Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-05-19-Speech-3-306"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20100519.22.3-306"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I used to say that we had a triple crisis in Europe with financial markets, jobs and climate. But now, sadly, we have a quadruple crisis if we add the state budget crisis. It has made it painfully clear that the European Union is in dire need of vision. European integration has, until now, focused on creating new projects without making sure that they work properly. I believe that the time has now come for us to deal with our problems and instead work hard to deepen the existing institutions. The mistakes that have been made can be corrected and the Union can still work for – and with – its citizens.
Europe needs a forward-looking Union. For me, the direction is clear: I want a Europe which is open, inclusive and green. The flagship proposals in the Commission’s Europe 2020 strategy are important tools to create that Europe, provided that we can make them come true. And here I have some question marks.
Firstly, the overarching goal of the strategy is to create a more dynamic and competitive economy. In some countries, the participation of women in the labour market is as low as 40%, and this is shameful. A gender-equal labour market is a precondition for boosting jobs and for tackling the demographic challenges. I hope that the Council and Commission really take seriously the fact that the Council’s conclusions have included gender equality for a couple of months. An inclusive society needs more jobs. Unemployment is the main reason why poverty exists. Youth unemployment in Spain, at 44%, is devastating.
We have endless opportunities to create green jobs, but our policies must be aimed in the same direction. An energy-efficient Europe is also a driving force of innovation, and the energy equivalent of fast trains, supergrids and high-tech smart grids is needed to improve Europe’s competitiveness.
I must commend the Liberal Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, on being the first to really outline a clear flagship proposal on the digital agenda, and I am looking forward to having the same kind of in-depth material on the rest of the flagship platforms before June, so that we can also cooperate in the decision making.
But, Mr Commissioner, we have the EU strategy pointing in one direction, and your budget proposal is, to be truthful, pointing in another direction. As well as regional funds, social funds and the agricultural fund, we have to streamline and have coherence in our common tools. We need transparency, and we need the same kind of statistics and we need sticks and carrots for Member States, not only to sign up to promises, but also to keep them. This is important for the European citizens and for us in Parliament. We need to strengthen the Growth and Stability Pact, and we fully support the package of Commissioner Olli Rehn.
To re-establish trust, as you mentioned, Commissioner, we need the indicators on the rest of the flagship proposals. That would re-establish our trust in you as a Commission, and maybe, if we can cooperate on decision making, citizens’ trust in us."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples