Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-18-Speech-3-009"
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"en.20080618.2.3-009"2
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"Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, the majority of Irish people who voted expressed their opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. My Group respects that decision just as it also respects that of the 18 Member States that have to date expressed their support for the Treaty and ratified it.
The European Union is founded on freedom of expression and democracy. Therefore, because we are democrats, we want all of the Member States to express their opinion on the ratification of the Treaty. It is only at the end of this process that the European Council will be able to decide which path to take; in other words – not to take anything away from Ireland’s decision – no Member State should deprive the others of freely expressing their position.
We hope that this week the European Council will carry out a calm, responsible and constructive analysis of the situation ensuing from this vote. The PPE members of my Group hope that the European Council will ask the Member States that have not yet done so to continue with their ratification procedures as is only fit and proper.
Ladies and gentlemen, the people of Ireland have spoken. They have voiced their concerns about the purpose of European integration, about the way in which Europe is run, about the future of the agricultural policy, about the WTO negotiations, about the tax policy. The Irish vote also reflects the fact that many people do not understand the complexity of the European Union, whose relevance is not always evident to them. It is a manifestation of the question many citizens are asking about the very purpose of European integration. My motivation and that of my generation – in other words, ensuring peace in our continent – is no longer understood by the younger generations.
The Irish ‘no’ vote is a plea for a better definition of Europe’s goals and a better explanation of the reasons for pursuing further integration. The European Parliament, which adopts texts that are often difficult to read, must play a full role in this exercise. By voting ‘no’, however, did the Irish mean that when it comes to climate and energy, the new food order, personal safety, immigration or foreign policy our countries are self-sufficient and can act on an equal footing with the United States, China, India or Brazil? I do not think so. By voting ‘no’, did the Irish mean that solidarity with the poorest countries, from which they have significantly and rightly benefited in recent decades, is no longer relevant and that the rule from now on is every man for himself? I do not think so. Finally, by voting ‘no’ did the Irish want to turn over a new leaf as far as European integration is concerned and were they expressing a negative opinion on the accession of a country like Croatia? I do not think so.
The PPE members of my Group firmly believe that the Lisbon Treaty, which was the subject of long negotiations and which was signed by the 27 Member States, is a major step forward in comparison to the Nice Treaty. It enables Europe to function better and it gives it the tools it needs to be speak with a louder voice on the world stage. I have only one wish and that is for Europe’s period of introspection to come to an end as quickly as possible. It is time for our countries – if I may use the expression – to stop navel-gazing and work together to overcome the real problems and the real challenges. These challenges should spur us to action and they also give rise to serious concerns, and sometimes anger, as we will see once again in Brussels on Thursday, among all those who are weakened and handicapped by the current situation.
Mr President-in-Office, my request is that tomorrow in the Council you take account of the real problems, of the welfare of our fellow European citizens, and deal head-on with all of the increases that are worrying our citizens.
In this heated debate, the PPE members of my Group are calling for calm and reason. We must listen to the Irish, we must learn from their vote and we must treat the people of the other European nations with the same respect."@en1
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