Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-06-Speech-2-010"
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"en.20100706.4.2-010"2
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"Mr President, honourable Members…
I said ‘progress’, bearing in mind the positions of the Council and Parliament only six months ago. However, I did not say ‘breakthrough’. Yes, we are on the verge of an agreement on the financial supervision package but we must not lose this momentum. I call on all Member States and all Members of this House to assume their full responsibility. The target date of seeing the new system up and running by the end of the year is not just for practical convenience. It is a critical political signal. All three institutions must now make decisive moves to seal the package before the summer break. I think it would be very difficult to explain to our partners in the G20 that we, who were the first to start this process, are not able to be the first to conclude it.
The Presidency rightly placed great emphasis on the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty’s new instruments and I would like to highlight in particular progress on two important files.
The first is the European citizens’ initiative. This will be a very concrete and tangible expression of the Lisbon Treaty’s goal to strengthen direct democracy in the European Union. The Commission strongly supports the objective of putting it in place as quickly as possible. We have been quick to make our proposal after an extensive consultation involving all relevant stakeholders. I welcome the fact that the Council, under the guidance of the Spanish Presidency, has now formulated its position and is able to enter into discussions with Parliament, which has, of course, a particular interest and legitimacy in this matter.
Secondly, during the Spanish Presidency, the Council agreed negotiating directives for the Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. This is a powerful expression of our values and of the commitment to uphold human rights and the rule of law.
Finally, I would like to commend the Spanish contribution in promoting the external dimension of EU policies. The Presidency has helped prepare an unprecedented number of summits with Europe’s strategic partners in the world. I would like to mention in particular the remarkable results of the Latin America and Caribbean summits, where the conclusion of negotiations with the Andean Community, the signature of the Peru and Colombia agreements and the relaunch of Mercosur negotiations took place. I would also like to mention – particularly because it took place for the first time – the summit with Morocco.
It is also important to mention here the crucial contribution of the Spanish Presidency to the conclusion of the negotiations on the EU-US agreement on the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme. Thanks to its efforts and those of Commissioner Malmström, we now have a text that takes into consideration the European Parliament’s specific concerns. I know this House is going to debate Mr Alvaro’s report today, and I hope that new compromise and debate will bring us to a positive vote by the Parliament next Thursday.
Spain has also made an invaluable contribution in setting up the European External Action Service. Thanks to its efforts, the commitment of Baroness Ashton and the help of the European Parliament, we now have a political agreement which I am convinced will bring a successful External Action Service on track. The service, as it is designed, will articulate well with the work of the Parliament, Council and Commission on external relations. I therefore strongly believe that the agreement deserves the support of Parliament.
Discussion has also brought us a long way on the necessary amendments to the Staff Regulations and to the Financial Regulation, where the Council and Parliament are now ready to enter into the full codecision process. It goes without saying that Parliament will fully play its role in deciding the amending budget for 2010 and adjudicating on the amending letter for the 2011 budget, which the Commission will submit after the summer break. In the meantime, the High Representative, Vice-President of the Commission, will have the political support she needs to put the service in place.
The Spanish Presidency can look back with satisfaction at a number of important achievements in times of economic, social and institutional change. During the last six months, when Europe has been confronted with unprecedented challenges, Spain has shown once again its seriousness and its European commitment in holding the Council rotating Presidency. It has made every effort to show that Europe works and delivers, tackling the issues of concern to our citizens head-on. But there is no room for complacency, and we have to continue to build solid foundations for the future. The European Commission is working on this objective with full speed, together with Parliament, the European Council and Belgium, which now holds the rotating Council Presidency and which receives from Spain a solid record of achievement. To Spain: thank you
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Spanish Presidency and the last six months have been a very special time for the European Union.
Firstly, it has been a period of profound transition, with the recent entry into force of a new treaty, which has given new powers to this Parliament, established a new relationship between the European Council and the rotating Presidency, and brought a new Commission into being, thanks to the support of this Parliament. In addition to all this, it has also been a period of great tension for the European economy, especially for the euro area. This crisis has posed us new challenges and required new responses from us.
So far, we have passed the test. We have shown that we are able to take unprecedented measures to ensure the financial stability of the euro area. Thus, we have maintained the basic principles of solidarity and responsibility, approved the rescue package for Greece, established a stabilisation mechanism – EUR 750 billion – and begun to strengthen the economic governance of the European Union to avoid and prevent future crises.
I would like to pay tribute today to Spain and its Presidency-in-Office of the Council, which has been very positive and successful, and which has taken place in a difficult and very particular context. The firm personal commitment of President Rodríguez Zapatero to Europe and to the Community spirit and method has been essential for meeting these challenges. The efforts made by all Spanish authorities have also been crucial. Thank you very much for that. I am particularly satisfied with the fact that we have worked together to achieve important results during these six months, providing the European Union with an agenda for new growth that is intelligent, sustainable and inclusive, and adopting key decisions for stabilising and strengthening the economy within the European Union.
With the adoption of the Europe 2020 strategy, we have established, for the first time, a global approach that combines an intelligent budgetary configuration with structural reforms, strengthened political and economic coordination, and the reform of our financial markets. Europe 2020 is our agenda for the European social market economy in the 21st century. It will contribute to mobilising all available tools, at all levels, for promoting the creation of jobs and taking advantage of new sources of growth.
The Spanish Presidency has been instrumental in moving this agenda forward and, in particular, in reaching agreement on the five main objectives put forward by the Commission. These objectives are important. They give Europe 2020 a political message that everyone can understand and which nobody can object to: jobs, education, innovation, the environment and social integration. I would like to emphasise especially Spain’s support in reaching an agreement on the objective of the fight against poverty. Many people expressed doubts about the relevance of setting such an objective within the European framework. However, I believe that we have demonstrated with this agreement that the social dimension is an essential part of our common project.
Our objectives are having a catalysing effect. They are communicated well and are well targeted. In addition, they provide us with a structure for driving and verifying progress. Following its adoption by the European Council in June, the Member States and the institutions now have the tools to apply Europe 2020 in practice, especially through the seven flagship initiatives and national reform programmes. The next challenge for all of us is to translate these into actual results.
Together with the European Parliament the Spanish Presidency has also brought significant progress in the area of financial regulation."@en1
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"muchas gracias"1
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