Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-07-Speech-2-178"
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"en.20050607.25.2-178"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, although I have every respect for the work carried out by Mr Böge, I have no choice but to say that the draft Financial Perspective is as worthless as the draft Constitutional Treaty, and deserves the same fate. This House should reject the draft Financial Perspective, in so doing proving that it understands and shares the views of the majority of EU citizens. It would also prove that it respects democratic principles, and that as a mouthpiece for the public, it represents and protects the interests of the latter.
What is wrong with the draft Financial Perspective? It provides for the use of inauspicious economic indicators and mechanisms, and, in particular, it restricts Member States’ contributions to around 1%. Secondly, it stipulates that a high percentage of the budget will be spent on agriculture. Thirdly, it provides for modest increases in expenditure on the Structural and Cohesion Funds. Fourthly, around 75% of funding for research and development is set aside for highly-developed countries. Fifthly, administrative costs have risen sharply and, sixthly, it does not go far enough in liberalising the market in services.
What will happen if such inadequate solutions are adopted? Firstly, economic problems will multiply rather than being solved, growth will not be boosted or competitiveness increased, and the development gap between Member States will widen instead of narrowing. Secondly, social problems will be exacerbated due to the lack of pro-family policies, since the latter boost employment and earnings, and hence promote natural growth. There is also a lack of approximation, or rather a growing disparity between the incomes of a small number of rich people and a larger number of poor people. Thirdly, the draft Financial Perspective heightens political tensions within the EU rather than lessening them, because it fails to earmark enough funding for new transport and communications infrastructure. Fourthly, not enough money has been set aside for external policies and for aid to countries such as Ukraine and Belarus. At the same time, we will be unable to deliver on the binding promises made to Turkey regarding EU accession, and this will further complicate our relations with the Islamic world.
To sum up, we would be acting at odds with the economic and social objectives proclaimed by the EU if we were to adopt the draft Financial Perspective. By doing so, we would merely confirm that the EU is run by bureaucrats and technocrats, and we would make no progress towards our goal of global competitiveness. The members of the Independence and Democracy Group will vote against this draft. It is high time that a debate was held on the need for a new strategy for economic cooperation between the EU Member States."@en1
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