Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-12-Speech-3-031"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20071212.2.3-031"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Ladies and gentlemen, we often discuss how to bring the EU closer to the citizens and make it more democratic without acting upon it. Tomorrow the heads of state or government will sign the Reform Treaty and they have already been announcing in advance that they do not want referenda to take place. It is sad that this Parliament has for most part applauded this. It is an expression of the highest arrogance and disregard for the citizens’ voice. I have the impression that the politicians are either too lazy to explain the new Treaty or – worse still – they are afraid of the citizens. The politicians do not want to have to explain how the new Treaty will change the Member States’ share in decision-making within the EU. The politicians do not want to have to explain to the citizens that they will not have ‘their’ Commissioner in the Commission. They do not want to have to defend the fact that issues such as migration, energy and transport will not be dealt with in the individual states but in Brussels. Ladies and gentlemen, if we do not win the citizens over for the rules governing the new configuration of the EU, if we do not explain to them, on the one hand, the advantages of integration and, on the other, the issues of loss of national sovereignty, which the Treaty clearly implies in some areas, the gap between the political elite and the citizens will continue to grow wider and wider. This is why I consider referenda to be a key aspect of the Treaty ratification process."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples