Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-14-Speech-3-073"
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"en.20060614.2.3-073"2
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".
Mr President, Mr President of the Commission, honourable Members, at the start of this debate, Mr Schulz told us that, along with the President of the Commission, Mr Leinen was one of the most important people in Europe. I can absolutely go along with that, if we add the President-in-Office of the Council to the list: it is indeed true.
Mr Galeote referred to immigration, and in this domain, too, we are trying to achieve some very real results. In future, we will also need to look into the issue of a list of safe third countries, and, of course, we also need a joint asylum policy. There are a huge number of issues on which we need to work with our partners in Europe to draft a policy that is in everyone's interests.
The issue of minorities has also been brought up, and, on that subject, let me say that this was a particularly important point that the Austrian Presidency has also tried to address.
Mrs Resetarits once again talked about Zeus and Europa. Europa was not just the lover of Zeus: she also had a family with him – they had three children. Of course this family had arguments, but, as far as we know, they lived happily together, and I think that should serve as an example to us.
If I understood Mr Ferber correctly, he said that there are 25 peoples, and he related this to the football World Cup. If I may interpret this as a suggestion that all 25 or 27 countries should, in future, still be able to compete in the European Football Championships, then I, as an Austrian, can only welcome that, because then we would finally be able to participate again.
This public debate that Mr Corbett wanted, and the debates that have taken place in this House over the last few months – I would remind you of the highly constructive report from Mr Voggenhuber, the discussions in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, and the discussions you have held here today – are actually taking place, and, when he says 'we must talk it through', I absolutely agree with him.
A very important debate has been held here today, and it is also going to influence the discussions of the Heads of State or Government, because it is important for Europe. The President of the Commission has very clearly stated, just as I and many of you have, that we need to walk on both legs, that we need to continue with this twin-track approach of both producing concrete results and actions for our citizens and discussing the future of Europe and the future of a Constitutional Treaty. I think this is essential, and it is a result that I will take away with me and report to the President of the Council in this form.
Mr Poettering and others have mentioned the Fundamental Rights Agency. I would just like to go into that very briefly, because it is a subject very close to my heart, and I have the impression that there are some misunderstandings in this regard. It is very much a matter of the European Union as a community of values, and as a union that defends human rights and stands up for them to the outside world, having an institution that can and does stand up for those values. We think that this human rights agency would be a worthwhile institution, and, of course, that it would not compete in any way with the Council of Europe or any other institutions. I really would ask you to take a close look at the proposals on the table, because it is precisely this competition that we are trying to exclude.
Mr Schulz also talked about human rights, about the issue of Guantánamo Bay, about shared values, and about the CIA. It goes without saying that we also need to make these shared values clear to our partners and our friends. The Council, many Member States and the President-in-Office of the Council have all made that very clear, and, of course, it will also be an important subject at the forthcoming Summit with the United States.
Mrs Frassoni and a number of others – to whom I am very grateful, because this was an important issue for the Austrian Presidency – mentioned transparency. We hope that we will be able to produce a good package at the European Council. There are indeed one or two other difficulties that we hope we will be able to overcome, for this is another topic which we agree with Parliament is very important to the people.
Mrs Frassoni also said that we have not been precise enough with regard to the relaxation of visa rules for the Balkan countries. I would like to stress once again that we do, of course, have a very precise plan for issuing a mandate and that the Council's conclusions will also state that these negotiations will be concluded within the next year. We know that this is extremely important for the countries in the Balkans.
Mr Voggenhuber, I cannot agree with you that, over the last few months, the Austrian Presidency has been holding these debates behind closed doors with experts and elites. We have made a great deal of effort. Perhaps we have not always been successful, but we have made considerable efforts to go out and talk to school children, students and the people on the streets in all kinds of formats and formations. That is very important: we have tried very hard to do that, and I am sure that future Presidencies will do the same."@en1
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