Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-18-Speech-2-017"
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"en.20071218.5.2-017"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Portuguese Presidency has been a success and I congratulate you, Mr Sócrates, and your entire government, on this success.
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The Lobo Antunes family has given us not only a good Secretary of State, but also a distinguished writer who has written an interesting novel entitled
a line from the national anthem. Portugal’s reputation has grown with this Presidency, specifically thanks to three things, which you yourself have mentioned. Yes, indeed, in relation to Europe the Africa Summit has given back to Africa part of that dignity of which we Europeans have deprived Africans for a long time. This has been one of the successes of your Presidency. The fact that you have organised a summit with Brazil shows that policy on Latin America has to be given greater attention in European policy because it is in fact based on common traditions (Portugal, Brazil, Spain, South America, Central America), but also today specifically on common values as well, which we share above all with a region of the world – Latin America. Organising this summit with Brazil was therefore the right step. While we are on the subject of common values, I would like to thank you especially, on behalf of my Group, for focusing your activities on the battle to abolish the death penalty and for creating a European Day against the Death Penalty, one of the glories of the Portuguese Council Presidency.
However, we also have challenges ahead of us. The Treaty has been solemnly signed, but I have already experienced the solemn signing of a treaty and I have seen all those who solemnly signed it. I have also seen the undergrowth into which they subsequently disappeared, those solemn signatories! Some are no longer in office and this may also be a good thing. Now that this Treaty is being ratified, there is something to fight for. We have already expressed our thanks to Hungary. But if we want to be successful in 2008, we also have to look at precisely what is contained in the conclusions of the Council session held after the ceremonial signing.
On behalf of my Group, I welcome the fact that the Council acknowledges that the guidelines on an integrated economic policy must be revised. I hope the Commission takes this seriously and provides an appropriate statement. I also welcome the fact that the Council is asking for a Commission statement on services of general interest, which is also one of our Group’s demands. I have written to all the Heads of Government on this. I hope that you, Commission President, will now finally take this seriously, because you said only a few weeks ago that we did not need a statement of this kind. The Council disagrees with you here and, as Socialists, we are on the Council’s side.
You have said, Commission President – and that is why I am appealing to you now – that our work is not yet over. You referred here to Schengen. Together with Mr Sócrates you are going to open the borders. That is fantastic. But I know you will still have your work cut out tomorrow. The Commission wants to conclude the draft Directive on cross-border health services tomorrow. I do not know whether it makes sense for a decision like this to be made quickly at the Commission with one day to go before Christmas or before the Christmas holidays. Bolkestein was also decided quickly one day before the summer break and subsequently cost us the ratification of the Constitution. I would therefore say to you: if you adopt it tomorrow, please be aware that everything outside the framework of the Services Directive, i.e. outside the country of origin principle, is subject to the following interpretation: we have set a clear framework in the context of the Services Directive. If we try to force the country of origin principle through the back door again with specific directives, we will be up against the opposition of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament. Bear this in mind for the resolution tomorrow!
We need ratification to be successful in 2008. Europe’s citizens have seen that the Portuguese Council Presidency – together with the German Presidency, too, I happily acknowledge – has led this Union out of stagnation in 2007. We have begun to move, we now have a new basis for the Treaty, but one which is not yet in force. If we want it to come into force, then we need the trust of the people. If we want to gain this trust, however, we have to say to the people: ‘Europe is organised on the basis of social responsibility’. The ‘Chicago Boys’ in your Commission cannot come riding up again behind Father Christmas! What we do need in Europe is a clear commitment from the Commission as well that Europe is socially responsible. Otherwise it will fail.
With that I wish you all a Happy Christmas!"@en1
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"The Splendour of Portugal"1
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