Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-05-16-Speech-2-028"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060516.4.2-028"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Madam Vice-President, ladies and gentlemen, in response to what the previous speaker and a number of others have said, I have to say that I did not have a vision only yesterday; on the contrary, the European ideal is the vision, for it is an ideal that has for decades brought us the peace and prosperity that only few parts of the world have experienced in the course of history. That is what we should call to mind, and it is a crucial point; it is something that is now simply taken for granted, rather than being – as it once was – regarded as a positive gain. Nor is ‘no more war’, and the fact that there has been none, enough any more, although it is still decisive. Even though we know how thin the ice of civilisation is, we are unable to communicate to our citizens the real reasons for European integration, because what we talk about never rises above the trivial, and by ‘we’, I mean the governments in particular. When I think back to how some talked about nothing but their own status as net contributors, while others, who had got five billion, nevertheless complained about not getting ten billion more, so that that ten billion became the sole subject of discussion and was taken as evidence of a lack of European solidarity, then we cannot be surprised to find the state of affairs that we do at grassroots level at the present time.
I would like to urge the national governments to at long last get back to telling the truth and giving the people comprehensive information, and the Commission not to dispense them from this obligation and not to be over-cautious in this regard. I hope that the document submitted for our consideration today will be a first step in this direction.
It has to be said, though, that misunderstandings in this respect need to be avoided. True though it is to say that what matters is that this Europe of ours, as it is presently constituted, should be got moving again, with progress – which alone is convincing – in important areas, the impression must not be given – as it is being to some extent in the media – that this is an alternative programme to the Constitution. It has to be made clear that we want, by doing this, to put the case for the Constitution and to make good use of the time remaining before it enters into force, but also that it is indispensable to achieving certain crucial objectives, not only in the institutional sphere with such things as voting rights, numbers of seats, and foreign and security policy, but primarily for the public good. It has to be made plain that it is the Constitution alone that puts the citizen centre stage; that this is not merely a union of states but also a union of citizens, and that those citizens have rights; that the Charter of Fundamental Rights is of fundamental significance in terms of the future conception of the European Union; and that the European elections have something to do with the President of the Commission being chosen by the citizens and the Commission thereby being harnessed to the popular will. These are the crucial points where we have to make progress, and it is in this respect that we are sometimes lacking in courage.
I was put in a very optimistic mood when a young Member State, two years after its accession to the European Union, on Europe Day – Schuman Day – ratified the Constitution by a 73:1 vote, and the country of which I speak is Estonia. Something that is equally remarkable is the tremendous achievement on the part of the Finnish Parliament last week. I hope this will be an incentive for the countries – such as Portugal – that will succeed Finland in the presidency of the Council. Further to what Chancellor Merkel said in the
last week, I take it as read that the German Presidency will discharge the obligation placed upon it by its coalition agreement. We want this constitutional treaty, and we will do everything possible to see that it is ratified; I hope, Madam Vice-President, that the Commission will join in this endeavour with all the courage at its disposal."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
"(Applause from the right/centre)"1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples