Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-18-Speech-3-401"
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"en.20060118.24.3-401"2
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"Mr President, I should like to pay tribute to Commissioner Verheugen for his work in securing the successful enlargement to include the Baltic States. Could Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, in her reply to this debate, clarify an aspect which is somewhat confusing? We talk about our 'neighbourhood policy', but Russia is a new neighbour of the European Union. Is Russia part of the neighbourhood policy or do we have an EU/Russia policy that is distinct?
George Orwell, one of my countrymen, wrote a book called
and he used the expression: 'All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.' I hope that the European Union Member State governments do not share that view but rather subscribe to the Common Foreign and Security Policy and to the idea that there will be no bilateral negotiations with any of our neighbours.
An American poet, Robert Frost, talking about neighbourhood, said that: 'Good fences make good neighbours.' I hope that Russia will very soon find itself in a position to be able to ratify the border agreements with Estonia and Latvia. It is very difficult, however strong our view about good relations may be, if not only Member State frontiers but our own EU borders are not recognised by a neighbour. Perhaps the Commissioner might be able to comment on the progress made with President Putin and his colleagues towards agreement on what must be a fairly fundamental issue. We are obviously investing a great deal with our Russian colleagues and friends, but unless they recognise our fences, it is surely very difficult for us to have that mutual sense of confidence and trust.
Two minutes is not a great deal of time to discuss this vitally important subject, but I would refer colleagues to paragraph 1 of Mr Tannock's excellent report, which says that the European Parliament 'declares that the aim of privileged neighbourhood relations with the EU's neighbours includes, as an essential precondition, an active and concrete commitment to common values in the fields of the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the principles of a transparent social market ...'.
I hope that President Putin may find time to read at least paragraph 1 of Mr Tannock's report."@en1
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