Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-13-Speech-2-010"
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"en.20070213.3.2-010"2
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"Mr President, Chancellor Merkel, former Presidents of the European Parliament, Presidents of the European institutions, honourable Members, this year we celebrate what the European Union has achieved over the last 50 years: a history which has seen the European Parliament increasingly come to embody European democracy.
Last month, in this House, I made proposals I would like to see in the Berlin Declaration. I did not do it for the sake of making proposals. They correspond to results that European citizens want us to achieve. And I believe that it is by focusing on the goals of our common project that we will be able to reach a strong and enlarged consensus, including a consensus for an institutional settlement.
I am convinced that if Europeans see the European Union addressing globalisation, promoting economic growth and jobs, showing social solidarity, tackling climate change, increasing democratic legitimacy, bringing security to its citizens, defending our values and interests worldwide, then they will trust the European Union to reform itself to meet tomorrow’s challenges and to deliver practical results.
We are all here to serve European citizens. If we are to enjoy public consent, we need to target our activities on citizens’ priorities and we need to work in a way that justifies their confidence, particularly respecting the principles of subsidiarity and transparency. We set out exactly this approach in our Citizens’ Agenda Communication of last May.
In order to achieve results, we need to preserve and develop institutional partnership; a partnership founded on the separation of competences, but also on the idea of institutional interdependence. While respecting the autonomy of each institution, we need to stress the commonality of our European principles. Despite some natural political and ideological differences, those who are committed to these principles should build a truly European partnership.
I believe that cooperation between Parliament, the Council and the Commission is working well. It has proved itself against some stern tests. Over the past year we have seen difficult dossiers resolved on services, chemicals, REACH and the financial perspectives, to name but a few. This was a result of the three institutions working together with this spirit of partnership. I am committed to working closely with you, Mr President, as well as with Chancellor Merkel and her successors at the helm of the Council. I am convinced this is the best way to deliver the results our citizens demand.
The resolution of the debate on the future of Europe is not a sideshow: a more efficient and democratic European Union goes to the heart of our ability to deliver policies and results. We all know this is what the constitutional treaty would have achieved, and there are limits to what we can achieve without it. As I often say, we cannot build tomorrow’s Europe with yesterday’s tools. The Nice Treaty is not enough.
I know that the European Parliament shares the commitment of the European Commission to give full support to the work of the German Presidency to find the right way forward. The energy and commitment of Chancellor Merkel gives us real hope that we can find a consensus and make a compelling case for reform and progress to European citizens. But the Presidency of the Council can only achieve results if it is supported by all the Member States. Today, where all the European institutions are here reunited, I wish to repeat my call on Member States to find a solution as regards the constitutional treaty. I know, after the ‘no’ votes in two Member States, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to ratify exactly the same text. But let us not forget that all the governments signed the treaty. This has at least a double implication. First, Member States recognised that the Union needed to solve common problems and common challenges. And we have not solved them yet. Second, the act of signing a Treaty also implies a responsibility towards the other Member States, towards European institutions and towards European citizens. It is the duty of all European governments to be constructive and active in the search to find a common solution. And I would like to stress the word ‘common’. At a historical moment like this, when we celebrate the peaceful unity of Europe, we do not have the right to divide it again.
Regarding their positions about Europe, sometimes some politicians remind me of James Mill, the father of John Stuart Mill. John Stuart Mill once said that his father loved mankind in general, but hated each person in particular.
I salute the presence here today of the former Presidents of the European Parliament. On my own behalf and on behalf of the Commission, I thank you all for your individual contributions to Europe.
We also see many politicians in Europe that profess their love for Europe in general, but then resist European solutions to energy, climate change, immigration and, of course, the institutional settlement. Let us be frank: we do not need declarations of intent; what we need is commitment.
And we face decisive tests in the near future, starting with the energy and climate change package in the European Council in March. I very much welcome the statement Chancellor Merkel made just now. Let us be honest with ourselves. Coherence is a requisite for credibility. We are not credible when we say that we want to speak with one voice to the outside world on energy and we keep speaking among ourselves with 27 voices and 27 markets. We are not credible when we set the fight against climate change as one of the most important priorities for Europe and afterwards we are not able to agree on specific goals for our policies. So, we need to be coherent and credible.
Mr President, Madam Chancellor, honourable Members, I have high hopes for the period between now and the end of this parliamentary term. I believe we have established the right priorities, and the right foundation of partnership to make them work. I look forward to working closely with President Poettering and with this Parliament, and with colleagues in the European Council, to deliver real reform in Europe and real change for Europe’s citizens to the end of this decade.
I believe we can build a Europe that will be able to shape the future of our world around the values of freedom and justice that are so important for us.
I want to congratulate you, Mr President, for this initiative. It is indeed important. Some politicians believe the world did not exist before they were born. I think that it is important that we who are serving our citizens through institutions keep this institutional memory. A decent and civilised society pays homage to its history and respects the institutions. I want to thank you for your speech, which had both vision and substance. I share the views and commend the commitment.
Honourable Members, you have elected a President whose experience and commitment to our common European project is second to none.
Our European values underline the essence of the Europe we want and treasure: a Europe of peace, freedom, democracy, prosperity and justice. The enlargement and integration of Europe to include 27 countries, free of war and free of totalitarianism, underlines the strength of these values and the lessons we have drawn from history: only through a shared undertaking are we able to provide the answers to our citizens in the global world of the 21st century.
Cultural and religious pluralism is a strong European value. In this sense, I particularly welcome the emphasis by President Poettering on intercultural and religious dialogue. The European Union is well placed to promote this dialogue. We are steeped in diversity: diversity of traditions, of cultures, of language, of nations. It is one of our precious gifts as Europeans. We are to some extent a success in globalisation. We, better than anyone, can shape this globalised world.
Dialogue is the way to ensure that diversity, far from causing division, enriches our unity. I strongly believe that cultural diversity is a source of Europe’s strength and of its ability to promote its values and interests in the world. This dialogue has to be nurtured properly. We intend to make next year’s Year of Intercultural Dialogue the platform for this dialogue. The Commission has long pursued a dialogue with religions, churches and communities of conviction, including those who do not have a religion. I would like to take this forward in partnership with the European Parliament, as a visible demonstration of how European institutions, working together, take European integration forward.
To signal the importance of this dimension, last year I invited the President of the European Council to participate in a meeting with religious and church leaders. I welcome the agreement to hold a summit in May this year, with the three Presidents of the European political institutions and leaders of the main religions and churches, which I will be honoured to host.
On 25 March, we have the opportunity to celebrate both our achievements and our values. I am delighted that the European Parliament and the European Commission are playing a full part in the preparations for the Declaration on the future of Europe, following my proposal last May. This Declaration, to be signed in Berlin, represents a real common point of reference – a confirmation of what the European Union is for and a mission statement for what we want to achieve in the 21st century."@en1
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