Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-15-Speech-2-445-000"
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"en.20111115.31.2-445-000"2
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"Mr President, Mr Barroso, we must not beat around the bush. We are in a difficult situation and it is the responsibility of the Commission and the European Parliament to work very closely together, particularly next year, in order to ward off the attacks currently being made on Europe.
The initial attacks are coming from the financial markets. They do not like us and they are very fond of themselves and their own profits. Mr Barroso, I think it is essential for us to make rapid progress with all our plans for introducing regulations, in particular Mr Barnier’s. It is important for us to move ahead with the financial transaction tax, because this will transform financial investments into real investments, which is crucial for growth.
Secondly, Mr Barroso, we are focusing on budget deficits and on sanctions against them. This is an important consideration, but it is not the only one. If we want to encourage growth, as you have said, we need an overall concept behind all of this which is based on growth. We need investment and we also need the surplus funding from the budget. We are very well aware that much of the money available in our common budget is not spent. I would like to see a proposal from the Commission showing how this money can be used, in particular for investment in Greece, for example, or in other countries.
Thirdly, there are the institutional issues. Mr Joschka Fischer, the former member of the Green Party – or he may still be a member, I do not know – has written a famous essay in which he tells us to forget the current Europe. I do not want to forget the Europe which we have now, despite all its shortcomings and problems. The alternative, which involves dividing Europe in two or breaking it down into the euro area with a euro government and a euro parliament, together with our Parliament and our Commission, is not acceptable. We are opposed to this concept. It will not allow us to make progress. In addition, the economic and political links are too strong. I am not ruling out special regulations for the euro area. However, we have had enough of separating, splitting and dividing Europe. We need to move forward. There is only one common Europe and it is the job of the European Commission and the European Parliament in particular to make this clear.
Some people also say that we should forget the social question. That is not our position, particularly with regard to the social elements. The pay gap and the divide between rich and poor are widening – with regard to consumers that is also an important growth issue – because the salaries of the people at the top of the tree, who tend to consume relatively little, are increasing and the people at the bottom are earning less and less.
Therefore, it is very important for us to focus on the issue of distribution. It is not only a question of the Occupy movement. In many countries, it is giving rise to genuine anti-European feeling and I believe that we need to be aware of this.
Mr Barroso, a Treaty change is imminent. Many of us are very, very sceptical that this is the right route to take. However, we need to make one thing clear. Firstly, in the case of Treaty change, the focus must be on the Community method. We must stand up together and support the Community method.
Secondly, we must not consider only the budget issues. There are other economic and social problems in Europe. In the case of any Treaty changes, we must stick together and make it clear that we need the Community method and joint resolution of Europe’s economic and social problems, within a united and not a divided Europe."@en1
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