Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-13-Speech-2-351"
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"en.20070213.3.2-351"2
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"Mr President, Madam President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Barroso, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to offer my wholehearted congratulations to you, my dear Hans-Gert, on your brilliant speech on how Europe needs to regroup and once again join forces.
At the same time, the EU must be very clear about its geographical limits, about its borders and about a common immigration policy. The EU must also define its strategy on globalisation. This strategy must not be based on the survival of the fittest, but on a mix of competitiveness, high employment levels and social protection. What we need is controlled globalisation.
I should once again like to commend the German Presidency, and in particular Mrs Merkel, on pursuing all these issues with such determination. These challenges are not only for the next six months, but for the next ten or 20 years.
The 25 March Declaration, on the occasion of the Union’s 50th anniversary could be an opportunity to propose the rebirth of political ambition for Europe. In accordance with the long-term project of the founding fathers, that ambition involves a relaunch of the institutions.
I am aware, Mr President, Madam President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Barroso, the extent to which you set great store by this objective. We trust the Commission and its President, Mr Barroso, to be up to the task of addressing the issue of the institutions. The Commission is both Guardian of the Treaties and guardian of the Community’s general interests. We will always stand foursquare behind the Commission as it carries out this dual role responsibly. It is by joining forces and sharing our convictions that we will be able to pull the EU out of its rut.
To finish, I could have quoted Mr Pierre Pflimlin, former President of the European Parliament, whose hundredth birthday would have been this year, who dearly wanted to see a Europe of the values of the spirit. I shall instead turn to that most Europhile of our 20th century writers, Stefan Zweig, who in his superb biography of Erasmus, handed a key to the builders of the Europe of the past and the future: ‘There will always be a need for those who show people what unites them over what divides them, and who renew in the hearts of men the belief in a higher form of humanity.’
Addressing, on the one hand, the speakers from high office who took the floor before you and whom I take this opportunity to greet, and, on the other, representatives of all Europe's institutions, you expressed your vision of the future of the EU. It is a vision of a united, integrated Europe, but also a Europe that is open to the world and aware of its international responsibilities, a Europe with which the citizens will more readily identify and to which they will feel closer.
It is a vision that the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats shares deeply. I appreciate the proactive, positive and constructive tone of your proposals. The time has come to stop talking negatively about Europe and to stop asking what we will become. Rather, we must channel our efforts into doing what we have to do.
The European Project is a success. Not only has it led to the development and prosperity of our countries, it has also guaranteed peace on our continent.
We have changed the course of history thanks to this project and those who feel that this is not enough should take a look around them in their daily lives, and they will see that the benefits of Europe are to be found everywhere. It would be churlish not to acknowledge this, but it is certainly true that we need to state more strongly the convictions that we have in our deeds and must learn to accord them their due worth. This applies to the euro, which has been a success, and also, on a broader level, to our work as lawmakers.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we have every reason to be confident in our future within the EU. We will face the challenges ahead as a united and determined Europe, and certainly not as a morose, inward-looking Europe obsessed with its past.
Mr President, our group shares your priorities, which we believe address both the major challenges posed by the modern world, and our citizens’ day-to-day concerns. The two are interlinked. What do European citizens want? They want more freedom – true in particular of young people – and more security and protection against the threats we face. They want to be able to work and to enjoy the fruits of their work. They also want Europe to defend and promote the values of our civilisation and our culture.
They are in favour of environmental protection and the fight against climate deterioration at European level. They are in favour of a common energy policy guaranteeing safe, affordable supplies, and do not rule out any energy source that may guarantee our independence. They want a fair agriculture and food policy offering prospects for the countryside and guaranteeing food safety, whilst remaining at the forefront of technological developments. They also want a research and development policy that places Europe at the cutting edge of innovation on the world stage, as we proposed in the Lisbon objectives.
Personally, I wish to emphasise today the importance of being close to the citizens and of the need to marry this objective with that of dialogue between cultures and religions, which is the positive side of the fight against racism and intolerance and against exclusion and xenophobia. It is not enough to speak out against these wrongs or to fight against these scourges. What we need to do is to demonstrate, in a positive way, the advantages of exchanging knowledge, the benefits of social mixing, the nobleness of hospitality, the greatness of tolerance and the mutual enrichment of the meeting of cultures."@en1
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