Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-15-Speech-2-298"
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"en.20091215.18.2-298"2
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"Mr President, I come from Latvia, a country hit heavily by the financial crisis. Due to the irresponsible policy of right-wing governments, Latvia risked going bankrupt without financial assistance from outside. Now we are speaking about different financial and economic solutions which could change the situation for the better. Of course, we must properly discuss all the solutions, including the speedy introduction of the euro. In the meantime, I am afraid that the financial and economic perspective is only one side of the coin. We have to discuss the social perspective as well.
Now, the EU institutions are perceived as the ‘bad guys’ by many residents of Latvia: the bad guys who make our poor government cut pensions and benefits, the bad guys who are to blame for social exclusion and poverty. There are many politicians who cultivate this perception, mainly inside the ruling coalition, because, if people believe that the current social crisis is our government’s fault, the government will not survive the forthcoming general elections.
Do I believe that Latvia and other countries of the region urgently need the EU’s helping hand? Yes, I do. But I strongly believe that we need a strong mechanism for control and we need very strict conditions in the field of social policy. EU money should first of all go to save common people, not banks or state bureaucracy. Therefore, using this opportunity, I would ask all my colleagues and fellow Members to sign Written Declaration 0056/2009, which was initiated by representatives of three political groups, on social conditionality for European Union help."@en1
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