Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-28-Speech-3-192-000"
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"en.20120328.20.3-192-000"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank Charles Tannock for this report.
Sometimes I think that, when we look back on this period of history, people will not just look at the economic turmoil but they will look at the fact that the Berlin Wall came down suddenly and miraculously in 1989; and here we are, with 10 new Member States such a short time after that, talking about Montenegro joining the European Union, given the recent history of the former Yugoslavia. This is indeed miraculous and it is what we need in Europe and is what the whole foundation of Europe was about from the very beginning.
I welcome this. I welcome the progress that has been made by Montenegro in the way they have addressed this issue so far, but the European Union is open to any European country which is a democracy and can take on the responsibilities of membership.
I raise this issue only because it is a difficult issue for smaller Member States. At some stage we have to again look at the institutional issues. Can we continue to expand in the way we are expanding, for example, and have a Commission with an ever-increasing number of Commissioners? In my country the answer to that is ‘Yes’, because small countries guard this with great jealousy. But if this question is to be addressed – and I am sure it is on the agenda somewhere – let it be addressed in such a way that it is not a power grab by large Member States. This is the one place where Member States, irrespective of their size, have equality, and I would ask the Commissioner to keep that in mind.
I do welcome the progress that has been made and it is great to see that the reasoning behind the origins of the European Union is still alive and well, and that we are broadening and deepening and making this continent a stable place for the future and a place where we can conduct our affairs in a more united way internationally."@en1
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