mr president i think you are more than aware that europe is standing at a turning point and you have the opportunity to take it one way or the other either the gloomy way with deeper economic crises a bad competitiveness environment for european companies more regulation and bureaucratic burden or the courageous way seizing all the opportunities laid down in the lisbon treaty to make europe stronger and taking a cohesive approach to global markets and challenges
opportunities and solutions to the global challenges can be found in sectors such as the ict digital agenda research and development and energy
a new treaty finally ratified by all member states is giving you on a silver platter the tools to achieve these goals
what i fear most is the widening gap between citizens expectations and brussels little world
the trust and confidence that we assume from our citizens is fading away
on how many occasions have i observed the discrepancies between the european administration pursuing a blunt policy goal and peoples real concerns
what is the aim of devising a common energy policy if we cannot deliver our citizens secure affordable and green energy
what is the aim of collecting data on energy infrastructures
i believe we cannot impose one-size-fits-all solutions
the commission has to take into account the differences opportunities and means of each member state
you will need to be visionary and creative to take europe out of the gloomy past
on this parliament will support you
if we miss the opportunity europe will not get a second chance in five years
