Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-23-Speech-3-367"
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"en.20070523.24.3-367"2
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"Mr President, I believe that we are at an important moment in the history of this Parliament. The rapporteur, the Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Mr Gargani, has explained the legal reasoning, with which we agree. My group has tabled a series of amendments aimed at enhancing this kind of legal reasoning.
We should look at the issue from a rather broader perspective, however. The European Parliament – the Committee on Legal Affairs – has always recognised the decisions of the national authorities with regard to the appointment of an MEP, and has also recognised electoral dispute procedures.
What is not acceptable is for the Italian judiciary, practically three years after the last elections, a year after Mr Occhetto was accepted as a Member of this Parliament, to suddenly tell us that that appointment was not valid.
Mr Gargani has explained the reasons from a legal point of view, but there is a fundamental political aspect: Parliament is made up of Members appointed in accordance with national law, by means of decisions by national authorities: administrative, electoral or judicial.
Once we are in this Parliament, however, Parliament constitutes a body in its own right, with its own personality, with the right to defend itself. I believe that the Occhetto case is going to set a great parliamentary precedent. From this point onwards, the national administrative or judicial authorities will know that Parliament has the power, at a given moment, to declare that a national decision does not comply with the law, that it has been arbitrary.
Parliament has the right and the duty to protect its Members. If we do not do so, Mr President, we shall be exposed to a situation in which, as a result of an arbitrary decision by a national authority or national court, you or any other Member of this Parliament can have their status as MEP taken away. It is essential to our parliamentary work that Members of Parliament should feel secure when carrying out their work.
I believe that Mr Gargani has done a great job as chairman – we have discussed many issues over many years – and in this case we have an agreement that is accepted by all of the parties, which does not reflect any party-political interest, but which responds to the need to defend the very status of the European Parliament.
The European Parliament, the body that represents the people of Europe, is established as a body in its own right and makes its own decisions. It is not like the Council, which is subject to the vicissitudes of national politics. We MEPs have a mandate, a fixed-term mandate that cannot be interrupted by means of an arbitrary national decision.
I shall therefore say once again that the Occhetto decision will be an historic decision in the history of Parliament, in the history of the affirmation of the personality of Parliament and of the rights of MEPs."@en1
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