Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-10-07-Speech-3-055"
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"en.20091007.17.3-055"2
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"− Mr President, the Irish people took a very important and historic decision last weekend: a very important decision for Ireland; a very important decision for Europe. The Irish people, by a resounding majority, recognised the importance of the Lisbon Treaty, a Treaty that offers a more democratic and effective Europe, a Treaty that gives us the right platform to deliver the modern, successful European Union our citizens wish to see.
One of the most important and the most complex has to be the innovations regarding the European External Action Service. We have been working hard to think through some of the practical details of how we can make the European External Action Service a real success. This work will now accelerate and, in the same spirit as the remarks made just now by the Swedish Presidency, I want to state the European Commission’s determination to work with Parliament to achieve that objective.
I know that Elmar Brok has been leading on this subject here in Parliament. I understand that you will debate this at the next plenary. This is excellent timing since this will take place shortly before the same question is discussed at the European Council. I think that report is an excellent basis for discussions between our institutions, and I welcome the strong Community spirit that inspires the report. This is exactly the spirit that I will uphold in the preparation for the important innovation that is the European External Service.
Another point is comitology. It is an important aspect of how the European Union does its business. The Treaty of Lisbon introduces new rules making the system more rational and transparent. We need to fix exactly how the new system should work. But let me be clear: many of these decisions are of great political importance and deserve proper democratic scrutiny and real political ownership. So we need to maintain the strong role played by Parliament today.
Another important democratic element is the new mechanisms to allow national parliaments a direct say on subsidiarity. We need to put these mechanisms in the broader context of the excellent relations with national parliaments built up by the Commission, and indeed the European Parliament, over the last few years.
Finally, I would like to mention the European Citizens’ Initiative. This is one of the most striking innovations on the Treaty’s democratic agenda and one on which this Parliament has already worked in detail. Margot Wallström has been leading our work in developing a green paper to launch a consultation as soon as possible, with the goal of seeing this opportunity in citizens’ hands within a year of entry into force.
When I spoke to this Parliament last month, I set out what I saw as the greatest challenges and the great opportunities facing Europe today. With the Lisbon Treaty, we will have the right springboard to help us make those goals a reality, and I am sure that with this constructive partnership between our institutions, we will make it a success. That is the commitment of the European Commission.
The Treaty now has the democratic endorsement of all 27 Member States. All the Member States of the European Union, by parliament or by popular vote, have approved the Treaty.
This is indeed a major achievement. It shows how the enlarged Europe is able to share a vision for our future and a determination to move forward. It was decided democratically. Now what we need is the ratification procedures to be concluded.
I am pleased to see that President Kaczyński of Poland will be signing very soon. As he has always said to me, he will be ready to do it when the Irish have voted ‘yes’. This is indeed very good news.
Of course, we have to see the completion of the process in the Czech Republic. We need to respect the constitutional proceedings in that country, as we have done in other countries, but once these procedures are concluded, I see no reason why proceedings cannot be concluded swiftly.
This is important for Europe as a whole, but it is particularly important for the Commission. I want to see the new Commission in place, a Commission in accordance with the Lisbon Treaty, and I want to see it in office as quickly as possible. A long period with a caretaker Commission is in nobody’s interest. I am ready to start the formation of the next Commission as soon as the Council is ready to clarify the legal basis definitively, and also to nominate the High Representative who will become Vice-President of the Commission.
I appreciate all the efforts made by the Swedish Presidency, and personally by Prime Minister Reinfeldt, to reach a swift conclusion to all these processes. The initiative that Prime Minister Reinfeldt took today at a meeting with me and with you, President Buzek, and the video conference with Prime Minister Fischer, was a very good and useful initiative.
I also know that this Parliament has worked tirelessly to promote the Lisbon Treaty. Parliament and Commission have worked hand in hand to explain why it is the right treaty for Europe. I am proud of the role that the Commission played in giving the Irish people the information they needed to make up their minds.
Now that we have a real probability of having the Lisbon Treaty finally ratified and the whole process completed, we can turn our attention to the work to implement the Treaty. I would like to take this occasion to highlight four areas where we are working hard to ensure that we can hit the ground running when the Treaty comes into force."@en1
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