Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-05-31-Speech-3-041"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2006-05-31"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Debate on the future of Europe with the participation of the Belgian Prime Minister, Member of the European Council (debate)2
dcterms:Language	"es"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20060531.9.3-041"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2006-05-31-Speech-3-0422
lpv:speaker	lp:Íñigo Méndez De Vigo2
lpv:spokenAs	member_of_the_bureau; EPP-ED (2004-08-31--2009-07-13)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee (2004-09-15--2006-12-31)3 unknown; Partido Popular (2004-07-20--2009-07-13)3 member; AFCO (2004-07-21--2007-01-14)3 substitute; AFET (2005-09-07--2007-01-14)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, the other day in my country, a great Europeanist – Fernando Álvarez de Miranda – told me that the Europeans’ problem is that they have lost their excitement about Europe. It is true: we are often Europeans without realising it, and we do not realise what great progress the Union has made; we do not give Europe the credit for it and instead we blame the Union for our little frustrations. We are now in this period of reflection, trying to demonstrate that Europe works. As you have said, offering an example, I often wonder whether we are doing the right thing. For example, we say that Europe must gain legitimacy by creating work; but does Europe – the European Union – have the instruments for creating employment, or are they national instruments? If we set objectives that do not depend on the Union, but on the Member States, and we do not achieve them, then the Union will pay the price. I am therefore going to propose to you, Mr Verhofstadt – and you can do this, because you are the Prime Minister of your country – that one day you carry out the following test, in order to demonstrate what life would be like for the citizens if Europe did not exist; you could, for example, on 29 May or 1 June, install border posts between your country and France and between your country and the Netherlands, and at those posts you could put customs officers who could ask the French or Dutch citizens for their passports and tell them that their French car insurance was not valid in Belgium and that they have to take out a green card. And on one day – just one day – you could re-establish the Belgian Franc, and the euro would not be legal tender in Belgium and would have to be exchanged; and, when French and Dutch citizens returned to their beautiful countries, Mr President, those customs offices could make them fill out a form indicating the goods that they have bought in your country. That would show them what the European Union is, Mr President."@en1
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"(Applause)"1

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