Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-14-Speech-3-012"
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"en.20090114.3.3-012"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the European Commission, ladies and gentlemen, having only just taken office, the Czech Presidency finds itself faced with considerable difficulties and entrusted with the onerous task of managing three major crises: the continuation of the economic and social crisis, the gas crisis bringing Russia and Ukraine into conflict and seriously affecting the Union and its neighbourhood, and the outbreak of another war in the Middle East.
We are counting on you, Mr Topolánek, on your Presidency, to show drive and to guide Europe during this difficult period.
In the face of these challenges, the only stance that our countries can take is to join forces, show solidarity and take both coordinated and determined action.
I am pleased to note that the Czech Presidency, in close cooperation with the European Commission, has acted swiftly and as one in the energy crisis bringing Kiev and Moscow into conflict with one another. Although a solution is not yet in place, we cannot accept being held hostage; we need to act forcefully. You are right, Mr Topolánek and Mr Barroso. By including energy among its three major priorities, the Czech Presidency fully grasped what will be one of Europe’s major challenges in the years to come, namely our energy independence and the necessary diversification of our energy resources.
The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats is, like all European citizens, extremely concerned about this conflict and about the threat that it poses to European countries as a whole. We cannot tolerate EU Member States being held hostage in this conflict, and this demonstrates, once again, the urgent need for agreement on a European energy policy. We must therefore give serious thought to ways of reducing our dependence and must take action to implement energy mixes.
Ladies and gentlemen, the situation prevailing in the Middle East also takes us back to the need to accept our responsibilities at international level. Yes, Europe is the world’s biggest donor of humanitarian aid – we can be proud of that, and it must continue – but it is not humanitarian aid on its own that is going to resolve the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
What Europe needs is a strong, articulate political will, one with enough human, military and financial resources to make it a credible actor on the world stage. Why does the world have its eyes glued to Barack Obama? Because Europe is not yet capable of putting forward his vision, ideals and knowledge. Europe has criticised, and rightly so, the unilateralism of the current US administration, and if, as I hope, things change with the new occupant of the White House, are we ready to guarantee our share of multilateralism? Are we ready to release the military resources, not to go to war, but to guarantee peace? Are we ready to release the budgetary resources needed to give us the means to conduct our policy?
Mr Topolánek, you have rightly made the Union’s external relations one of your priorities. Current events provide many examples of the urgency with which this subject should be treated, be it in relations with Russia, the United States or the Middle East, not to mention with the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Africa or the emerging countries. Europeans expect Europe to exert its influence on the international stage; all the opinion polls have shown this for years. Why wait?
Lastly, the Presidency-in-Office will have to cope with the economic and social crisis by overseeing the implementation of the national recovery plans, by leading the European Union at the G20 summit to be held in London in April. We call on the Czech Presidency to work hand in hand with the European Commission to define and implement, together with our international partners, rules to be imposed on economic operators.
The European Union must protect its social model, the social market economy, and must promote the implementation on the world financial markets of a market supervision system similar to that which prevails in our countries. Europe must be united and determined in the management of the financial crisis and of the economic crisis also."@en1
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