Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-07-06-Speech-3-010-000"
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"en.20110706.2.3-010-000"2
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"Mr President, Prime Minister Tusk, Mr Barroso, ladies and gentlemen, by way of an introduction, allow me to say, Mr President-in-Office, that if, during these six months, you apply the European method you have described this morning – as I do not doubt you will – we will be considering ways to extend the Polish Presidency of Europe.
Mr Barroso, some commissioners will not be able to take holidays in July and August, since it will also be necessary, at this time, to closely monitor the Danish borders. I stated yesterday that perhaps we should think about introducing visas for Danes to be sent to Europe so they are better protected!
Just as the European Parliament has done, you have identified the key challenges for Europe, which are food security and energy dependence. It will certainly not be possible to resolve all these issues in just six months. You will at least be able to take the credit for raising them and, as I told you when we met in Warsaw, it will be you who will lay the foundations, and I am certain that they will be solid foundations.
I shall conclude by commending your determination in the management of relations with your neighbours. We have recently often discussed support for our southern neighbours, and firm policies on this issue should be developed. Relations with Eastern Europe and the Balkans, as well as with other countries like Ukraine and Belarus, in particular, are just as deserving of our attention and efforts.
Mr Tusk, my group has great expectations of your political will and your leadership.
I shall conclude by drawing inspiration from the words of a great Pole whom you know well, Pope John Paul II: ‘Do not be afraid, Mr Tusk: go ahead; we are with you’.
European integration will be at the heart of the priorities of the new Presidency of the Council, to the great satisfaction of our group. This integration, and especially this Community method, must feature in all the major debates over the coming months and years. I am thinking of the financial resources of Europe. It is a significant issue that we will discuss together for the 2014-2020 period. I am also thinking of the internal market. Mr Tusk, you are concerned about the rise of Euroscepticism in several countries. I share this concern, as does my group. Euroscepticism and isolationism are symptoms of a cancer in our society. Your response to this ‘every man for himself’ attitude is a call for integration, which echoes the watchword of the Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats). Europe is not the problem, but ‘more Europe’ is the solution.
Your Presidency will be dominated by the necessary consolidation of public finances in the Member States, the stabilisation of the euro and the opening of the debate on the financial framework. The euro can only be stabilised if the countries experiencing difficulties really implement the necessary reforms in order to reform public finances and to create the conditions to enable a return to sustainable growth. Half-hearted measures will not solve the underlying problems.
If I take the case of Poland, which is growing by nearly 4% and, with an uncommon level of efficiency, has known how to best use EU funds since it became a member, I see that European solidarity, combined with political will, can lead to the construction of a real, solid economy.
Mr Tusk, you are one of the few Heads of State or Government in Europe to agree to debate with the national parliaments, with this Parliament and with other European institutions about the issue of the resources needed for Europe to operate. You are, moreover, the only one willing to discuss an issue that is important to a large majority in this Parliament, namely, the introduction of own resources to finance Europe’s role. Therefore, we will be by your side to deal with this issue seriously and we know that this task will be challenging.
The Presidency of the Council believes that all our economic and social policies must be based on the Europe 2020 strategy, which all Member States have already accepted. It is right because the economic crisis will only be overcome in a sustainable manner if the Member States understand that all 27 States acting together is less expensive and much more productive than each one acting in isolation.
Solidarity, ladies and gentlemen, is not just virtuous; it is also profitable. That goes for European finances as well as for the internal market and I am pleased that the Polish Presidency has established this issue and, in particular, electronic services, improved working conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises, the long-awaited creation of a European patent system, or indeed the Single Market Act, as its main concerns.
Mr Tusk, just like the European Parliament, you have found the recent disagreements on the Schengen issue hard to bear. My group supports you in your desire to strengthen our resources and our joint effort on our external borders. In this regard, I call on the Commission and the Council to take a clear position on the unilateral decision made by Denmark to exempt itself from the rules on freedom of movement. My group would like to express its serious concerns. I would like to know what your position is, and that of the President of the Commission."@en1
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