09 March 2017

Tajani: “Europe needs to be changed not weakened”

Antonio Tajani made the case for European unity in his first speech as Parliament President at the start of a Council summit. “Today more than ever we can see how important European unity is,” he told political leaders at the summit in Brussels.

[...]Regarding the economy, Tajani said that in order to reduce unemployment, especially among the young, a more competitive Europe was needed attuned to the needs of the real economy. “The single market is the biggest driver of prosperity for our citizens. But it has not yet fulfilled its potential.” In this light he called for the digital single market to be established as quickly as possible.

The President highlighted the importance of industry and said policies should strengthen Europe’s industrial base. He added that Europe had an interest in continuing to make the case for open markets: “Today more than ever, Europe has a duty to maintain its course towards an open society and free trade based on compliance with the rules.”[...]

Immigration continues to represent a major concern to Europeans. Tajani called for a balanced approach: “ We must be just as rigorous in taking in people who qualify for asylum as we are in countering illegal immigration. We cannot leave the management of migration to people traffickers and terrorists. We need decisive political action at EU level to strengthen controls at our borders and, at the same time, to tackle the problem of migration at its roots.” He also we needed to step up our efforts directed towards the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean and in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular those in the Sahel, and also called for more investment. [...]

Tajani finished his speech by looking ahead to the future of Europe: “The only response to populism is to demonstrate by means of practical achievements that we are working together for a Europe which produces results.” He said the adoption of three Parliament report on this issue and the presentation of the European Commission’s strategy paper showed the determination to move towards a better Europe.

Full speech

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