Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-15-Speech-2-309"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20091215.18.2-309"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Thank you, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that the sensible policy for combating the crisis in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe must be based on the principle of a social market economy, unlike the suggestions made by the previous speaker. This is why only a strong economy which respects the freedom of private ownership, the rule of law and personal liability can guarantee the cost of the sustainable social policy which our society deserves.
I firmly believe that our efforts and responsibility must be focused on a number of basic pillars. Firstly, stable public finances. An alarming number of Member States have high levels of national debt. We need to be very vigilant and disciplined. We must aim for budget deficits that are not only within the 3% GDP limit, but also do our utmost to achieve balanced budgets.
As part of the Stability and Growth Pact, the European Commission and Council must closely monitor Member States for macroeconomic imbalances.
Secondly, we must support small and medium-sized enterprises. The reason for this is not only that they provide more than 65% of employment in Europe, but also that they offer the most flexibility and dynamic growth potential, especially during a crisis.
Thirdly, it is important for us to support the unemployed and the most vulnerable groups in our society, as well as to provide sufficient investments in education, obtaining qualifications and research. The last point, and the number one priority for Member States who recently joined, is the expansion of the euro area.
I want to ask for your support and thank my fellow Members, as well as urge the European Commission and Member States to review their position with regard to the area’s expansion. We need your understanding and solidarity, especially in countries like Bulgaria, where I am from, which has made great efforts to comply with the Maastricht criteria and also has one of the lowest budget deficits in the European Union, along with an extremely disciplined fiscal policy.
Fellow Members, I believe that it is important for us to continue with our joint, coordinated efforts in order to help our economies recover and emerge from the crisis stronger than before."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples