Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-01-20-Speech-3-078"
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"en.20100120.5.3-078"2
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"Mr President, I note with satisfaction that the European Parliament has more strength and vitality behind it than ever. There have been a very high number of interventions, specific questions, which would be impossible to deal with completely in my response, without prolonging this session entirely unacceptably.
Secondly, subsidiarity and languages. Of course, we will be faithful in our application of the Lisbon Treaty, and I would like to point out that it was my government that promoted the use of Spanish co-official languages in the European institutions. There is no doubt, however, that at the moment, balance between the institutions is highlighted in the application of the Treaty of Lisbon. There has been some comment, which I believe to be unfair, although I must admit that it has been very isolated in nature. As the President of the rotating Presidency, I have expressed, declared and supported the institutional role of the permanent President of the Council, of course, the High Representative, and the full collaboration of the Commission, and I will continue to do so.
The new powers of the European Parliament will be set in motion by the rotating Spanish Presidency, in full collaboration with the President of the Commission, who has always demonstrated his continuous working relationship with Parliament. I refer to the work carried out by Mr Durão Barroso. I have been criticised for giving him my support. Yes, I have supported him and I do support him, because I have seen him work in favour of a strong and united Europe, and that is very important, over and above ideological positioning.
Thirdly, the financial system, tax havens and new regulation and supervision. I did not refer to this so as not to exhaust all subjects, but I fully agree with the application of the rules on new financial supervision and regulation. As for the requirement to put an end to tax havens, the rotating Presidency will be firm and strict.
It will, of course, promote, encourage and demand all countries to push forward with the necessary agreements for fiscal transparency and for the provision of information in the context of the international community.
On the subject of climate change, on 11 February the Council will carry out an analysis of the Copenhagen Summit, with the help of the Commission. Of course, the European Union should continue to take steps in favour of a strategy which will bring us to a progressive agreement to promote the reduction of climate change. I am in favour of the European Union knowing how to intelligently align its own ambition, which it has laid down for 2020 or for the period 2020-2030, with the demands of other players with regard to reducing their emissions. In support of European unity and a common strategy, we must entrust this task to the European Commission. I also fully agree that the United States and China are the two lead players for whom we can see a much more active role.
Of course, I am fully convinced that the common agriculture policy should include fisheries and that the social pact which was referred to by some Members needs revision, a change to incorporate the interests, legitimate representation and the constructive position of a large proportion of those who represent workers in Europe. They represent the workers, the unions that are the expression of the European social pact which, in the last few decades, has made us the region with the greatest social welfare and the greatest prosperity since the Second World War.
The future of the European Union and European prosperity cannot be written down without the workers, without social rights and without social welfare policies and therefore, we must actively incorporate them.
There was a question concerning the area of foreign policy. The Middle East, Latin America in particular, and an allusion to Israel. We hope in the next six months to push forward an agreement on the Middle East. We know that peace in the Middle East is a necessary, fundamental condition for peace in other regions, where terror and conflict have spread, driven by radicalism and ideological and religious fanaticism. The European Union will fulfil its role by contributing to that peace process through a commitment to take up talks again. We know what the aims and the conditions are. We know that that dialogue must include the recognition of the Palestinian State as one of its fundamental conditions.
Allow me to make a compromise and to refer in my intervention to certain questions which I think are most relevant and must be clarified. My compromise is that each and every one of the specific questions which have been raised by members will get a response at the final sitting that I attend at the end of the six-month period, when Spain’s rotating Presidency will be assessed and judged. I therefore hope to satisfy all Members on certain specific matters, which I have taken note of.
To work with Israel is to work for peace. If we do not work with Israel, in spite of the criticisms that it deserves for many of its actions, we will not be able to see peace on the horizon. To work with Palestine is to work for its right to a state, a territory, to be able to see prosperity on the horizon and to deal with all the outstanding issues. We will do this in a determined manner and, of course, with the collaboration of other major international players.
Regarding Latin America. Latin America is a young, immensely vital continent, with a great future. It has a population of 500 million people and has a great European imprint, not just a great Spanish imprint, but a great European imprint because, over there, democratic values and progressive values now exist, after a long time, and some difficulties consolidating what its stability and its consolidation as a group of nations mean. At the Latin American Summit, we wish to achieve or make progress towards trade agreements with Mercosur, with Central America and with the Andean Community. This is all in the interests of development and progress, for Latin America as much as for European economic interests, which, in my opinion should also be defended.
