Mr President, Mr President-designate, ladies and gentlemen, this new chapter in our history requires us to be here today for this discussion on the crisis in transparency and the crisis in the functioning of the Commission. Mr President-designate, you have agreed to lead us out of that crisis, which is why you are here today to propose, and we are here to demand, institutional reform and the strengthening of European politics. Leaving aside the albeit serious crisis which initiated everything, this was the only possible outcome because, there is now a demand, for apparently opposing reasons, for greater attention to be paid both to the need for institutional reform and for more policies. I said for apparently opposing reasons because one of the subjects we are dealing with is the apparent bewilderment – I hope it is not lack of confidence – of the European citizens, as shown by the poor turnout in the June elections but, on the other hand, there is undoubtedly more being asked of Europe. The Kosovo crisis has certainly highlighted the original reasons for the creation of a united Europe. Europe as an instrument of strengthened European institutions, as an instrument to ensure peace even before ensuring prosperity, across the entire continent. This demand calls for commitments on enlargement and on strengthening the institutions which on the one hand, we must honour. However, on the other hand, for the Europe already in existence, for those countries of Europe which are already part of the Union, there is more being asked of Europe. The euro is a tool, an intermediate stage. It is a condition, a tool for bringing prosperity to everyone, so that we can move on to those policies which form the fundamental chapter we are about to open, the final goal, that is, more growth, more development, more employment. We must deal with the need for new transparency, new institutions and new politics. As for transparency – we have already said, Mr President – our group puts all its confidence in you, confidence which obviously depends on the results you and your Commission will achieve. This confidence obviously depends on each individual Commissioner’s ability to sustain high moral and professional standards. We shall keep a close watch on the Commissioners in many different ways, which includes the improved methods of transparency that you have promised us. However, in my view, we need to make greater progress on the institutional problem, because that is what the institutions’ image hinges on as far as the European citizens are concerned. I think that the points of that triangle you mentioned – Commission, Parliament and Council – must evolve, are evolving and will evolve along an upwards course towards the progressive, inevitable transfer of powers from the governments – that is, from the Council – to the citizens, and therefore to Parliament. This is the basic process that we can either speed up or slow down. We are asking you – and this is why we are happy to put our confidence in a strong Commission – to do all you can, which means a lot, and maybe even more than you imagine doing at the moment. We are asking you to be ambitious in this area, to make sure that as you already said in a meeting with the leaders of the parliamentary groups, the relationship between Parliament and the Commission is a positive one. This is possible, but it depends on you. It also depends on us. We will do all we can to create the conditions necessary for success. However, we are doing all this as a means to implement European policies. We accept the commitments that enlargement brings, but even if the focus is now essentially shifting towards Central and Eastern Europe, we must not lose sight of the Mediterranean policies that Europe has a duty to adopt. I know that there is a great deal of work to do. I know that the difficulties may seem impossible to overcome. But I also know that you have the right qualities, the will and the ability to succeed. Aim high, Mr President!

Political group: ELDR