Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-03-Speech-2-045-000"
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"en.20120703.4.2-045-000"2
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"Mr President of the European Parliament, Mr President of the Commission, leaders of political groups, honourable Members of this House, thank you very much for this debate. First of all, allow me to thank you for your kind words, particularly to our Minister for Europe, Nicolai Wammen. I think that it is a very good sign that at the end of a Presidency, you are all on first name terms with Nicolai and appreciate the hard work he has done.
Some of you have mentioned the Patent Regulation and, of course, I have taken good note of your remarks concerning the patent. Let me remind you that Europe has waited more than 30 years for a solution, and when you wait for 30 years, you know that a solution will require a compromise. I understand that the European Parliament will continue to discuss this in September and I hope that the European Parliament will live up to its responsibility and help reach a final agreement for the sake of creating growth and jobs in Europe.
Some have said: ‘This is not good enough; we want it differently’. I have no problem understanding that this is the position of the House, but again I would urge that we do not end up in a situation where we make the best the enemy of the good.
One of the things I was particularly pleased to hear about in our discussion today was the many mentions of the green agenda. All of you here know that it has not been easy to push the green agenda in a time of crisis, but I am proud of the results that we have achieved together in this area, particularly when we talk about energy efficiency.
Let me also extend special thanks to the Commission, to Commission President Barroso, when it comes to continuously promoting a green economy. He did that very well in Rio, he has done that throughout these six months, and I know that he will continue to do so. Mr Barroso’s devotion and commitment is crucial and I thank the Commission for it.
The European Union is the best framework imaginable to overcome the challenges facing us today and tomorrow. The crisis we have right now, and the solutions we find, show that, even though we did not always agree, we did not give up on each other. We showed solidarity and we should continue to do so. Everyone here knows that Europe still faces a severe crisis, but the decisions that we take together will lead us step by step out of the crisis to a better future.
I believe that we will be judged on our capacity to cooperate and find compromises. Political leaders of today are judged by their results, not their intentions, and what European citizens expect from us is results. They expect solutions and we have tried to live up to that obligation over the last six months. We will continue to do that in the future so that Europe, after the past gloom and pessimism, can again see an area of growth, progress and optimism. I believe that this is possible, but it is only possible if we are committed to doing it together. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
I have listened very carefully to your remarks and noted that we share the fundamental commitment of getting Europe back on track, a commitment to restore growth and create new jobs for the too many unemployed. Our Presidency has tried to do just that at a very difficult time, not least thanks to the work done in this House. We have taken big steps in the right direction and now we need to make sure that we continue to deliver together and we will continue our efforts in the Council to do that.
No doubt, when European citizens look at us – if they are looking at this debate at all – what they expect from us is that we will pull through the crisis together, and create new growth and new jobs in Europe. As I see it, this requires full use of the Community method. What does this mean? Well sometimes it means that we have heated debates about lines of division. That is how it will always be and this is how it has also been during the Danish Presidency.
We should not be scared by that because that is how it is when you make compromises. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we do not. But we always share a common goal of serving Europe and serving its citizens. Let me try to address some of the main topics which you have raised today.
Many of you have rightly pointed out that we still are in a dire economic crisis, and you are right. It has been the case, and will continue to be so for some time, that we act every day against a heavy backdrop of the economic crisis, with thousands and thousands unemployed in Europe. That is why I am so happy that many of you have shared my concern in pushing for the implementation of the Growth and Jobs Pact. This is important. Some thought this Growth and Jobs Pact was not enough, and perhaps you agree, but nevertheless this is a small light in the dark that will create some hope that we can create growth and jobs in Europe again.
We discussed this also at the European Council on Thursday and Friday and, as I said there, I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending to the Council that we strengthen cooperation with the Parliament in doing this: strengthen cooperation in terms of creating growth and jobs and perhaps fast-track some of the decisions that we need to take.
It is, of course, important that at every step we take in the development of the Union, we respect the role of the European Parliament, and I have stated this very clearly in the European Council. I hope that we can all agree to urgently deliver on this Compact. European citizens have the right to expect that from us.
I would very much like to thank some of those who have mentioned the multiannual financial framework and I would warmly thank everyone who has participated in this House in these discussions. We have had a very close and constructive dialogue on the negotiations, and we have had that throughout the Presidency at all levels.
We have done our utmost to fully respect the powers granted to the European Parliament and we have put great emphasis from day one on hearing your views and bringing them to the floor of the Council. I dare say that on this dossier, we have had the closest cooperation between any Presidency and the European Parliament ever seen. We all know that the negotiations ahead of us will be very difficult, but I hope that the involvement of the European Parliament will continue in the same constructive atmosphere as it has started."@en1
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