Országgyűlési napló - 2008. évi őszi ülésszak
2008. szeptember 15 (155. szám) - José Manuel Barroso, az Európai Bizottság elnökének és kíséretének köszöntése - José Manuel Barroso, az Európai Bizottság elnökének beszéde (angol nyelven) - JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO, az Európai Bizottság elnöke
58 JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO , az Európai Bizottság elnöke (angol nyelven): * Az Országos Fordító és Fordításhitelesítő Iroda Zrt. által hitelesített angol nyelvű szöveg. Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Prime Mini ster, Members of this Parliament, Ambassadors, distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is an honour for me to address the Hungarian Parliament: the home of Hungarian democracy. It is indeed my second visit to the National Assembly. I was here in 200 6 to celebrate the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the totalitarian dictatorship: a historic moment in your fight for freedom. I am very pleased and grateful for the chance to make a contribution to the debate on Europe in Hungary and I wish to salute the role of Hungary in the European Union since its accession in 2004. For all those directly involved with European politics, it is quite clear that Hungary is back at the centre of Europe. The fact that Hungary was the first Member State, and you were the fi rst Parliament, to ratify the Treaty of is a powerful demonstration of Hungary’s and your engagement in Europe. The Treaty of Lisbon is the first European Union Treaty negotiated and signed by the 27 Member States, including all those states that could not negotiate or sign previous Treaties, from the Rome Treaty to the Nice Treaty. This is why the logical implication, for all those who defended with enthusiasm the last enlargement, is to fully support the Treaty of Lisbon. This House has clearly grasped th e connection and today I am very pleased to acknowledge that. From today, Hungary also hosts the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. I attended the Inauguration Ceremony this morning and let me tell you that I deeply appreciate the national co nsensus in your country on the significance of the Institute for European scientific progress. As you know the creation of the Institute is very close to my heart. It was a priority of this Commission and I am very proud to see it launched before the end o f the mandate. Innovation is crucial for the future of Europe and the Institute will play a central role in the development of a more innovative Europe. The location of the Institute in Budapest can also be seen as a tribute to the Hungarian tradition in s cience. On my last figures, I counted 18 Hungarianborn or Hungarianspeaking Nobel Laureates. Not many countries can claim that, and perhaps no other country of Hungarian dimension in terms of population can be proud of such an extraordinary achievement. Honourable Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen The parliamentary dimension is a central element in the European Union democracy. The European parliamentary dimension refers not only to the European Parliament, but also to the national parliaments. They have an i mportant role to play in the politics of the European Union. In 2006, I announced on behalf of the Commission our intention to transmit directly all new proposals and consultation papers to national Parliaments, inviting them to react and to contribute to the improvement of the policy formulation process in the European Union. It is a way to establish a permanent political dialogue with national parliaments, offering national parliaments the opportunity to be more active in the preparation and development o f European policies. I really believe this is important. This is a way of getting closer to citizens. Of course, as you know, in our daytoday life in Brussels we are accountable to the European Parliament, but I think it is important, if we want to bring Europe closer to our citizens, that national parliaments are more active when it comes to European politics. I am not just saying this as a matter of courtesy because I am here in a parliament; I am saying it with deep conviction. If I may make a personal remark, when I was 29 years old I was elected to the national parliament of my country, so please understand, this is a deep conviction of democracy and closeness to citizens. Because in Europe we cannot be bureaucratic or technocratic – we have to be dem ocratic.
