mr president i am speaking on behalf of the european free alliance members in the greens efa group
we believe in equality for all people in europe
we support independence for the nations and the regions of europe that are not currently member states in their own right but that aspire to be and we campaign for equal rights for speakers of all languages whether they are official eu languages or co-official languages and whether they are spoken by the majority or the minority in a member state
mr barroso you talk in your guidelines and you have talked again today about the need to create a feeling of connection between the eu and its citizens but this can never be achieved until the eu recognises the real nations and peoples and that subsidiarity operates at all levels and not just between the eu and the member state government
if the european union is to effectively support us through the economic crisis lead the way as it must in fighting climate change protect public services defend human rights and contribute to international peace and disarmament then it needs the input of all of us and that includes wales scotland catalonia corsica flanders and many others
across europe at this moment there are discussions consultations and referenda taking place and i am not talking about lisbon but about proposals for constitutional change and for greater autonomy in these countries
i regret that you have not acknowledged recognised or addressed these current developments in your guidelines and you have not brought forward proposals for greater involvement of countries and regions which have legislative powers in eu decision making something which we in the efa see as crucial
i would ask you again to agree to do that
