Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-07-02-Speech-3-016-000"
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"en.20140702.5.3-016-000"2
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"Mr President, I stand before you as the third new leader today – the third virgin on the front row, if you like, but the leader of the third-largest group here in the European Parliament.
They take a bit of time to warm up. Much has been said about the winners and losers in the recent European elections. Let me ask you to consider the real loser: the status quo. For a growing number of people believe that Europe cannot go on as it is. Europe has to change, and that change has to start now. They do not believe that the choice is between more Europe or no Europe: they want a better Europe, a Europe that allows our nation states to cooperate freely and not a one-size-fits-all European super-state; a Europe which embraces the future, not one that lives in the past; a Europe to meet the challenges of the 2050s, not the problems of the 1950s. And in the ECR we aspire to give these people a voice.
So as the leader of this new, exciting, growing force, I want the ECR to become an exciting hub for new ideas for reform: ideas that make the EU fit for the challenges of the future in an interconnected global economy. But so far this week we have seen too much of the politics of the past – the type of politics that voters rejected in May. That is why, to all those new and re-elected MEPs across the House, I make this plea: let us turn our backs on the parliament of the backroom deal and the division of spoils. Let us reject a parliament of self-interest and personal ambition. Let us leave behind a parliament of intolerance towards minority views that challenge the conventional wisdom. Instead, let us build a parliament based on tolerance and respect. Let us build a parliament of passionate debates and stimulating ideas, and let us build a parliament that seeks fresh approaches and new solutions.
Let me give you all this pledge. Our group will work together and form coalitions with others based on ideas for reform, and we take the nomination of Mr Juncker in the same spirit. Our concerns about the process are well known. They need not be repeated again today, because we are a group that wants to look forward, not back. But if this Parliament elects Mr Juncker, then we will work with him, and we will work with the Commission if he pursues a forward-looking agenda of reform; if he pursues a forward-looking agenda of decentralisation; and if he pursues a forward-looking agenda to face the challenges of the 2050s and not to look back to the ideas of the 1950s.
Mr Van Rompuy, we welcome the fact that the Summit communiqué set out a number of priorities for the future. We welcome the reference to different paths of integration, recognising the diversities of our interests and our traditions in our different Member States, a flexible Europe of nation states cooperating where there is mutual interest and public support rather than that old dream of a one-size-fits-all European super-state.
Let us turn those ideas from the European Council statement – of exploiting the single market, of creating a climate of entrepreneurship, of opening trade, of enhancing energy security and efficiency, of supporting our neighbourhood and of cutting bureaucracy – let us turn those ideas into the building blocks for reform. If you want to deliver real change in the EU, we look forward to cooperating with you. If you want to defend the status quo, we will urge you to embrace change. If you want to look back to the past, we will confront you with the challenges of the future. And that is the real division in this Parliament today: between those who want to prepare the European Union for the 2050s and those who cling to the ideas of the 1950s. The ECR is a new force with a modern agenda: to give Europe a fresh start. That is our belief and our mission. We will work with all of you who want to succeed, by embracing the challenges of the 21st century together."@en1
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"(Applause and gradually some laughter)"1
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