ambitious for their futures and we want to see them prosper as they put the opportunities of membership to good use. They rely on the continuation of that very strong support from existing Member States which has brought them safely thus far. Now it is our common challenge to ensure the success of a Union of 25 Member States. The Italian presidency is demonstrating its determination to do all in its power to reach agreement in the IGC by next month, and Ireland, naturally, is strongly supportive of this aim.
The new Treaty will inject fresh excitement into the Union, transforming its unfortunate bureaucratic image, re-energising its relationships with Europe's citizens, making them feel like insiders and not spectators. The draft text produced by the Convention is a huge step forward in this regard. Naturally, however, a number of questions remain to be fully debated and finally resolved, including the issue of a reference to God in the preamble to the new Treaty. The Irish Government has indicated that it would welcome such an inclusion if consensus can be reached on suitable language.
At the end of the day the Union does not live by words alone but by actions which make those lofty words real in our lives. How we manage economic and social development in the new Europe, how we harness the real potential offered by enlargement, how we breathe life into those words - these are, therefore, vital questions that Ireland will seek to address during our presidency.
A key task during Ireland's tenure will be to advance the Lisbon agenda of social, economic and environmental renewal. At the Lisbon Summit of 2000, the Union set itself the ambitious objective of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by the end of this decade. That strategy was agreed at a time of rapid economic growth across Europe and a lot has been achieved so far. But these are much less buoyant times, made all the more challenging by enlargement and if we are to achieve our targets we need to increase the pace of reform. The Irish presidency will seek to increase the relevance of the Lisbon agenda by focusing on areas that affect our everyday lives, because there can be no doubt that economic competitiveness, growth and investment, job creation, social protection, social inclusion, and sustainable development are all critical issues for the quality of life of Europe's citizens and for the relevance of the Union in their lives.
The European citizen is also deeply concerned about world affairs, because ours is an increasingly interdependent world. The Union has both a duty and an opportunity to exercise its influence in the wider world, in pursuit of our shared values and, of course, our shared interests. The Union's external relations agenda is simply vast. It reflects the influence and the respect that the Union garners in all parts of our world. I experienced this personally during a recent State Visit to China, whose leaders greatly value the development of closer links with the Union. And, of course, with enlargement will come even greater authority.
Ireland's presidency will be taking place at a time of deep global insecurity. War, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, famine, disease and organised crime are all vying for places on the international agenda alongside issues of trade, tariffs, global economics and global relationships. External relations, therefore, will be another key aspect of the Irish presidency. There is a variety of means by which the Irish presidency will continue to address these and other issues, including the power of our own particular history which makes us an especially effective bridge to the United States, home to so many of our Irish emigrants. Ireland is also a special bridge to the developing countries, adopted homelands for thousands of Irish nurses, doctors, teachers, missionaries and aid workers who have made common cause for generations with the poorest of the poor.
Underpinning international peace and security is a vital network of multinational organisations and multilateral organisations of global, bilateral and regional relationships. A stronger European Union makes that network stronger and it makes much louder the voice that champions the cause of peaceful coexistence and the fundamental human rights of every human being. Close and direct cooperation on bilateral and regional issues will be a feature of our presidency, whether it is in Africa, Asia, the Americas or, closer to home, in the neighbouring countries to the Union's east and south-east - our new borders.
Nowhere is the call for the responsible exercise of power stronger than in the conduct of our relationships with the developing world. The Union is the global leader in the provision of development assistance and this generosity of spirit is a badge we can wear with honour. The European Commission and the Member States collectively contribute over 50% of global Overseas Development Assistance: over EUR 25 billion per year. The European Union is the largest donor to multilateral debt relief. It is the largest donor to AIDS programmes. It is, by far, the biggest donor to Africa. I have been fortunate to see with my own eyes the practical benefits of this aid in countries such as Uganda and Kenya and the real hope it gives to lives otherwise blighted by despair.
However, we cannot escape the fact that the overall level of development assistance from the rich countries has dropped to an unacceptably low level.
Even if we were to ignore the altruistic aspect of development assistance - which, of course, we should not - the single global civilisation in which we all now live highlights the myopia of such an approach. The human misery caused by endemic poverty should shame us, but the instability engendered by it threatens all of us.
Poverty reduction rather than simply poverty management, is fundamental to Europe's future security strategy and we are in an ideal position to champion and end the poverty, disease, corruption, the oppression, the wasteful conflicts and post-colonial malaise which are denying so many human beings the right to a decent life. Perhaps this is the new gauntlet that should be thrown down to the 25 Member States of the enlarged Union.
