Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-01-15-Speech-1-034"
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"en.20070115.9.1-034"2
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".
Mr President, the temperature in this Chamber definitely rose when our new colleagues from Romania and Bulgaria entered the Chamber, and they were helped by a proud and warm feeling. However, we have also felt a rather chilling wind from nationalistic extremists and xenophobic forces that, unfortunately, exist throughout Europe.
The first of January this year was a truly historic moment for all of us, not only for you, the 53 new Members of the European Parliament, who finally saw your countries join the European family, but also for all of us, because the accession of Bulgaria and Romania completed the fifth enlargement of the European Union, which has contributed to peace, prosperity, stability and democracy throughout Europe.
Let me now turn to you, President Borrell Fontelles. During this legislature, you have played a significant role in ensuring the smooth integration of the 162 Members from the 10 new Member States into the working procedures of the European Parliament. You have also helped the Romanian and Bulgarian observers find their way and feel at ease both in Brussels and Strasbourg. In the name of President Barroso and the whole Commission, I would like to thank you for the excellent cooperation our two institutions have had under your presidency, starting with the renegotiation and updating of the framework agreement, and also for your very strong personal commitment, your strong political commitment and tireless efforts to increase the responsibilities of this House to move our common European project forward and to defend our shared values. Whether it has been your important role in finding an agreement on the financial perspective, as chairman of the temporary committee, your personal initiative to reform the working methods of the European Parliament or your visits to third countries, where you relentlessly pleaded the cause of pluralism and democracy, you have left a crucial fingerprint on this House. You will pass on to your successor an assembly which, in the past two and a half years, has successfully demonstrated that it is a reliable and competent partner and which assumed its role as co-legislator with responsibility and authority, be it when finding a compromise on the Services Directive or when the institutions negotiated the important agreement on new chemicals legislation.
In your inaugural speech in 2004, you said that, as President of the European Parliament, your passion for democracy would now be united with your passion for Europe.
On a personal note, let me say that I hope that this marriage of passions will continue for many more years. Let me also say, on a very personal note, how proud I was to be with you on several occasions when we met with young people and how impressed I was by the way you handled those situations. Like everybody else, I have also taken Spanish lessons with varied results, so I would like to say:
Thank you for everything, and I wish you good luck in performing your new tasks.
This reminds us of the basic common task that we all have, despite party affiliations, to defend and deepen European democracy.
On behalf of the European Commission, I am honoured and pleased to issue a particularly heart-felt and warm welcome to the 53 new Members of the European Parliament from Bulgaria and Romania who join this Assembly today.
Romania!
Добре дошли, Bulgaria!
Many of you have already participated in parliamentary proceedings as observers for more than one year now, and I am sure that you will quickly integrate into the fascinating rhythm of this House. You contribute to the work and enrich the discussions and reflections with the political groups, the committees and also here in plenary. The Commission and its services look forward very much to working together with you.
We, the representatives of the European Union’s institutions, have an enormous responsibility vis-à-vis the people in Romania and Bulgaria and their hopes for the future. We must do our utmost to live up to their expectations and to prove that their belief in European integration will bear fruit and make Europe stronger as a whole.
Your role as parliamentarians is crucial in making your countries’ membership a success, and communication is key to everything. Therefore, please go local and talk to your constituents, listen to your citizens and show them how you can take their views and concerns into account. Take your time to explain to them how Europe works and how our policies affect their everyday lives, and try to give people a realistic picture of what Europe means and why being a European matters."@en1
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"Bine aţi venit,"1
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