Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-11-Speech-3-098"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20091111.15.3-098"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Since the Swedish minister has spoken in French and English, I ought to speak in Swedish.
Madam President, I will attempt to speak Swedish and say something about an important point that has been raised here today, namely how the text of the new treaty is related to the reality that we want to change, how the text of the new Treaty of Lisbon is to guide us and give us the tools we need to take decisions on how to combat climate change, how to deal with the economic crisis and what follows in its wake, namely unemployment and social problems, and how to tackle migration problems and other issues that are high on our agenda.
That is how these things link in, just as Mr Barnier said earlier. This is, of course, linked to the implementation and execution and to who we appoint as our representatives in the Commission and, of course, as leaders in the top posts that are now to be filled. As you know, it is the case, at least in Swedish, that the ‘right man in the right place is often a woman’ and I believe that applies in this instance, too. Thankfully, I know that I have the Commission President’s support when I say that the procedure that is to follow now is, of course, very important from a democratic point of view. It is also the Member States’ opportunity to show that they are not merely paying lip service to this, but that they do indeed have competent, capable candidates who are women and who they are prepared to put forward.
Otherwise, those of us who constitute the majority of the EU’s population will become a minority when it comes to taking democratic decisions. Just as Václav Havel has written and said many times, democracy is not something that has, once and for all, and irrevocably fallen from the sky, democracy is something we need to maintain and continually fight for again and again. We have, of course, worked closely with the Swedish Presidency and I would like once again, both on my own behalf and on behalf of the Commission, to express my thanks for the hard work that I know the Swedish Presidency has put in, including in preparation for what is now to be implemented.
As Mr Barroso said earlier, the Commission has today taken a decision on the first measures that we are to be responsible for, namely the citizens’ initiative. We will begin with a broad round of consultations when we will send out a green book containing ten questions. If we can get a good number of responses to this by the end of January, we hope, after a quick debate, including here in Parliament, to be able to have the new citizens’ initiative in place and ready to be implemented by the end of next year. This is, of course, a good example of how we can use the new sections of the Treaty of Lisbon and the new possibilities that it provides to give citizens a stronger voice and greater influence.
The climate issue and the climate negotiations have already been mentioned by a good many people here and by the Minister for European Affairs. Naturally, the greatest strength we have is to speak with one voice and to continue to insist on a strong and, of course, binding agreement. We will, of course, be able to look at the form of the agreement when we know what our partners are bringing to the table in terms of offers and counteroffers. Finally, I hope, of course, that we will continue to cooperate closely on the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon. This work must start now, both here and in the Commission, and I will gladly present Parliament’s views on how the Commission’s work is to be organised to Mr Barroso, too. Once again, we are the guardians of the treaty and we will, of course, ensure that we follow the treaty to the letter."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples