Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-11-18-Speech-4-038"
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"en.20041118.6.4-038"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to quote from something once said by Willy Brandt, a great European, a Member of this House, and one of the most significant of MEPs. Willy Brandt said that the European Parliament was not given rights; it had to fight for them. This House has indeed fought for rights for itself over the past three weeks, and we can all take pride in the fact that it succeeded, for we have put a stop to a trend – the trend towards excessive governmental power in the European Union. We have made it clear that Parliament, being the freely-elected representative assembly of the peoples, is equal to, and possesses the same prerogatives as, the bodies representing the states and their governments.
What we learn from the experience of history is that more democracy always brings with it more social justice. For that reason, the democratic progress we have achieved is, for us, the beginning of a battle that we will be waging for five years. I said it yesterday, and I shall repeat it today, that Europe’s social achievements, which have come to pass in the Member States, cannot be sacrificed at European level. It is there that they must be secured, and this we see as your Commission’s crucial task. We in the Socialist Group in the European Parliament will approve the proposals you have put forward today.
A number of Members in our group are not yet convinced and will not be giving you a vote of confidence today. It is now for you, over the coming years, to win them, too, over to your side. The Socialist Group in the European Parliament approves your proposal. I wish you success in working for social cohesion and social justice in Europe.
What we have seen happening here in this House over the past three weeks is a demonstration of how far democracy has advanced in Europe. This struggle against governments, and also against executives with which one does not agree, is what parliaments are elected for; it is the reason why they exist, and it is in order to engage in this struggle that delegates are elected to parliaments. If our struggle is attended by the same success as we have had, we gain – as we have all noticed – popular confidence in our institution. People understand that. From the North Cape to Sicily, from the Azores to the border with Russia by way of East Frisia, they understood what this struggle was about. Their approval of this Parliament of ours has never been as high as it is now, and that is something we should make use of. It makes this institution stronger.
Both institutions – Parliament and the Commission – have come out of this process stronger, and you, Mr President, with the Commission over which you now preside, have every opportunity to bring about change. Let me pick up what you said about a blind date, which was a fine phrase to choose. Some blind dates can be exciting; not all of those you have been on were. If you no longer want to go on blind dates, then tell the governments, quite plainly, that the procedure under which you, Mr Barroso, have to accept everyone they propose to you, and then pay the political price for their proposals – that, with the Barroso Commission, that procedure has come to an end.
If you do that, both you and the Commission will be winners. You will both be the stronger for it.
In the debate that has gone on over the past few weeks, we have concentrated on core messages. If I may remind you of the hearings and of what came out of them – for it was from these that the conflict arose – these core messages can be summed up in one sentence, which is that a broad majority in this House stood up in defence of the civil fundamental values of the European Union. The freedom of opinion of each and every individual is indeed one of these, but another is the right of Parliament to decide who shall join the executive and who shall not. Yet another is the strengthening of democracy. The freely-elected assembly of the people has come out of this with renewed strength, and that is a good thing. It is a good thing, because without it, we cannot treat one another as equals.
President Barroso, you are quite entitled to criticise Parliament. I can recall how, in one of this House’s debates a few days ago, you certainly did have criticisms to make, albeit of only one side of this House. You are quite entitled to do that, but we are obliged to check up on what the executive does. So let me repeat that we will, whenever – and I mean whenever! – incompatibilities arise, and whenever we think your Commission or the policy guidance are going in the wrong direction, take exactly the same action as we have done over the past three weeks.
The interplay between the executive and parliament at European level lies in the fact that you have the monopoly of initiative, while it is our duty to ensure that the laws made are just and socially balanced, and that is precisely what we will be doing over the five years that lie ahead of us."@en1
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