A Europe that has healed its own divisions can advocate its values with genuine credibility on the global stage. Yet the recent conflicts in Yugoslavia and my birthplace, Northern Ireland, and the relentless misery of the Middle East should keep us humble and alert to the dangers that still lurk on or close to our own doorsteps. It is chilling to realise that people can live literally right next door to one another and yet live in dangerous ignorance and fear of one another. We Europeans must ensure that inside each of our nations and between our 25 nations, our children are taught respect for others so that they can grow up completely at home, comfortable, in a world of difference and diversity and be an example to the rest of the world.
Is mór an onóir dom an deis seo a fháil labhairt le Parlaimint na hEorpa. Is ó shaoránaigh na hEorpa a eascraíonn údarás na hinstitiúide seo agus dá bhrí sin tá áit ar leith aici i gcroí an Aontais. Is léir dom go maith go bhfuil baill and fhorais ag obair go dícheallach chun an Eoraip seo againne a neartú. Glacaim uchtach as seasamh daingean na Parlaiminte agus í ag cur tuairimí mhuintir na hEorpa chun cinn.
The historic Good Friday Agreement was in many ways inspired by the European ideal. Its institutional architecture was strongly influenced by the experience of conflict resolution in Western Europe. One Member of this distinguished Chamber has been a tireless and persuasive advocate of the European model and he was, without a shadow of doubt, a key architect - if not
key architect - of the Good Friday Agreement. I refer, of course, to the great Derryman, Irishman and European, your colleague and Nobel Laureate, John Hume.
I am very privileged to be here today to salute with gratitude your vision, your courage and your achievements, John.
In Northern Ireland the European Union's Peace and Reconciliation Programmes, which are generously supported by the European Parliament, have benefited many previously alienated and excluded communities and given a renewed sense of hope and optimism about the future. Together with the United States, the European Union has also been a very generous contributor to the International Fund for Ireland, which has worked right at the coalface of economic regeneration and reconciliation. Now all that work is paying off and it is clear that the will for peace is the strongest impulse in the vast majority of hearts.
Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly will take place on 26 November 2003 and it is my fervent hope - and I am sure a hope shared by many of you here - that the choices made will help my birthplace become what I know it is capable of becoming - a showcase of partnership, tolerance, equality and peace.
A Uachtaráin, is mór an méid atá déanta ag Parlaimint na hEorpa chun pobal na hEorpa a threorú ar bhóthar a leasa, agus áirim mar chuid den treorú sin méadú an Aontais. Is mór an onóir don tír s'againn féin gur le linn Uachtaránacht na hÉireann a thiocfaidh an méadú seo chun críche. Is aisteach agus is iontach é gurb é an Stát is faide siar a chuirfidh fáilte roimh na stáit is faide soir - cruthú eile, má's gá a leithéid, gur I dteannta a chéile is ea a dhéanfaidh muid ár dtodhchai a fhí.
There is a saying in the Irish language
'our strength is in partnership'. It could be the motto of the European Union. Its truth has been revealed many times over since the Union was founded and nowhere is its truth more evident than in my own country. Now, a new generation, probably the most privileged ever to inhabit this continent, will have a chance to see what great strength is created when 15 becomes 25, when the restless energy of a half a billion people, working with each other and for each other, is harnessed to the task of writing Europe's best and happiest chapter yet. Irish luck places us in the right place at the right time. We intend to honour it well.
Ireland will assume the presidency of the Union in January 2004, so it seems right that today I should briefly address some of the major agenda items that will feature during Ireland's presidency. The Taoiseach, our Irish Prime Minister, will of course deal with them in considerably more detail when you meet in January and you can be sure that he and the Irish Government are looking forward to that.
This Parliament gives power to the hugely diverse voices of men, women and young people throughout Europe. Along with the Council and the Commission, it forms a crucial part of the institutional checks and balances through which the European project has succeeded so well on behalf of all of us. Naturally, I take a particular pride in the fact that we have two Irish Presidents today in this Chamber.
But perhaps more important than our shared nationality, is the continuing reassurance to small nations which your election, Mr President, brings - the reassurance that our Union truly respects, in its practices, the principles of equality and merit. I should also say that your term in office has been very widely admired, and nowhere more so than in our native home."@en1
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"It is a particular honour for me to have this opportunity to speak to the European Parliament. This institution's authority comes from the citizens of Europe and it therefore has a special place in the heart of the Union. I am keenly aware that the Members of this body are working diligently and with commitment to build a strong Europe. I take great courage from the firm and resolute stand of the Parliament on behalf of the people of Europe."1
"Mary McAleese,"1
"Mr President, the European Parliament has played a central role in helping Europe to make the right choices, including through your consistent, indeed insistent, support for enlargement. It is a distinct honour that this extraordinary development will be brought to fruition during Ireland's presidency. It is a piece of some symbolic symmetry that Ireland, the most westerly member of the Union, will preside over this great embrace of the east. It is also, I believe, further fitting proof of how the interests of each of us are so closely intertwined and so important to nurture in common cause."1
"Ni neart go cur le chéile"1
"President of Ireland"1
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