Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-06-Speech-2-052"
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"en.20100706.4.2-052"2
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"Mr President, I will be very brief. The questions were essentially directed at the Prime Minister of Spain, but I would just like to take this opportunity to reflect on a point of concern expressed by various honourable Members. I am thinking of my fellow Members, Mr Daul, Mr Schulz, and Mr Lambsdorff. It is an institutional issue and, once again, I would like to thank the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr Zapatero, for his commitment to Europe and to the Community method.
The truth is that these were the most difficult months in the history of European integration, during which it was put to the test. The real stress test is not on the banks, but on the European Union and our willingness to be united in the euro area and in Europe. It was in this extremely difficult context, when a new treaty came into force, that Spain assumed the rotating Presidency with the Commission, which took office in February. This Commission is less than five months old. We have also done everything possible to recover from the delays caused by this transition, and the truth is we must acknowledge, earnestly and honestly, the efforts made by the Spanish Presidency.
Therefore, without prejudice, obviously, to the plurality of political viewpoints which exist within this Parliament, I should like to emphasise that all of us who believe in Europe must be united, whether from the centre, the left or the right, as must the different institutions. We must be united in order to strengthen our European project.
I think it is right to highlight that a lot depended on this first rotating Presidency. How would the rotating Presidency interpret the Treaty of Lisbon? The truth is that, as the Prime Minister of Spain said, it was interpreted in a communitarian sense.
We would like our system, which is a very complex system and continues to be complex with the Treaty of Lisbon, to function more efficiently. I think that there will come a time when we must rigorously shake up the development of our institutions, because the truth is that, even with the Treaty of Lisbon, it is sometimes difficult for the average citizen to clearly interpret the workings of the European Union.
However, I should like to stress, as was said earlier, that Spain has brought this European impulse to the structure of our joint project – an impetus which I also know is shared by the great majority in this Parliament.
The Treaty of Lisbon has always stood for more Europe, not less Europe. The Treaty of Lisbon continues the sense of Community by strengthening the powers of this Parliament, by creating a permanent Presidency of the European Council, by creating the figure of the High Representative, who is also the Vice-President of the European Commission, and by increasing the powers of the Commission in external issues or, for example, in the Stability and Growth Pact’s mechanisms of taxation.
The Treaty of Lisbon stands for more Europe, not less Europe. However, this does not mean Europe in the sense of centralised powers, but in the sense of increased value, of what we can jointly attain: Member States/European institutions. And the Spanish Presidency’s interpretation favoured more Europe.
However as the Spanish Prime Minister said very well, the treaty does not resolve every problem. It is essential for the 27 governments to carry out the political will of the treaty because, by their own inclination, the European institutions are, in reality, instinctively communitarian. We also have to ask our Member States, our 27 Member States, to apply the Treaty of Lisbon in this Community spirit.
Spain has set an example. I am sure that Belgium, once it assumes the rotating Presidency of the Council, will continue to take the same approach, or even step up this approach, knowing, as we do, Belgium’s great European tradition.
However, it is essential that Parliament, the Commission, the Council and the European Council are truly committed to the European implementation of a treaty which will allow us to respond more efficiently to our fellow citizens’ expectations and anxieties. Therefore, I would like to, once again, thank the Spanish Government, its Prime Minister, all of its associates and the whole Spanish team, who have worked with such commitment during these past months; at times, it was extremely difficult."@en1
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