Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-14-Speech-2-206"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060214.26.2-206"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, the debate on the services directive has given rise to some powerful emotions, and we are still not completely out of the woods.
In democracy, a decision comes about through debate – sometimes lengthy debate. As a result of debates in the European Parliament, the proposal by the Commission has been improved; it has become acceptable.
The directive has not been watered down with amendments: this is a matter of the workings of democracy. Some say that the Members of the European Parliament are afraid of undertaking bold reforms and that we are afraid of pushing through the original directive. In reply to this I would say that we are not working in an ivory tower. We address legitimate causes of concern whenever necessary, and we will amend the directive if we see fit to do so. We listen to public opinion, and this is as it must be. This is called democracy, which the Union says it respects and which it even markets to the outside world.
I am prepared to support reasonable proposals for compromise, because it is better to have some sort of vague harmony than major discord. I am sure, however, that we will be able to achieve a strong consensus with regard to this issue. It would be good for the European internal market. On the other hand, we must take care that the Member States are not given a free hand to prevent the movement of trade in services on grounds that are just too flimsy.
In closing I would like to thank Evelyne Gebhard, and everyone here including Commissioner McCreevy."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples