Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-25-Speech-3-045"
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"en.20040225.5.3-045"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office, Commissioners, today we are discussing our economy. Making our economy the most dynamic in the world means ensuring that the triangle of the Commission, Parliament and the Council will enable the triangle of the economy, employment and the environment to develop in an effective and balanced manner.
Let me begin with the economic, monetary and industrial issues. At the time of enlargement, firm coordination of the Member States’ economic policies in the spirit of the Stability and Growth Pact is indispensable if we are to become more competitive in the global marketplace. Competitiveness is achieved not only by cutting costs but also, and more especially, by creating conditions conducive to private enterprise and by making labour legislation more flexible. It is vital that we should encourage all investments, private or public, with a view to ensuring that research and development expenditure reaches 3% of GDP by 2010. We must show resolve in this domain in order to halt the steady widening in recent years of the gap between ourselves and the United States and to stop the departure of some of our best brains to other continents. To this end, we must focus our efforts on high-tech sectors such as health and biotechnology, defence and space – the Galileo programme sets a good example in this respect – state-of-the-art telecommunications and renewable sources of energy. These efforts must not obscure the fact that the economic fabric of Europe is woven by our entrepreneurs and our numerous small- and medium-sized businesses. We must take steps to guarantee their sustainability. From this perspective, the creation of a tax structure that does not hinder the transfer of ownership of SMEs is an essential requirement.
The vitality of an economic area is also measured by the quality of its infrastructure, by the modernisation of its channels of communication and by the development of alternatives to road transport. Recourse to the Structural Funds to finance investments in the infrastructure, in research and development and in innovation will be useful, and indeed essential, to every – and I do mean every – Member State of the European Union. Great importance also attaches to the completion of the trans-European energy networks.
Moving on to employment, the second point of the triangle, we must live up to the expectations of our fellow citizens, for whom jobs remain the paramount concern. We simply must put an end to these policies of handing out assistance and plastering over cracks, which reappear after the slightest gust of wind, and devote ourselves to real structural reforms. The creation of 15 million jobs will truly depend on innovation, backed by new imaginative and dynamic policies based on private initiative in the framework of the Lisbon Agenda. I note that the President-in-Office of the Council wants to see more jobs and that Mrs Reding has emphasised the need for quality and adaptation in our training systems. In the same vein, let me say that we must engage in intensive deliberations about the problem of the demographic deficit and the need to start pursuing sound immigration policies without delay. We must reflect together on possible solutions.
Many people are also concerned about the absence of a social Europe, and yet it is everywhere; it is a reality. It is not administered; it is voluntary and serves to encourage equality between the sexes and to curb discrimination. I need not add to what Mrs Reding has said on this matter. Where special efforts are really required is in the domain of minimum European standards with regard to labour legislation and the social security of permanently mobile workers, standards that will prevent any unfair competition based on low pay and poor working conditions.
As for the environment, we must bear in mind that our efforts to foster growth and employment must be guided by the aim of sustainable development, one of the guarantors of stability. Above all else, we must be strict with ourselves and realistic about the impact of the legislation we adopt. For this reason, I believe it would be useful, prior to the adoption of a piece of legislation, to be able to assess the sustainability impact of all EU expenditure under the bill in question. It was our political group, incidentally, which tabled this initiative in committee.
Let me finish by emphasising the importance of the Sixth Environment Action Programme, which should help us to implement the Kyoto Protocol. These are the points I wished to emphasise. There are many more things that could be said. I simply hope that the Lisbon strategy can help us to move forward for the sake of all our fellow citizens."@en1
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