European interests. When reference was made, and agreed on by other Members, to Union policies on equality between men and women, I considered this to be a very good example and a policy of citizenship. Those are European interests. The European interests I uphold in foreign policy action are the interests involving the values of what Europe represents, which has its origins in the Enlightenment and in all the cultural, religious and civic traditions that have flourished and developed in Europe. To standardise is to tolerate, to standardise is to respect European tradition, the best of European tradition, which means that this land is the land of religious, ideological, political and cultural freedom. That freedom demands tolerance and equality of treatment between all faiths and beliefs, so that democracy can be complete democracy.
Mr President, I basically wanted to refer to some isolated interventions, about my country, about Spain, from other countries, and particularly Mr Langen’s reference, a particular reference to Spain, about our economic characteristics, which I feel obliged to answer. I must say that when I began my speech this morning, I spoke as a European country, as a pro-European country, thankful to be in the European Union, thankful to those countries who encouraged our entry into the European Union, and having experienced a great transformation and great progress in these past 25 years. So much so, that since we entered the European Union, we have reduced the difference in per capita income by 15 points, exceeding the current European average. This has been thanks to the efforts of many Spaniards, of its workers and its enterprises.
Currently, after making such significant progress, we are experiencing the economic crisis, which is affecting employment. It is true that we have a high level of unemployment, as happened during the crises of the 70s and 90s. This has been a characteristic of our country, just as when there is growth, we create more employment than other countries. However, I can assure Mr Langen, if the rate of unemployment should increase in his country tomorrow, whoever may be governing it, my response as a political leader, as Prime Minister and as a pro-European, would be one of support and solidarity, and not one of recrimination, which was your response in this House this morning.
It would be a response of support and solidarity. That is my way of feeling and being European, with the admiration I hold for your country, and I hope this does not happen.
In short, Mr President, we will work during this Presidency towards a European project of solidarity, of cooperation, of more economic union, of reforms and of convictions. I thank you for your references to Mr Almunia, amongst other reasons, because he was proposed by me for the responsibilities he undertakes. We also know that in the next six months, Parliament can count on the collaboration, respect and appreciation of my country and my government and that, at the end of this Presidency, I will be here, I will be held to account exhaustively and I will answer any questions that may come up with respect and solidarity.
Allow me to say a few words about the interventions of my compatriots, the Spanish MEPs. I wish to thank the Spanish
for the support it has shown at this sitting, which was confirmed in the national political debate and endorsed through a motion. This is undoubtedly an extraordinarily positive factor for the job in hand, and highlights our shared European desire, the combined effort and the work that we are prepared to continue to do focused on the very difficult times we are living through as we confront the economic crisis.
I wish to refer to immigration. One of the honourable Members highlighted the question of what our immigration policy is and even said that no reference had been made to it. It is true that there was no reference to it in my speech but, in short, one has to prioritise. It has been expressly stated that I am in favour of mass immigration and that is categorically not true. What I am in favour of is respecting the human rights of all, of every single person, wherever they may come from.
We have a European pact on immigration, promoted and endorsed during the French Presidency. We must abide by that pact and, of course, that pact includes border controls, cooperation and political dialogue with the countries the immigrants come from, as the best way of avoiding a massive flow of immigrants. However, I must add that integration forms part of the policy of the European immigration pact, integration in respect of the human rights of immigrants. I speak on behalf of a country which has, in the last few years, experienced very intense levels of immigration, but not in vain, as, since the year 2000, the Spanish population has increased by six million people. It has also had experience of emigration since, at the time of the dictatorship, there was economic emigration to many European countries.
We well know, through experience, what it is to have to leave your own country in search of a future or some shred of economic dignity. We know that it is difficult to swallow and we know that countries and nations are not measured purely by their political, military or economic power. Nations, along with Europe, are also measured by their treatment of and respect for human rights and for the people who come to work in our lands in search of a future which they cannot have in their own.
Furthermore, the European Union must be aware – as indeed it is – that by 2025, 30% of its population will be over 65 years of age. This will not occur in any other area or region of the world. We will be the area, the continent with the greatest number of people over 65, and this will result in a decline in our capacity to produce, a decline in the active population and in labour capacity, and this will put pressure on our social protection systems. In the medium term, Europe needs workers. Beyond the crisis, it will need workers, it needs to get women into the jobs market and it needs that increase in the active population in order to maintain social protection. This is a fundamental conclusion."@en1
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