Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-05-05-Speech-2-284"
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"en.20090505.23.2-284"2
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"At this stage of the debate, I want to make three comments. Firstly, I want to say that social policy is not the monopoly of any one political force in this House. The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats, the political force that I represent in this House, has contributed to social policy during this legislative term in what I regard as a very decisive way. I played a very active part in various reports, on various subjects, in particular the review of the European Social Fund, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, flexicurity, the report on the European Social Model, the Working Time Directive, and now the European Social Agenda.
From my experience of this legislative term, I am convinced that we can achieve broad consensus on questions of social policy. However, in addition to broad consensus on the design of policies – which I regard as having been achieved – we must also be more demanding in terms of achieving consensus on political action. In this respect, the feeling that I have is that, in the Commission and in the European institutions, we should have developed many more incentives so that financial resources could be allocated at local and regional level, subject to there being convergence between the various bodies and actions so that social problems can actually be solved.
My third comment concerns the problem of trust. Trust cannot be decreed or legislated for; it depends to a large extent on the behaviour of the institutions. I believe that a culture of cooperation in the design of policies will help to restore trust. I believe that, during this legislative term, here in the European Parliament, we have set a good example of how to cooperate, and the result of this work on the Renewed Social Agenda is clearly based on this idea.
I agree with the Commissioner when he says that social dialogue has to be at the heart of the debate. However, more than just social dialogue, I believe that we are now at a stage where social policy must be at the heart of the political debate. I am therefore very much in favour of the words spoken here in this House regarding the summit on employment and social policies. I feel that it is now absolutely appropriate for this matter to be discussed.
Finally, this is my last speech in this Parliament and I want to thank – on behalf of the President – all the Members, and the Commissioner and the Commission, for the way in which they have cooperated with me over these five years of intense and exciting activity in this European Parliament. Thank you very much."@en1
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