Madam President, I notice that you have not called Mr Hernández Mollar, who had asked me to speak on his behalf. I would therefore ask you to allow me the two minutes allotted to Mr Hernández Mollar, so that I can present his intervention, and then the four minutes allotted to me, if this is acceptable to you. I will therefore present Mr Hernández Mollar’s intervention. Madam President, the debate on xenophobia and racism is always of great importance, politically and socially. The Ludford report contains points which are highly acceptable and which any democrat can and must ratify, but also contains other points which are less than rigorous from a political and even from a legal point of view. European citizenship is an abstract concept which lacks any legal form. The Member States regulate the political rights of their citizens in accordance with their own democratic laws, as also happens in many of the countries of origin of the citizens who emigrate to the European Union. To ask for political participation in local, national or European elections, or even access to the civil service for people who are not nationals of the Member States, without even coming to a reciprocal arrangement, is politically unrealistic and displays a lack of legal rigour. It would be impossible to comply with a proposal of this type and I therefore ask Mrs Ludford to withdraw it so that we can vote in favour of her report. Xenophobia and racism should be combated by means of education and integration in the workplace and in society, and by paying attention to the issues of housing, health and social services, but let us not use blithe rhetoric when it comes to an issue which above all requires rigour and seriousness. That was Mr Hernández Mollar’s intervention. I will now begin my own, Madam President. The existence of a panoply of fundamental civil, economic, social and political rights, fully guaranteed by constitutional legislation and by public authorities, is one of the essential elements of modern Western society. The various charters and declarations which mark the history, firstly, of European/American politics, and then, later, world politics, are milestones which have ennobled the collective life of humanity, carrying it aloft on the shoulders of Christian values and the Enlightenment through to today’s democratic ideals. The European Union has always considered the respect for fundamental human rights to be one of the essential principles of its founding spirit and has engraved this on the frontispiece of its founding Treaties. Without this irrefutable component of our moral concept of social organisation, the very existence of the Union would cease to make sense, because, as well as constituting a broad space of economic freedom, the citizens of the fifteen Member States wish, above all else, to offer the rest of the world an example of the scrupulous respect for these rights. However, that firm and unequivocal will must be exercised in a manner which is legally rigorous and, above all, based on common sense. The nationals of non-EU states who live in the Union must be treated on an equal footing with the citizens of the Member States with regard to access to education, health and social protection. This must be done whilst respecting their specific religious beliefs and cultural characteristics. The tiniest hint of racism, intolerance or xenophobia must be eradicated in any Member State in which it may occur. However, the administrative status of the resident is not the same as the political status of the citizen. In a political sense, the citizens of the Union are classed as such by virtue of being citizens of one of the Member States and this allows them to enjoy full political participation and, in particular, to express themselves in elections, to take collective representative responsibility of an electoral nature and to compete for permanent posts in the public administrations. The ingenious construction of a European citizenship which is not based on the prior and essential requirement of being a citizen of a Member State, of a European citizenship which is above the constitutions of the States of the Union, with no legal basis nor solid political foundation, rashly granted to passport holders from non-EU countries, even if they are residents, would be a source of confusion and would endanger the rights of the nationals of the fifteen Member States. The European Union must offer a generous welcome, and must be open to all people who wish to contribute, through their efforts and their work, to our general prosperity or who seek asylum or refuge from oppression or persecution. However, full political citizenship must be acquired in accordance with the laws of each Member State. In his celebrated lecture at the Sorbonne entitled “What is a Nation?” Ernest Renan warned us: “Let us not abandon the principle that man is first and foremost a rational and moral being, before speaking any particular language, before being a member of any particular race, before belonging to any particular culture”. Many of the tragedies of the twentieth century in Europe have resulted from ignoring this wise advice. Let us allow Renan to refresh our memories, but let us not indulge in excesses which are less than rational and of dubious morality.

Political group: PPE-DE