Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, Parliament welcomes the onset of spring at the Stockholm Summit. Because one thing is clear: the spring summit will become standard practice in the future, so that we not only bank on a future-orientated, knowledge-based society, but can also actually live in it. We need the ambitious strategy of change decided in Lisbon. We need to make it tighter and more dynamic and Stockholm has added another brick to this edifice. And rightly so, given the jitters in the world economy, the shadow being cast over growth in the European economy and the crashes on the stock exchanges. The successes of the year 2000, with record growth, healthy finances, the lowest inflation and interest rates and 2.5 million new jobs, should not be underestimated. They say something about the need to continue the process of open coordination and link economic, employment and social policies. We must hold on to this, otherwise there will be no further progress. We must also anchor this in specific basic aspects of economic policy for the year 2001. We must be able to go on reaping benefits here, even if Europe has to overcome other weaknesses, such as excessively low, interrupted growth, unacceptable unemployment and the exclusion of too many people. The European summit is rightly interested in economic reform, properly functioning markets and regulation, where having qualitative yardsticks is in people’s interests. We must therefore welcome the fact that the summit was not just a liberalisation and deregulation summit but that, at the same time, it is banking on pan-European regulation, where such regulation is needed in the interest of universal services, fair distribution and consumer protection. Even the promotion of entrepreneurial initiative, with special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises and the venture capital and start-up finance which is vital to them, is in its infancy. And the EU summit rightly took account of the importance of research, innovation and new technologies in creating jobs and prosperity. In this context, we must clearly recognise that the analysis and use of public funding and the quality of such funding – including state aid – must be assessed more closely for its impact on employment. I think we need to invest still more in people and better quality jobs. And a further change of tack from a passive to an active employment policy, over and above the previous objectives of the European employment strategy, is still on the agenda. Mr President-in-Office, the presidency is promising more democracy and transparency in economic policy. But where are they when it comes to the financial action plan and the regulation of investment markets? The European Parliament wants speed and flexibility in the legislative area – just as you do – and welcomes the Lamfalussy report. But we insist on full transparency and proper symmetry between the institutions in the codecision procedure. We here in the European Parliament want the rights which the Council already enjoys. Help us to secure them. You too, Mr President of the Commission, can help to make this possible. Just one more thing: we also want more democracy and a real partnership when the economic policy guidelines are decided. Both the Commission and the Council really can help in this regard and I call on them to do so. (Applause) IN THE CHAIR: MR COLOM I NAVALVice-President

Political group: PSE