Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-27-Speech-3-080"
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"en.20041027.5.3-080"2
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"Mr President, thank you very much for giving me the floor. I believe that everything has already been said.
I want first of all to thank all those who supported me and understood my approach. I hope to be able to work with you over the next five years. I think it may be said that we shall get to know each other.
I am keen for you to know that I am a man of compromise. Compromise is something in which I profoundly believe. You should know that I am in favour of a ‘coalition’, if I can put it like that, between all those who are in favour of the European project. This point is important. I already mentioned it at the meeting of the chairmen of political groups when the issue of politicisation came up. Admittedly, I belong to a political family. I have the great honour of belonging to the political family of Konrad Adenauer, Robert Schuman and Alcide De Gasperi. I also believe, however, that we must unite all those who wish to work together, be they from the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or other groups who are in favour of Europe.
I want you to know that my Commission is not partisan. It is a Commission in which there are Christian Democrats and members of the European People’s Party and in which there are socialists and liberals and, too, a member of the Union for Europe of the Nations Group. It is a pluralist Commission. The real Europe is characterised by pluralism, tolerance and balance and by a consensus designed to benefit our people.
I therefore did what I had to do. I came here with my team and made a rational assessment of what was best, not only for the Commission but for all the European institutions. That, moreover, is an aspect I am keen to emphasise. As is natural in political debate – and I too am a politician – people do indeed sometimes say: it is we who have won, and the others have lost. I do not think of institutional relations within the European Union in terms of a victory by Parliament over the Council or of a victory of the Commission over Parliament. I do not think of our relations in those terms. It is not a football match. I believe that, on the contrary, we are sources of mutual strength. As has been said, and very commendably, we need a strong Parliament and a strong Commission too. That much is obvious. Our authority cannot be established at the expense of the other institutions. In this connection, I also want to give prominence to the Council, because the Council is the representative of the Member States, and I believe that all those who have been elected by the citizens of the Member States are democrats.
To summarise, we must respect all our institutions, and that is indeed the way I intend to continue if, of course, I have your backing and support. We need this culture of respect between the various institutions in order to strengthen all those in Europe who are in favour of the idea of compromise. I do not believe there is any mileage in imagining that what the one institution gains, the other loses.
Today, I believe that we have made broader and more fruitful cooperation possible. Ladies and gentlemen, we have not talked very much about Europe’s basic problems, but we need broader support in order to make progress towards achieving our priorities in Europe. For my part, I am, of course, prepared to work with you in a spirit of mutual respect and loyalty, with the European project – that of our citizens – always our main priority."@en1
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