Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-25-Speech-3-030"
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"en.20091125.6.3-030"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, when commenting on the appointments made for the opening of the new European Union season, the international press has very often used terms such as ‘candidates who are not up to the job’ or ‘unsatisfactory candidates’.
I would like to buck the trend. Mr Verhofstadt never said a truer word when he stated that a glass may be seen as half full or half empty. I therefore wonder what the Council’s rationale was when it chose these individuals. I believe it was a Community-based rationale, and I will try to explain what I mean by that. Choosing an outgoing member of the European Commission for the role of European Foreign Minister sends out a clear message: it is saying that the intention is to conduct a Community foreign policy and not a foreign policy that adheres to the philosophies of any one nation in particular. As far as I am concerned, therefore, the news is not that Mrs Ashton is British, but that she comes from the Commission. In other words, she adopts a Community approach to foreign policy matters that is not linked to the particular viewpoint of one nation.
As for the Belgian Prime Minister’s nomination as a candidate, this has been questioned by comparing him with higher-profile individuals. I believe that what we are asking of the President of the European Council, who will remain in office for two and a half years, is not to shout louder than others or to assert his authority more than others but to persuade others to speak with one voice. For this reason, I believe that it was a good choice to put forward Mr Van Rompuy.
We must be driven by a Community approach, because if we really want to build Europe, it is right that we choose these individuals on the basis of this criterion. We will be able to observe the efficiency and effectiveness of this choice when we see them in action, but I call on everyone to strongly support their work because otherwise, we really will have wasted the best opportunity of our lives."@en1
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