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
60 freedom. And this historical experience gave me two fir m beliefs, which I would like to share with you today. The enlargement of the European Union is one of the greatest successes of European history. And European construction is above all about freedom and solidarity. The third basic principle of enlargement is indeed about solidarity. For this Commission, social and economic cohesion is and will be a fundamental policy of the European Union. I think there is no place in Europe for a division between 'rich' and 'poor' countries; or for a division between ‘old ’ and ‘new’ countries; or for a division between ‘big’ and ‘small’ countries. In Europe we all share the same level of dignity. In fact when we started the European process, all those who started after the war of 193945, the truth is that all European cou ntries were equally poor. Some had the good fortune of being among those who were free to initiate European integration. Some suffered the tragic fate of being on the wrong side. European cohesion and European convergence are the means to alter such histor ical injustice. The commitments for the period of 20072013 in terms of financial help to Hungarian regions and investment in areas such as transport, environment, research, innovation, entrepreneurship and social infrastructures will very much improve the economic and social conditions of Hungarian citizens. Yet, to be effective, it is essential to ensure that proper monitoring and control systems are established and operational. Still in the area of cohesion policy, I would like to make two further points. First, I want to stress the linkage between cohesion policies and a more flexible, competitive and open economy. It is crucial to have cohesion with innovation. I don’t agree wi th some remarks that sometimes I heard saying that cohesion is a policy of the past and competitiveness is a policy of the future. No, what we have to do is precisely to join these two objectives – to promote cohesion, but a cohesion that reinforces the co mpetitiveness of our countries, of our regions and globally, the competition that Europe is facing, as you know, the pressure coming from outside more and more. So cohesion and innovation. But also we cannot neglect those who are suffering nor especially t he more backward regions. Cohesion and economic convergence policies have to take into account social, economic and regional disparities. This is precisely why we need solidarity. And enlargement is also about peace, about freedom and about solidarity. Hon ourable Speaker, honourable Members of this Parliament The last two enlargements taught us a great lesson: the European Union is a force for justice and stability. We face, however, a challenge: our capacity to bring justice and stability to Europe has to go beyond enlargement. We need to find mechanisms that enable those countries, which are not in a position to accede to the Union, to reinforce their political and economic systems and to be more secure and more stable. Stable partnerships between the Euro pean Union and Eastern Europe will be very important for the future of European political and security order. The Commission is accelerating preparations of its proposal for a Partnership for Eastern Europe, to be presented by the end of the year. The prin ciples and values of the European Union order must be extended to our neighbourhood. Our neighbouring regions need the European method of putting together different national experiences; the European principles of open societies and open economies; the Eur opean multilateral way of interstate cooperation; and the peaceful means to solve political conflicts. The socalled 'new' Member States have to be at the heart of this effort. As countries that fought so hard for democracy, freedom, and solidarity, they h ave to be at the forefront to help others who are struggling for the same values. I know that Hungary strongly supports our efforts in the stabilization of the Eastern neighbourhood regions and I fully welcome that position. And I am also very grateful for the constant support that Hungary has been giving to the enlargement process of the European Union.
