Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-01-Speech-3-095"
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"en.20041201.11.3-095"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, I have risen to speak as a representative of the largest of the new Member States, Poland, in this debate involving questions to the Council on the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective. I should like to draw attention to this point, as it has mainly been representatives of the old Member States who have spoken so far in the debate, and this is an important distinction to make, as the views of the old and the new Member States on the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective differ greatly. In my opinion, one of the most important priorities for this Perspective should be to consolidate economic growth in the ten new Member States, which is currently experiencing an upturn, as this will facilitate cohesion and equality within the EU as a whole. Integration has taken place on a legal and institutional level. This process must, however, be accompanied by one in which the ten poorest countries together with the two due to join the EU in the near future catch up with the developed part of Europe.
Without a gradual reduction in the development gap between the rich and the poor, the integration of the EU as a whole will run up against major opposition. There is also a danger of a two-speed Europe becoming a permanent arrangement. This is why we are in favour of the Prodi Commission’s proposal. The latter sets the EU’s budgetary commitments at an average of 1.27% of the EU’s GDP, whilst being opposed to the position of the six largest net payers, who wish to limit the level of these commitments to 1% of GDP. Only if the EU’s budget is greater than it has been to date will there be a realistic chance of significantly increasing funding under the Structural and Cohesion Funds, which would in turn make it possible to implement measures that effectively promote development in the new Member States. This is all the more necessary in view of the planned generosity towards regions in the old EU Member States which as a result of the ‘statistical effect’ will rise above the threshold of 75% of the EU’s average GDP as of 2007.
Given the restriction that has existed since the mid-1990s, namely that countries benefiting from the Structural and Cohesion Funds cannot receive funding exceeding 4% of their GDP, or in other words more than around EUR 17 billion per year for the ten new Member States overall, we are not calling for anything out of the ordinary. I should like to draw these issues to the attention of the Council representatives taking part in this debate, as they are related to the implementation of one of the enlarged EU’s most important priorities, namely reducing the development gap between the old and the new Member States."@en1
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