Toespraak EP-voorzitter Schulz over Oostelijk Partnerschap (en)
Dear Members of Parliaments, dear colleagues,
Dear Ambassadors,
Dear friends,
I am very happy to welcome you to Brussels, on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly.
As you know, I fight for parliamentarianism - wherever, whenever and with whomever! And I have made it a clear priority of my mandate to strengthen both the institutional role of the European Parliament and its visibility for citizens. Because I firmly believe that Parliaments have an important job to do in checking and balancing the executives, but also because I am convinced that parliamentarians can contribute with ideas and initiatives which are crucial for the improvement the lives of our citizen's. Some of the best ideas in European politics were developed by my colleagues in the European Parliament! More seriously, we shouldn't hide our light under the bushel and be too modest; just think of the Financial Transaction Tax, the Youth Guarantee, the Black Sea Strategy - to name but a few.
To deliver better results for our citizens, we have to strengthen Parliamentarianism both within the EU - in this case the increasingly institutionalized and efficient networks between the European Parliament and national Parliaments - as well as the relations between the European Parliament and national Parliaments of our wider European neighbourhood. We are partners in the struggle for democracy and in the fight for the common interests of our citizens.
Therefore, I am extremely pleased that together with the Euromed Parliamentary Assembly, which I've chaired for a year until April, the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is developing into a strong and viable network of parliamentarians.
Kristian Vigenin i is a good example of what Euronest members can become: Only today Kristian was appointed foreign minister of Bulgaria. Kristian will be missed here as a highly respected and well-liked colleague, and for many a dear friend. It’s a great achievement, a deserved achievement, and I wish him all the best in his new endeavour.
Ladies and gentlemen,
On a broader note: Today's meeting is proof of how well our cooperation works. Indeed, several resolutions have been adopted that had been prepared within the Assembly's Committees. Dear colleagues, let me congratulate you on the adoption of these texts. It shows that we are committed to delivering results.
With these texts we send strong messages to our governments:
First message: Without effective legislative approximation in the economic field, we cannot hope to benefit from future trade agreements,
Second message: The role of integrated energy markets in ensuring energy security cannot be understated,
Third message: Combating poverty and social exclusion must be our everyday concern.
I especially want to congratulate you on adopting a resolution on tackling regional security issues. This is a very sensitive issue and I am well aware of the difficulties it created in the past. Yet tackling regional security challenges is of great importance for the stability of the Eastern region as a whole. That we can agree on such a sensitive issue is proof of the good working relationship we have developed, of the trust we have built. This success also shows that we can overcome future obstacles through open and constructive dialogue.
Ladies and gentlemen, our strong commitment to democracy is proven by the fact that we jointly decided to invite representatives of the Belarusian civil society to our proceedings today. This is a strong signal. I am proud to say: We are not willing to accept the fact that the citizens of Belarus are still deprived of freedom and basic fundamental rights. We will always uphold democratic values and support the people in Belarus in every way we can.
Tomorrow, you will debate our message for the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit. It will be our joint message to our respective governments, outlining what we expect them to achieve at the Summit in Vilnius later this year. We have to do our homework before the Vilnius summit, especially concerning the promotion of democracy and the rule of law - In this respect, let me commend the good work and results so far of the Cox/Kwasniewski monitoring mission to Ukraine - and, all in all, the promotion of the interparliamentary dialogue.
I hope we will be sending an ambitious message ahead of the Vilnius Summit. Because it is our job to hold our governments accountable and push them to follow up on their commitments. It must be our priority to overcome bipartisanship and party struggles and unite in the goal to bring our countries closer together. We owe this to our citizens.
I wish you all a very successful discussion tomorrow, but first of all a pleasant dinner!
For further information:
europarl.president.press@europarl.europa.eu
Marcin Grajewski
Press Officer
+32 498 98 15 50
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