Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-18-Speech-3-376"
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"en.20060118.24.3-376"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Tannock, ladies and gentlemen, first of all I should like to invite the Commission to take the report before us into serious consideration, since it did not do so with the resolution adopted by this Parliament in 2003. That resolution, in fact, contains a series of useful suggestions for enhancing the neighbourhood policy, which is one of the most important challenges facing Europe. The constructive relations that we shall be able to develop with our neighbours in fact represent the only prospect for creating peace and security around our borders.
There are two main reasons why this will not be an easy task. The first is that we are surrounded by areas of great instability and conflict: from Chechnya to Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East. Secondly, the aim of this policy is not accession to the Union, which makes it more difficult to succeed in influencing both internal reform in the various countries and relations among those countries and between them and the Union.
Some of the countries currently involved in the neighbourhood policy look forward to achieving full EU membership – the rapporteur has already mentioned the cases of Ukraine and Moldova. Even if we do not rule out that prospect, we should at least be honest and say that membership is not currently feasible, both because of the Union’s internal situation and because of the progress that those countries themselves still need to make. All that, however, provides further support for this policy.
The aspect that I have chosen to emphasise is the enhancement of the overall vision of the neighbourhood policy, even though it covers diverse areas in the east, south-east and south, as well as countries that differ greatly among themselves. Security, energy, immigration, the environment and human rights require vision and political dialogue, as well as specific institutions in order to be able to make progress together.
Together with the action plans that the Commission is negotiating, this is the dimension that needs to be enhanced, including by means of specific policies, such as the energy policy, which the Commissioner singled out. Back in 2003, Parliament pointed out that energy was an area that required attention in relations with neighbouring countries; today we reiterate that need for attention and call for a communication to be drawn up on those aspects of energy policy that concern our foreign and neighbourhood policy.
I shall conclude, therefore, with my initial appeal to the Commission and the Commissioner, who has an excellent relationship with us: do not undervalue the European Parliament’s contribution."@en1
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