Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-13-Speech-3-038"
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"en.20041013.3.3-038"2
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"Mr President, Mr President of the Commission, I have re-read the President of the Commission’s speech of February 2000 about the strategic objectives and the legislative programme, and right at the very end, Mr President of the Commission, you yourself gave a parameter against which you wanted to be measured at the end of your mandate. You said that if the turnout at the 2004 European elections were to be higher than in 1999, you would have completed your task successfully. Unfortunately, you yourself are aware of the outcome of those elections; you, too, know that 45.7% of the people voted. That is not only exceptionally low, but, above all, is also 4% lower than in 1999. Obviously, we do not wish to pass judgment in the old way, using one single criterion – certainly as an advocate of the Community method, I would definitely not venture to do anything like that – so I admit that many positive things have happened in each of the four areas for which you set strategic objectives, and for that I am indebted to you. I would also like to thank all the Members of the Commission who have probably worked very hard for five years running.
If, however, I ask myself whether the Union’s benefits are felt and understood by its citizens, if I see how people react to enlargement, if I see how the Commission and all other European institutions are, time and again, associated with fraud, if I conclude that the image of the European institutions has not improved – it is enough to look at the latest Eurobarometer surveys – then I have to say that the policy has certainly failed in one area, and that is building bridges with the public. Is this something to do with the substance of the policy, or with the lack of contact and consultation with the representative civil society? Is this attributable to a lack of professionalism in communicating, or is it a combination of the three? I would like to find out from the President of the Commission how he himself deals with this, and whether he has any recommendations to make to his successor as to how to make a better job of it."@en1
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