Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-21-Speech-1-007"
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"en.20050221.3.1-007"2
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"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe it is important for the President to make two statements on two events, one that has already taken place and one that has yet to take place, which affect us directly.
Do you wish to say anything in this regard, Mr Poettering?
Firstly, as you know, the first of the planned referendums on the ratification of the European Constitution took place yesterday in Spain. As you also know, the result of this referendum was 76.7% in favour.
I would remind you that a month ago this House approved the European Constitution by a majority of 74%; the support of the Spanish people has therefore closely reflected, and in fact exceeded, this Parliament’s support for that draft. We could say that the result of the vote in Spain on Sunday is very similar to the vote in Strasbourg when this Parliament debated the resolution relating to it.
The turnout was slightly less than that for the last European elections in Spain and also very close to the average across all 25 countries of the Union. I believe that on the whole we can see the result of the process in Spain as being very similar to the vote of the Members of the European Parliament and, therefore, as President of Parliament and also in my capacity as a Spanish citizen, I am very pleased with the result. Immediately after hearing it I congratulated the President of the Spanish Government and all the political groups who had participated in this process.
The second communication refers to the visit to Brussels of the President of the United States. The visit by President Bush this week is being presented as a meeting with the European institutions. He is coming to Europe, but he is coming, amongst other things, to meet with the European Union and that means with the Union’s institutions.
As President of the European Parliament and supported by all of the political groups, we have taken the view that our institution (the European Parliament) could not be absent from these meetings; we believe that the strength of the Union’s institutions and the image of the European Union, in particular with regard to its relations with third countries and more especially with regard to the transatlantic relationship, is linked to the proper functioning of the institutional triangle: Council, Commission and Parliament.
To this end, I have held talks with the President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Juncker, and I have kept the Conference of Presidents constantly informed about the progress of those talks, and I can tell you that following the exchange of letters that took place last week, and having heard the opinion of the political groups and also speaking by telephone with the President of the Commission, Mr Barroso, I can tell you that the President of the European Parliament, on behalf of this institution of course, will participate in the meeting which the 25 Heads of State or Government will hold tomorrow with Mr Bush in Brussels.
It is not a meeting of the European Council in the real sense, but nevertheless, I would like to thank the President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Juncker, and Mr Barroso for agreeing that the Presidency of the European Parliament should be present at this meeting, and I would like to acknowledge and express my gratitude for what they have done to bring this about and thus to strengthen the European Union’s institutional triangle, which I referred to just now. I will not, therefore, be able to be here in Strasbourg."@en1
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