mr president i welcome this report on public finances
it is a vast improvement on the first draft
high debt and deficit levels are a grave concern to the uk and across many member states
we must wean ourselves off fiscal stimuli and quantitative easing and these should not be the accepted norm
there is a need to focus on overcoming our high unemployment levels now and reducing the tax burden on employment and smes
resources are scarce and we agree that where money is available it should be directed to growth boosting investments such as r d and greener smarter innovation
finally we cannot hide from our issue of ever-ageing populations
pension schemes must be transparent and taken into account when looking at public debt
there are some issues that i was wary of in this report
migration for example needs to be handled sensitively
it can meet certain gaps in the labour force but must be controlled and take into account local factors
yes i agree that european problems do need european solutions but we must be aware of the global economy and must respect the fundamental powers of our national governments too
