Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-04-22-Speech-3-355"
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"en.20090422.54.3-355"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members, I believe that what Parliament is about to adopt is a good compromise, reconciling the Council’s demands, the demands of the majority of MEPs and the European Commission’s proposals.
Obviously, when a compromise is needed, each must take a step back so that others can do the same, and I therefore think that Mr El Khadraoui’s words were wise: we have done the best we could under the circumstances. As I said in my earlier speech, as far as cabotage is concerned, the Commission intends to assess the situation and see if it might be possible to reach an agreement – it will depend on how things stand – it may be that we can open the sector further and so take the direction many Members have called for, but we must of course gauge the situation at the time.
To repeat, I believe that this is a good compromise, and I would like to address Mr Sterckx, who has the courtesy and good will not just to criticise, but then also to listen to the reply, unlike many Members, who have made criticisms and then are unfortunately unable to listen to the Commission’s comments in response to what they have said. I would like to reassure Mr Sterckx, who is rightly concerned about the existence of prior agreements concerning his country of origin and the other Benelux countries.
It is my belief, however, that this legislation, as it is to be adopted, will not – as I said earlier – have any negative repercussions for existing agreements. They will remain in force, because the new legislation will broaden the situation but will not affect, and therefore not prejudice, bilateral or trilateral agreements that already exist. Thus I believe I can reassure Mr Sterckx that as I see it, which I believe is the correct and effective interpretation, there will be no negative repercussions for the agreements that chiefly – I repeat – concern Benelux.
I also wanted to reassure Mr Blokland and Mrs Wortmann-Kool about the concerns they voiced: we do not intend to stop here, we are looking – I repeat – to see how the situation develops, in 2013 we will prepare a report to assess the state of the art, how things have evolved, and if it is possible, if we deem it necessary, we will again propose to Parliament and the Council a possible extension of the situation and further liberalisation of the cabotage system. We are very aware though, that many EU countries hold a different view, and so in order to obtain approval from the Council it has been necessary to take a step back on other matters.
Nonetheless, I would say again that I think it is a very good thing that we have reached an agreement relatively quickly, an agreement that – I would also reassure Mr Jarzembowski – could always be improved; every law can be improved, but too often the best is the enemy of the good. I believe we are doing the right thing and I do not think it necessary to leave the European Union when we talk about these subjects, as Mr Nattrass suggests, because I think that good rules are useful to the European Union.
Even an authoritative British newspaper, the
has speculated that Great Britain will re-think the need for stricter rules; certainly, during the crisis Europe has withstood the economic and financial crisis better than other regions, precisely because it has based its economic system on clear rules.
I believe, perhaps because I was born in Rome, that the history of Roman law and the Napoleonic Code has demonstrated the importance of having rules that guarantee society’s development. I do not know which side of Hadrian’s Wall Mr Nattrass was born on, but judging by his speech I would say he was born on the far side of the wall, and his ancestors therefore had no way of knowing Roman law.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to thank you again for your cooperation, and the Council for its work, and express my thanks once more in this House to the Commission staff of the Directorate General that I have the honour to lead, because without their valuable contribution it would not have been possible to reach a compromise that I believe to be positive for all EU citizens."@en1
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