Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-02-19-Speech-2-174"
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"en.20080219.28.2-174"2
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"Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen, the EU has just concluded a most successful year. The EU was enlarged to include Romania and Bulgaria, the Schengen area was enlarged to include nine new countries, the euro zone was enlarged to include three new states and the euro has gradually started to replace the dollar as the international currency around the world. The EU, with its 500 million citizens and consumers, is beginning to dictate, to a significant extent, global commercial, environmental and technical rules and norms. Despite the wishful thinking of many Eurosceptics, Europe has even reached agreement on the new Reform Treaty.
I am highlighting these successes because they have been achieved with the active participation of the new Member States, not in spite of them. That is why I welcome the Prime Minister’s proposals regarding future priorities. One of the priorities for future years should be furthering the enlargement of the EU to include the Western Balkan territories. This, however, presupposes the following two conditions: the countries in question being generally prepared from a technical point of view and courage on the part of the existing Member States. Their politicians must have the courage to explain to the citizens how the enlargement has been a success, that it has not meant less but more security, freedom, democracy, and prosperity. In my opinion, we must also have the courage to allow the Western Balkan regions to join the visa-free regime at the earliest opportunity. What have we to fear from the remaining 20 million people in the Western Balkans, being as we are a Community of 27 states and 500 million citizens?
I have one final comment. The Swedish Presidency is coming up next year. It will be working with France and the Czech Republic. I would like to call on the Prime Minister to encourage his Czech colleagues to submit the Lisbon Treaty to the Czech Parliament for ratification at the earliest opportunity. As a Czech citizen, I suspect that the Eurosceptic Czech Government is not very eager to do so."@en1
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