Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-05-16-Speech-2-019"
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"en.20060516.4.2-019"2
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"Mr President, the paper ‘Citizens’ agenda: delivering results for Europe’ is to be welcomed in the emphasis placed on policy delivery rather than on institutional grand designs. Even if I do not agree with all the proposed solutions, in particular I welcome the commitment to a comprehensive review of the single market. I hope that this review will be heavily accentuated towards the opening of markets, liberalisation and tearing down economic barriers that still exist in Europe. I know that the President of the Commission is personally committed – as I am – to economic reform and liberalisation as the only way of ensuring growth and greater prosperity.
I do not, however, welcome the proposed agenda in the field of justice and home affairs. It is true that people in Europe want to see greater cooperation between Member States to combat and defeat the threats we all face in the modern world – particularly terrorism – but I want to see more intergovernmental coordination in tackling crime and terrorism, rather than trying to make such issues the subject of qualified majority voting. They are matters that go to the very heart of the nation state and its responsibilities to its citizens in each case. The national veto should remain in those areas. The British Government is currently playing with fire in its ambivalence on the subject.
Instead, I urge the Commission to concentrate on delivering the economic reform agenda. People in Europe want action; they want action on growth and they want action on jobs. There is no appetite for endless debate on Constitutional, institutional structures. They do not want grand projects that erode the sovereignty of their nations or affect their chances of getting a job. So my message to the leaders for the June summit has to be simple: they should focus on people’s priorities, particularly the plight of the 18 million who have no job in the Union. There is nothing for them in the current European Constitution. Europe needs to demonstrate clearly and unambiguously that it has learned some lessons from the votes on that. It needs to show that it is ready to move on to an ambitious reform programme that tackles those very issues that I referred to of low growth, high unemployment and threats to our environment. The social model needs to be reformed drastically. How can one speak of a social model that consigns so many to the misery of joblessness?
My opposition to the Constitution currently is not based on dogma, but it is known – as far as I am aware – that it would not be good for the people of Europe. I believe that is what the people of Europe have said, particularly in France and the Netherlands. The time has now come for the governments of Europe to wake up. We need reform. We need to be accountable, more transparent, and we need to reform priorities. We need to respond to the wishes and needs of the citizens, which was what we were charged to do at Laeken and where we have, unfortunately, currently failed the test. As we move forwards to an EU of 27, let us celebrate the diversity of the modern European Union; let us harness that diversity to work together for a true Europe of nation states."@en1
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