Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-18-Speech-3-010"
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"en.20080618.2.3-010"2
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"Madam President, for eight years now, we have constantly been ratifying some treaty or other. We have been ratifying ourselves to death. During these eight years, the European Union has undergone a period of introspection and has focused on its own institutional reforms, albeit without much success. This is the same European Union that requires accession candidates to undertake transformation processes, and yet it is apparently unable to manage this for itself. How much credibility does that leave us?
Let me say this: the best social policy measure for Europe that you could propose on 3 July is to withdraw this portfolio from Mr McCreevy, for he has proved that he is not up to the job. I cannot accept a Commissioner for the Internal Market who represents such a skewed approach to politics. Deregulating the internal market to breaking point is what Mr McCreevy wants to do, regardless of what it costs, without any social flanking measures at EU level or in the Member States: that is the crisis which is being felt by Europe's citizens! When it comes to this particular Commissioner, you need to take action!
I would also have liked to hear you say something about the crisis in the financial markets. I have yet to hear you say a word about the turmoil in the financial markets. Let me also address a comment to Mr Daul: there are 21 heads of government across the European Union who belong to your political family or the Liberals, and an equally large number of Members of the Commission. The PPE-DE Group in this House is, I gladly admit, open-minded when it comes to certain social policy measures. I urge you to talk to your heads of government at last, and to talk to your colleagues in the Council!
What Europe needs is concerted action in the social arena. You have the majority in Europe, in the Council, in the Commission and also here in this House. For once, you could demonstrate the social responsibility that you have just been calling for. I invite you to do so, for example in relation to my colleague Paul Nyrup Rasmussen's report on control of the international financial markets. I invite you to follow up your grand statements on social responsibility with some action. A warm welcome to you, Mr Daul!
We will find a way out of this impasse, I am certain of that. In one way or another, we will undoubtedly get the Irish back on board. However, that will not help us! We must recognise that there was once a time when the pro-European movement had a heart and soul. As Mr Daul pointed out, this was after the war, when Europe's peacemaking mystique melded people together. Now, it is the anti-Europe movement which has the heart and soul, and you can see that they are extremely active. They raced round Ireland, climbed staircases, rang doorbells, canvassed and distributed their campaign materials. They were in evidence everywhere. Where were the pro-Europeans? Where is the movement which campaigns for European integration? Where is the passion that we once had? The passion has migrated to the other side, the side which speaks ill of Europe, on the right wing of the political spectrum. It lies with those who speak ill of Europe, and who do so simply because they are afraid. In Europe, however, this mixture of social decline and fear has always opened the door to fascism.
I therefore appeal to all the constructive democratic forces in Europe to take this movement seriously! Let us finally join forces again for one purpose: to remind ourselves that there has never been a more successful project to safeguard peace in Europe and the world than the transnational, intercultural, inter-faith movement which is based on a balance of social interests and is called the European Union. It is a project worth fighting for, because we cannot let these people gain the upper hand.
Commission President, you have said, quite correctly, that Europe's institutions are not to blame and we should not allow them always to be made the scapegoat. You are absolutely right, but exactly who is making them the scapegoat? In Europe's capitals, there are a great many people who will convene for the Council on Thursday, and each time they go back home, if the Council meeting in Brussels has been successful, they say: 'It was all down to us, the heads of state and government', and if it was unsuccessful, they say, 'It was their fault, the people in Brussels!' You should tell the Council what you have told us here. Incidentally, the debate conducted with you here in this House takes place in public, but the heads of state and government will be meeting on Thursday behind closed doors yet again. There needs to be a stop to that as well. It is the Member States who bear the responsibility!
We have a downward spiral, a negative spiral, which is a dangerous one. The process of European integration is on the line. The Irish have had their referendum and we must respect the results, but there was an element which perturbed me greatly.
With the exception of Sinn Féin – and I will not waste words on them here – all the Irish parties, the PPE-DE, the Liberals and our own party were calling for a 'yes', and the Irish people voted 'no'. This is the wake-up call, and everyone, including us here in this Chamber, is affected by the fact that there is a crisis of confidence, a crisis of mistrust, vis-à-vis the national institutions, and indeed the supranational institutions. I can do without your applause. Whether Irish sovereignty is represented by UKIP's ideology is debatable, in my view. The Irish can do without your protection. Let me say this very clearly: we must stand together in response to this crisis of confidence, and we must take it seriously.
Commission President, I have been wondering when you would finally say a word or two about your Commissioner McCreevy today.
This is the man who is responsible for internal market policy in the European Union: the same internal market which, due to its social inequality, more and more citizens are understandably viewing as a threat, not an opportunity. This man, who is responsible in your Commission for the internal market, goes to Ireland and says that he has not read the Lisbon Treaty and would not expect voters to do so either. How can that possibly increase public confidence?"@en1
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