Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-09-Speech-3-032-000"
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"en.20120509.16.3-032-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, allow me, like Mr Swoboda, to also paraphrase the new President elected in France. He won the elections by saying: ‘Change is now!’. Personally, I would rather say: ‘Europe is change’.
Secondly, mutualisation of the debt redemption fund is needed. Let us pay less interest to the bond holders so that the new money becomes available for investment and for growth in Europe. My conclusion of 9 May is clear: if we as the European Union want to survive, we need federalism, European federalism. Federalism is not something to be afraid of: federalism is the future of our continent and its future starts now on 9 May.
We need Europe now, on this 9 May. Taking into account, Mr President, the seriousness of the crisis in which we find ourselves today – we must recognise it because it is all very well to say so many positive things about the past but we must recognise the seriousness of the current situation – I will say: Europe is becoming marginalised in the world. Europe is facing a trend decline in its growth and innovation, in stark contrast to an incredible catching up on the part of emerging countries.
Europe’s population is currently ageing in a world that is getting considerably younger, a world that will soon be home to 10 billion inhabitants. Europe itself remains segregated, divided by its nation states in a world that is becoming more and more dominated and unified by large economic and political empires.
Ladies and gentlemen, contrary to what some may say, this crisis that we are experiencing today in Europe is not a crisis of the global economy; it is not even a crisis of global finance. What we are experiencing today is, in fact, a European crisis and, more specifically, a crisis of European states.
For several years, Europe – we must recognise it on this 9 May – has been at sea with no horizon, no ambition, no hope, apparently incapable, for the time being, of finding a new path and sustainable solutions. I think that on this 9 May, rather than congratulating one another, we must recognise our inability to respond to this crisis through anything other than ‘small-step policies’. We must recognise the need for a great leap forward, a great leap towards federalism in Europe.
Indeed, ladies and gentlemen, I think that either Europe will become federal or it will cease to exist. The choice is as simple as that. We must stop being afraid of words and afraid of using the word ‘federal’ when we talk about the future of Europe. It is, in fact, a federal solution that is needed, a solution that will give us a real economic government, which we need, real democratic control, which we do not have at the moment, a real European treasury and a real federal budget, and, why not, in the future, a solution that will lead us one day towards a real European army.
We have no choice. European federalism is the only way of integrating ourselves into globalisation, the only way of negotiating on an equal footing and the only way of maintaining our economic and political role. It is also the only way of protecting our social model in Europe.
I also believe, Mr President, that now is the time, on this 9 May, to turn over a new page, a page of illusion. The illusion of those who believe that only austerity will get us out of the crisis, but also the illusion of those who think that growth will be able to return without putting Member States’ public finances in order. It is a big mistake to have played one against the other in recent years. We do not need to choose between discipline and solidarity, between austerity and growth; we need both: growth and austerity, discipline and solidarity.
And, more concretely, the Fiscal Compact. The Fiscal Compact must not be changed but growth must be added to the Fiscal Compact, and the capital of the European Investment Bank must be increased. All the European funds available must be deployed. And finally, project bonds – how long have we talked about them here in this House – must see the light of day."@en1
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