Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-06-23-Speech-3-022"
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"en.20100623.9.3-022"2
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"Mr President, the European Council rightly focused on the reform of Europe, something which my group is dedicated to, but I first want to say something about Iran.
Iran ought rightfully to be one of the most respected powers in the Middle East. It has a long history and a talented and innovative people and we would much like to be able to work with Iran in tackling some of the global issues which are most pressing at this time. Recently, I met with Iranian representatives who suggested what some of these issues might be.
But sadly, Iran is in the hands of those who seem to care little about the aspirations of their own peoples or the concerns of their neighbours in the Gulf. It has recklessly pursued a nuclear energy programme that has rightly provoked suspicion and alarm. If it were to develop nuclear energy in an open and transparent manner, no one should question its right to do so. But by trying to develop these nuclear capabilities in secret, there can be little doubt that their motives and ambitions are a danger.
So we welcome the steps the leaders of the European Union have taken to increase pressure on them to cooperate with the global community. If not, measures to restrict trade, banking, transport and the oil and gas industry will sadly have to be taken.
We also welcome the agreement on Europe 2020, which we hope will merit its description as a centrepiece initiative of the Commission. There is still much work to be done in practice and we do not yet agree with every detail. But if words can be turned into action, this will be a positive development for the European Union: a single market to be re-launched and extended; trade both within the EU and beyond must be encouraged and facilitated; unnecessary and bureaucratic barriers must be swept away; the burdens on our businesses and entrepreneurs must be reduced; heavy-handed regulation must be replaced by smart regulation or indeed simply less regulation.
For the sake of both the euro and the economic future of all Members of the European Union, budget deficits in all our countries of course have to be reduced. In the United Kingdom, we have now joined others who are taking these painful but necessary steps. Our emergency budget yesterday was dramatic, but as the Chancellor Mr Osborne said, unavoidable. Only by reducing the weight of public debt and securing long-term low interest rates will the private sector be able to invest and expand, creating jobs and generating growth. It is the private sector which can best restore that growth and prosperity.
We welcome the fact that the European Council focused on immediate practical steps to support the euro. My own country is not, of course, a member of the eurozone and will not join, but we have every reason to want it to be successful. But the ECR believes the measures necessary to improve the governance of the euro do not require further centralisation and we would oppose measures to shift more power from the Member States to Brussels. Nor could we support steps that would force non-eurozone members to support financially the eurozone, as it is, of course, primarily the responsibility of the eurozone members to support their system. But we stand ready to support initiatives which respect the treaty obligations of our respective Member States.
Mr President, we live in an increasingly competitive era. The period of the economic pre-eminence of Europe and the United States is clearly drawing to a close. Our system of free market economics, liberal democracy and social protection for the most vulnerable faces challenges from others who espouse a more authoritarian brand of capitalism. We therefore urgently need reform to ensure we can continue to enjoy and develop our ‘free’ form of life. Trying to escape this need by blindly clinging to a status quo would certainly end in our ruin."@en1
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