Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-07-06-Speech-3-070-000"
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"en.20110706.2.3-070-000"2
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"Mr President, I will make some brief remarks, summarising a debate that I believe was very interesting.
First of all, Prime Minister Tusk, you have seen a remarkable consensus from the main political forces of this Parliament – what I consider to be the pro-European, responsible forces – supporting your speech and your vision. At the same time, it is interesting that we heard more than usually aggressive remarks from the Eurosceptic or Europhobe fringes. Remarks were made here today which were very close to racism; we also heard xenophobic messages and some expressions of naked, shameless nationalism.
Why should this be? I think the reason is the following. Some of those Eurosceptics and Europhobes were expecting the enlargement of the European Union to mean disintegration, and now they are very disappointed to see Poland, a new member of the Union, saying not only that we need to enlarge but also that we need to deepen Europe, and to listen to your commitment to, and your conviction in, the European project.
So, Prime Minister Tusk, congratulations. Today, you have disappointed the Eurosceptics and Europhobes – that is one of the outcomes of this debate.
What basically is their message, if they have one, apart from ‘no’? For simply saying ‘no’ to anything constructive is the simplest demagogic message of all populism. Their message is that, although they are not necessarily against Europe and they believe in European cooperation, they do not need the European institutions, the Commission or the European Parliament. What they say we need is an internal market: we need a Single Market. So they say ‘yes’ to the freedom of circulation of goods but ‘no’ to the circulation of people – as if it were possible in Europe to have a market without these indispensable principles of freedom.
We know well, from the experience we now have – and you know well, Prime Minister, because we have worked very closely on some difficult issues – that without strong institutions in Europe, without a strong Commission, a strong European Court of Justice and a strong European Parliament, even the Single Market will be at risk. The temptation will be present to break the Single Market, to have internal protectionism, and to return to the naked nationalism that made a disaster of Europe’s past. That is why it is important today to reaffirm, as you have reaffirmed, our values. Those values are, of course, about an internal Single Market and about opening our borders, but they are also about solidarity and cohesion, because without solidarity, a union cannot exist.
Some of the Eurosceptics say that they are for Europe but that they are against the European Union. What an interesting nuance! If you go to Washington, Moscow or Beijing, you will find they do not make that distinction: it is Europe or it is the European Union. It is basically the same thing. If the European Union fails, all of Europe will be put at risk. That is why we need a strong European Union to protect our interests and to protect our values.
Prime Minister Tusk, the message you conveyed to this Parliament today was a message of confidence in our common future in Europe and in the world. We are grateful to you for that and we want to encourage you to have a successful Presidency of the Council. The Commission will support your work because I know that is the way we can build a better future for all Europeans."@en1
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