Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-26-Speech-2-036"
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"en.20060926.3.2-036"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Article 5 of the Treaty establishing the European Community says, and I quote: ‘Any action by the Community shall not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of this Treaty’. This is known as the principle of subsidiarity, the importance of which has just been highlighted by President Barroso.
Yet it is clear that the common objective of social cohesion in particular requires sustained political action if quality public services are to be offered to all citizens. It is local councils, local authorities, that are closest to citizens. It is local councillors who are best placed to judge the services needed for the well-being of their fellow citizens, and the weakest among them in particular.
Logically, for decades the Union has not concerned itself with these public services. However, with the implementation of the large internal market, there have been more and more court cases brought by private competitors against towns and local authorities. The judgments of the European Court of Justice have not always been pleasing and have sometimes even been contradictory. In the Court’s defence, it must be said that the concept of public service is not easy to define.
There are significant differences between national practices in the 25 Member States. President Barroso has just emphasised the need to respect the diversity of national, regional and local circumstances. It is for this reason that the Socialist Group in the European Parliament has been fighting for years for a clear legal framework allowing services of general interest to flourish.
This is all that the Socialist Group in the European Parliament wants. We want the greatest possible certainty for all operators of universal public services. The Luxembourg judges must not become the arbiters of the quality of public services to be provided. According to President Barroso, these services represent 7% of European GDP and 5% of jobs, which serves to highlight their efficiency. It is for voters, for citizens to decide the universal services they want. Former Commissioner Lord Cockfield, who was, together with President Jacques Delors, one of the architects of the internal market was fond of saying:
‘the Commission has to help governments to save taxpayers’ money.’
He was wrong. It is not the Commission that should decide how public monies are used but, ultimately, the taxpayers themselves. It is for the sovereign voters to decide whether their local authority or region is making good use of their money or not. That is called democracy.
Those who believe in the unbridled free market will argue that the Treaties oblige the Commission to remove public aid that distorts competition, but Article 87 of the Treaty stipulates clearly that this aid is only prohibited, and I quote: ‘in so far as it affects trade between Member States’. Now, it is difficult to argue that public services supplied locally by public authorities distort trade between Member States.
Mr President, you have just announced that we will receive a communication before the end of the year. I share the opinion of my fellow Member from the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, Mr Langen, that we have had too many texts that have been well written but that have lacked real political significance. Please, President Barroso, submit a legislative proposal to us or as many such proposals as you wish, but finally allow Parliament to do its job as colegislator in a field that lies, in your own words, at the heart of the European social model."@en1
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