Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-09-14-Speech-1-104"

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"Madam President, Commissioner Kroes, Commissioner Špidla, in my speech here in the European Parliament, I would like, as a member of the ECR group, to talk very briefly about the current situation in the car industry, particularly from the perspective of the future competitiveness of European producers. I would also like to thank Commissioner Kroes for her approach to the highly complex issue we are debating today, which will create an enormously complex environment for solving such economic situations in the future. The global economic crisis has affected many areas of the economy. Car production is among the areas worst affected. This may be due to the fact that the car industry is a point of convergence for many different areas, exerting huge demands for quality and incredible competitive pressures, together with pressure for technological progress and innovation. Anyone who cannot manage the dizzying pace of modern technology is in serious trouble and that is precisely what we are seeing today. US car makers are a case in point. I would go so far as to say that the crisis has clearly identified those that failed to predict how cars would develop as well as those that invested wisely in the development of new competitive models when times were good. I remain fundamentally opposed to targeted government intervention, which can only solve the short-term financial problems of individual domestic producers. I understand politicians’ fears regarding rising unemployment levels in certain areas but I am sure that it would be very unwise to rely solely on injections of funding into a single sector, as this simply postpones the day of reckoning, often at the expense of those that are operating in a sensible way. The global crisis can also be a major stimulus for the creation of new technologies and the use of new fuels such as compressed natural gas, hydrogen or, for example, electricity. If the EU wants to stimulate and support European producers, it should therefore support research and simplify innovation procedures which – we must acknowledge – really are very lengthy in Europe. I am delighted that EU Member States have headed off protectionist tendencies for now. Financial protectionism on its own would simply extend the life of uncompetitive activities. Just as catastrophic floods on the Nile brought fertility in ancient Egypt, the global crisis should be an impulse for the development of new European cars that are more environmentally-friendly and highly competitive on world markets. I am truly delighted that Commissioner Kroes has taken such a serious approach to this issue, as it will have a very serious impact on all of us in the future."@en1
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