Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-16-Speech-2-261"
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"en.20081216.31.2-261"2
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"Mr President, I should like to say thank you for this very interesting debate – at least most of the time I found it very interesting – and I think we have heard the most relevant arguments being presented. I will restrict myself to just making a few telegrammatic comments and I will mention a few things that I did not hear in the debate.
Firstly, I would like to say that, no, the Commission is not a secretariat for the Council. I deny that is the case. Do not confuse the fact that we have been working very closely with the French presidency – we have had good cooperation with the French presidency – with our being a secretariat. By presenting the energy package, the climate package, the economic recovery plan, being ambitious and taking the initiative, we have proven that we are not a secretariat but a Commission with the right of initiative, and we will continue to act in that way.
Concerning the Lisbon Treaty: I can add to the arguments being presented here that I think that the Council – with the Commission, of course – has been presented with a long list of the problematic issues of concern to the Irish people so the concerns of the Irish people can be respected. We have been able to study that in detail. Together we have looked at solutions, and the Council, as you know, has now agreed to take a decision on the number of Commissioners. I have always advocated having one Commissioner per Member State, even though I have been loyal to the position of the Commission. To put it simply, I think that what you might lose in efficiency – and I am not so sure that you would lose something in efficiency, for instance I think the French Government has about 33 members – you win in legitimacy. We need legitimacy more than ever and it is very important that we keep a Commissioner per Member State. I welcome this decision. But we have also gone through the rest of the list of concerns and there are ways to address these.
What we will contribute is to make sure that as soon as possible we can sign a memorandum of understanding with the Irish Government on how to provide better information. That includes making sure that young people and women in Ireland are able to form their own opinions and that they can say that they have at least had a chance to get all the information necessary. That is what we will contribute in the near future.
I did not hear any arguments about an energy package also offering a number of opportunities for Europe. I think that investing in more energy-efficient industries or an electricity grid offers us fantastic opportunities, not only to create jobs and bridge the recession but also for sustainable development. I think that this cannot be repeated enough. We should be the ones to point to the European value added of acting together now.
Some of you mentioned poor countries and the developing world, because we must not forget that they are the first victims and are the ones most affected by this. We must not give up on our target to implement the Millennium Development Goals and we must not lose sight of the rest of the world when we are busy trying to fight recession and the problems arising from the economic crisis.
Let me add that a little piece of history has been written during the French presidency. With Vice-President Vidal-Quadras and Mr Jouyet, we were able to sign a partnership on communication, an agreement to communicate in partnership with the Member States, the European Parliament and the Commission. This will be a valuable tool and we have to use it first and foremost to make sure we mobilise the voters now that the European elections are coming up. I must say how much I have appreciated working with both Mr Vidal-Quadras and Mr Jouyet, and I am sure that we will also achieve good cooperation for the future.
I think all the praise lavished on the French presidency is because we appreciate true leadership, engaged leadership, when we see it. Even though we do not belong to the same political family, we prefer people who are clear about their values, who are willing to put a lot of energy and their own ideas into the debate about Europe, and we see somebody defending Europe in all of this. This is what we appreciate and value.
Finally, let me wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year."@en1
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