Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-02-13-Speech-1-041-000"
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"en.20120213.14.1-041-000"2
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"Mr President, Mr Rinaldi and Ms Delli just now have reminded us of the deaths of 600 people in the last few days and weeks in our various European countries and it is good that we are paying tribute to them, Mr Rinaldi, as this is a good indicator of both the scale and the European nature of this tragedy. That is why I will say it again, on behalf of the European Commission, that it is good, that it is normal and that it is necessary for Parliament and the Commission, which is entering into dialogue with you, to take stock of this situation and respond to it in a number of ways.
I think it is good that the European Parliament has, even briefly, acted on its own initiative, together with the Commission, to address this situation with our legal, financial and political tools. I believe that, in the serious crisis that we are currently experiencing — and this is one of the reasons why there are so many homeless people on the streets at the moment, due to unemployment, as Ms Guillaume rightly said — there is a European dimension to this issue even though the competences are not necessarily European. That is why, in its own place and with the means available to it, such as the ability to drive through legislation and mobilise funds, Parliament, and with it the European Commission, will continue to give a legitimate, justified European dimension to the issue of the homeless.
I also want to say — this is not necessarily a good answer, Ms Guillaume — that, as you know, the main responsibility lies with the Member States. The first requirement of a debate such as this one is that we act in conjunction with the Member States so that they assume this responsibility both in their own countries and throughout the EU and that is the role of Parliament and the Commission.
Mr Daul mentioned the debate in which we participated, along with my colleague Dacian Cioloş, on the food aid programme. Why have we been deadlocked on this programme, which directly concerns support for the most fragile people through so many of the associations to which Mr Daul rightly paid tribute and which are not all very large associations but local associations which do excellent work?
What is it that we are coming up against, honourable Members? We are coming up against some Member States’ feelings or their understanding of national competences, indeed sometimes regional competences, saying that it is not up to Brussels to worry about the action programme or food aid. Thanks to your determination and thanks to the work of my colleague Mr Cioloş, we have managed to convince the Council of Ministers.
Once again, Ms Guillaume, I recognise that it is not an ideal response to refer back to national competences. We have the ability … Mr Karim just this minute, Mr Daul and Ms Zimmer mentioned an issue which interests me and which I feel committed about and it is what I call ‘universal services’: basic services for people, be they related to housing, food or energy.
The European Union can indirectly act in this area by using its laws and regulations to promote the actions of those who are on to the ground and the men and women who are suffering. I would like to give you one or two examples in which I was personally involved. I presented you with the overhaul of the rules governing public procurement, which is now being debated in your committees, and my colleague Mr Almunia and I revised the rules governing State aid and, if you look closely at these texts, which have been under discussion in Parliament and in the Council for several weeks, you will find very specific measures for promoting social inclusion and basic social services through public procurement and facilitating social services through State aid. This is another way in which the European Union can make itself useful and play its part.
Ms Guillaume and Ms Delli mentioned the strategy for the homeless that you had been calling for so earnestly throughout this conference and the September 2011 resolution. I also said, in response to Mr Rinaldi, that the Commission — and this is a message that Mr Andor asked me to deliver to you — has taken a number of measures and taken into consideration a number of recommendations made by you. These include a study on mobility, migration, expropriations, a transnational project on housing strategies which will be supported within the framework of the work on social innovation, earmarking European Funds, as I mentioned, specifically for housing with the European Regional Development Fund or other social funds. The figures I have seen are only figures but they are quite clear: the Member States dedicated EUR 10 billion from the European Social Fund for the 2007–2013 period to tackling social exclusion in aid of the most deprived and most vulnerable people.
I should also like to tell Ms Delli that we share her feelings regarding what is happening with the unacceptable criminalisation of the homeless in some Member States. We have seen attacks against the homeless in other Member States and we, alongside you, are calling on the Member States to accept their responsibilities to put an end to such practices.
I should also like to tell Mr Daul that I have taken note of his call for European civil protection. This is an issue — as he knows — which is very important to me. My colleague, Ms Georgieva, is very involved in this issue. We have made concrete proposals to arrive at what I hope will one day be a European civil protection force to respond to disasters outside the EU, but also, Mr Daul, to act as needed when all European countries are affected by problems which impact on the most vulnerable people and which put the health or safety of some of our fellow citizens in danger."@en1
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