Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-28-Speech-3-112"
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"en.20071128.16.3-112"2
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"Mr President, Prime Minister, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, actually, I wanted to congratulate Mr Schulz. He has managed to ensure that he will get a pat on the back from his Socialist friends with his dull – if not to say dumb – polemics directed at the PPE-DE Group. Soon after he had finished speaking, there were just as many empty seats on the Socialist side as there are over here. Tempting though it is to claim that the Socialists only listen to their great leaders but are not interested in debate, I will refrain from doing so because we are supposed to treat each other with respect. I think an apology is warranted from Mr Schulz.
Let me inject a bit of life into the debate by asking you this: what lessons have we actually learned today? Well, we have found out that the Spanish are a European nation. I think I am right in saying that they were the same nation when Prime Minister Aznar addressed us. However, we have also heard a domestic policy speech with an eye to the elections.
I do not think it is the task of the European Parliament to go along with that. Angela Merkel and President Sarkozy were also here, and they did not pursue a domestic agenda; they talked about Europe. These debates are only of any value if we look at matters of detail. In that respect, my colleague Mr Dupont is quite right, of course. The fact that Spain has legalised 700 000 immigrants was condemned in unequivocal terms by President Sarkozy last week here in the European Parliament. It would have been interesting to hear why there is obviously some dispute over this issue in the European Council. It would have been interesting to hear how we are really tackling immigration. We know that there is massive illegal immigration taking place and we know that clear European directives setting out rules and procedures for the return of illegal migrants are on the table. These directives are being blocked in the European Council and are not moving forward.
I fail to see how we can explain to our citizens why we are talking about Europe’s great and noble values here in this House, and yet in the daily business of the European Council – of which you are also a member, Prime Minister – progress has stalled, unfortunately.
My message is this: European speeches are important, and talking about Europe’s fundamental values is important, but European action must take priority."@en1
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