Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-08-Speech-3-035"
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"en.20081008.14.3-035"2
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"Madam President, first of all I want to pay tribute to the Council and congratulate them for their efforts, particularly with regard to Russia and the situation in Georgia. It took a lot of strength and courage and great diplomacy to find a peaceful solution to the difficulties which we faced. It proved – if anybody needed further proof – that collectively and with strong leadership we can achieve an awful lot more than mere military might or economic wealth can bring to us, simply by the example that we give and the tactics that we employ.
Secondly I think it is important to make sure that bringing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership to life is on the agenda for the upcoming Council. Never at any stage in our history is it more required that we bring together our partners at the Mediterranean level to guarantee that we can bring about not just economic development but also the peaceful coexistence of nations. In particular we should follow the example of the Egyptian Government in their ongoing peace negotiations with regard to Sudan, Chad and other areas.
I have two further points. It would be wrong of me not to mention the situation with regard to Ireland and the Lisbon Treaty. Member States have already given Ireland a period for reflection – for which we are thankful – but this is no different to the period of reflection which both France and the Netherlands got when they rejected the Constitutional Treaty. It takes time to put forward proposals and ideas as to how these difficulties can be resolved. It behoves us in Parliament to ensure that we do not try to put the gun to any country’s head regarding whether or not it will ratify the Treaty – in particular because it requires a democratic vote of the people to guarantee the ratification of that Treaty.
Secondly, regarding the present financial crisis, I do not blame or point a finger at any particular person. I congratulate the Council for getting their act together and taking decisive action. I once again congratulate the Commission for actually standing up and saying what needed to be said before the Council acted and for ensuring that credibility was put into the market by saying that we are capable, able and willing to take action, either through the ECB, Ecofin, individual Member States or whatever else.
But let us not make the mistake of saying that everything that went on in the last two weeks is wrong and that everything that comes in the future is going to be right. Our history must teach us that, over the period of time that we have been living in this world, there have been alterations and changes. Those alterations and changes bring horrors of hardship on people.
We must first of all guarantee to protect the ordinary person. The banks have got a bail-out. The banks have got a guarantee. With that guarantee also comes the responsibility for banks to now start lending to businesses and to people, to allow the economies to pick up again. It is not only about cutting the wages or salaries of executives; it is about ensuring that the economic cycle can get back to where it is supposed to be. The deposit guarantee is only a small aspect of this."@en1
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