Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-01-17-Speech-3-023"
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"en.20070117.3.3-023"2
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"Mr President, Mrs Merkel, Mr Barroso, I should like to thank you, Mrs Merkel, for your fine speech, your remarks about freedom and tolerance and your quotation of the great Voltaire.
Of the heavy responsibilities incumbent on your Presidency, certain issues will unfortunately be more mundane, not least that of the launch of the process that is due to lead to the adoption, in two years’ time, of a new European treaty. It is on this one point that I should like to make some brief comments. My colleague, Mrs Zimmer, will expand on my speech in a few moments’ time.
My first remark concerns the joint declaration on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, which, in this context, will constitute an important message to our fellow citizens. Allow me to make a suggestion: beware of too much backslapping, of overly polished assessments, of commitments that are abstract and wordy on the major principles but evasive on the issues that cause anger! That kind of approach will in no way lessen the crisis of confidence that we are experiencing, but will be liable, instead, to increase the scepticism that is growing a little bit everywhere.
My second warning concerns the initiative – which is certainly not incumbent upon you personally – to gather together at the end of January representatives solely from the countries that ratified the draft Constitutional Treaty. I regard this manner of pointing the finger at the so-called bad pupils of the European class as unfortunate and counterproductive. What we need to do, instead, is to hold an open, frank and respectful dialogue with all of the nations of the Union, and not avoid contradictions, because, if we do avoid them, we will just be keeping ourselves happy and we will not make any progress.
I firmly believe – and this is the final point that I wish to highlight – that the unrest being caused by the Union’s current approach is not just French and Dutch. It is European. And, as Mr Schulz said, it is primarily social in origin. This is where we need to change the substance. In the German Presidency’s programme, you propose what Mr Schulz has just requested of you, which is that – and I quote – in future, European projects should be examined in the light of their social repercussions, too. Marvellous! Let us start straightaway, then! Let us start with the third rail package on the liberalisation of rail, for example, or by extending this approach to directives that already exist, such as the Services Directive or the Working Time Directive, or to forthcoming decisions such as the one on the modernisation of labour law.
As your fellow countrymen, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, used to say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The proof of social Europe is in its being used in practice. Thus, to quote your Presidency's logo, together, we will make Europe succeed."@en1
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