Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-23-Speech-3-426-000"
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"en.20120523.21.3-426-000"2
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"Mr President, I would first like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Gerbrandy, as well as our shadow rapporteur, Karl-Heinz Florenz, who I believe have drawn up an excellent report. Nonetheless, allow me to take you on a little trip back into history, to show you the factors that led to the great rise of Europe in recent centuries – because we do, after all, want to remain highly successful. What are the core elements, so to speak? I believe it was precisely this famous increase in efficiency, and that includes resource efficiency. In around 1400, China needed to farm an area of around half a hectare to feed one person; in Europe, the area required was nearly ten times this. Nonetheless, we succeeded in far outstripping these Asian countries. What were the driving factors?
Firstly, there was the competition that prevailed between the various countries and between the various systems here in Europe; inherent in this is a certain small scale structure and a battle of one against another.
Secondly, there is the knowledge that we developed here in Europe, which we did by taking a rational approach to things and attempting to master nature, by investigating the laws of nature and using them accordingly in our economy.
Thirdly, in Europe, we created ownership structures, a political institution of ownership, which also encouraged personal responsibility – personal responsibility in the sense that people feel responsible and, so to speak, also use what they have to contribute to the public good.
Fourthly, incentives – and in this case it has mainly been prices that have provided the necessary incentives. The proposal that is currently on the table, however, mainly targets this price gap, this price system, and attempts to achieve an internalisation of external costs through various measures. That makes sense, but that is also what is difficult about it, because naturally, we need an overall political and socio-political consensus here if we want to artificially influence prices that form the market. That, I believe, is the great challenge.
Fifthly, of course, there are regulations, and in this regard, I have to say that creating regulations makes sense. It is just that I feel that at European level, we should concentrate primarily on implementation and to a lesser extent on new regulations, so that we do not overshoot the target as a result of too much red tape."@en1
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