Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-10-22-Speech-1-137-000"
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"en.20121022.21.1-137-000"2
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".
Mr President, after all the plaudits heaped upon me, I shall endeavour to remain modest.
Thank you, first of all, to the House for its verdict on the work we have done in committee. I know that not everything has been accepted unconditionally, notably the concept of differentiation – in every language of the Union and in every respect. Of course there are pockets of poverty in the emerging countries – big ones, even. There are also 112 million poor people in Europe. That is not a reason to ignore the poverty that exists in the emerging countries and in Europe. Let us stop ranking our own poor against the poor in other countries! Different instruments exist, depending on the country where these poor people live.
Our cooperation policy must be neither saintly and perfect nor timid. It must be bold, coherent, selective and sustainable. This, in essence, is the conclusion I draw from the work we have just completed. I leave this debate with some questions, but also some reasons for satisfaction. The questions include that of whether or not we shall achieve 0.7 % of GNI by 2015. Times are hard. So we must not be complacent about the effort required of us. If we do not discharge our responsibilities for development, no one will do it for us.
And how can we inform our fellow citizens better? I see some cause for satisfaction here. It stems from the fact that, from the answers which Commissioner Piebalgs has given, it seems virtually certain that 2015 will be the European Year for (responsible) Development.
Another cause for satisfaction, if this idea is carried through – and I do not doubt for a moment that it will be – is that we shall be able to announce in 2015 what we regard as the essentials of development cooperation policy and what the best partnerships should be. We still have a little time to bring our full weight to bear. The rest of the world may be advancing at an extraordinary pace, but Europe is still the foremost player.
One of my chief causes for satisfaction is the great expertise we possess. We should try to demonstrate this expertise to our fellow citizens and to the rest of the world. I have visited so many developing countries where Europe is by far the biggest aid donor but where perceptions of the European Union, as a player, are inversely proportional to the efforts and the funds we invest.
I think 2015 will be a good time to put an end to this misplaced modesty."@en1
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