Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-25-Speech-3-037"
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"en.20040225.4.3-037"2
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"Mr President, it appears that a degree of gender balance has indeed been achieved. Much remains to be done in that regard in the wider world, however. Hopefully, the gains made will be consolidated and built upon. That is what I am hoping for from the incoming Commission. Nonetheless, it is true that a glance at the ten new candidatures reveals a degree of imbalance. That is just too bad. What we need to do is work with the situation as it is, not simply talk of quotas.
I shall now turn to the concern expressed by the honourable Member. The fact that there is no specific mention of Afghanistan certainly does not mean that action in that country will not be maintained. Commitments were made to Afghanistan and will obviously be honoured. What is currently at issue is the Union’s contribution to the rebuilding of Iraq. The honourable Member is of course right to say that the situation in those two countries is completely different. The opportunities open to Iraq are not the same as those available to Afghanistan. The latter is a much poorer country. It has far less potential and natural resources of its own. Once Iraq’s infrastructure is back in place and the country’s potential can be released, its future should look more hopeful. I am sure we all hope this will very soon be the case.
Moving on to the Lisbon Agenda, you are quite right, ladies and gentlemen. There is no need to keep on reinventing the wheel. I fully agree with the honourable Member that what has to be done is implement the agreements reached at Lisbon. The Lisbon reforms must be carried through, implemented and developed in all Member States of the Union. That is the way to ensure the economy becomes more competitive. Next year’s mid-term review will of course reveal, amongst other things, whether activity at Community level has been in line with the objectives set.
In the case of areas I am very familiar with, like transport and energy, I do believe everything that should have been done has been done. Only a few issues remain under negotiation between Parliament and the Council. I think the same is true of other areas too.
There certainly are some outstanding items. The main shortcoming, however, is the failure of Member States of the Union to implement structural measures. Progress has been very uneven in this regard. Some countries have forged ahead. Others are still experiencing problems. Nonetheless, it is to be hoped that the situation will soon improve, as all are aware of the need to act. A number of Prime Ministers, Heads of State and Presidents are on record as having made statements to that effect. The European Union sorely needs these reforms. I trust they will be given new impetus and implemented at the earliest opportunity."@en1
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