Mr President, Mr President—in-Office of the Council, Mr President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, please allow me, on behalf of the Group of the , to congratulate the Group of the European People’s Party on their fiftieth anniversary. It is an important date for the and also for democracy in Europe. Mr President, I have a problem. It is difficult for me at this point to say anything more positive about the Greek Presidency than Mr Poettering and the Financial Times because my family ties and solidarity with the Greek Prime Minister are well known. I just want to say one thing, your Presidency has not been a cruise around the Aegean Sea, but rather an ‘Odyssey’. I believe it is fair to say, moreover, that you have captained the European ship with leadership and decisiveness, and I believe this should be stressed at this point. In line with the thinking of the Presidency, firstly, with regard to enlargement, the ceremony of 16 April in the Stoa, in the Market Square next to the Acropolis, was an important event. I would like to thank you for the way you treated the representatives of the European Parliament, headed by our President, but above all I would like to thank you for the historic opportunity which took place in what was the cradle of democracy and also, in relation to an issue which is very close to the hearts of all Europeans and very dramatic for Greece – the case of Cyprus and relations with Turkey – the intelligence and flexibility being shown by the current Greek Government in establishing and developing relations with such an important ally. Secondly, with regard to the Lisbon strategy, I believe we must stress the implementation of the employment guidelines, particularly with regard to gender equality – and in this regard I would like to welcome the work being done by Commissioner Diamantopoulou. In the current situation we are largely concerned by the deadlock affecting the directive on temporary workers, as well as the fact that the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines are not responding to reality: they are more of an intellectual exercise than a political one, and they do not in fact respond to our need to make our European economy more dynamic and defend our common currency. I believe we should also stress, as the President has done, the progress that has been made on maritime safety, particularly in view of Greece’s role as the main European power. Furthermore, with regard to an aspect which is important to our economic future; the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP), I believe we should also welcome the fact that we have achieved a reform which puts us in a very significant position in terms of the future, particularly for European agriculture and also for the negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). With regard to the future of Europe, the fact that the Convention has concluded its work during the six-month period is an important step, producing a text which does not contain options, which does not contain red cards, and which, as the President has said, and I take good note of this, only needs to be subjected to technical modifications. Of course, we would have liked a constitution with more qualified majority voting in social areas, on taxation, on foreign and security policy and with a better interinstitutional balance. The best is the enemy of the good, however. We believe that the important thing now is to consolidate what has been achieved and not to move backwards. In this regard we are also concerned about the participation of Parliament. We believe that the President must be represented at the highest level, that we must have representatives in the Intergovernmental Conference and, furthermore, now that the future of Europe has been debated for the first time in public, in our Parliament as well, in plenary and in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, this House must be the public forum which the Presidency is obliged to report to. I believe that this also corresponds to the times we are living in. I would like to add one further point on the Statute for Political Parties. All the parties and parliamentary groups have worked together to achieve a statute for the parties. Now, however, we are in the dramatic situation of having a statute for parties but no statute for Members of Parliament. This is like having rules for an army but not having rights for soldiers. I would genuinely like, therefore, to draw the attention of the Council Presidency to the fact that it makes no sense to block such an important step, which is of constitutional value to Europe. Finally, a comment on external relations. You have faced a dramatic crisis which tested the reciprocal loyalty laid down in the Treaties between European allies. You acted firmly with regard to transatlantic relations; you maintained European representation in a dignified manner at the summit with a very important ally with which we can have relations without agreeing on everything. I believe, therefore, that the Greek Presidency deserves our recognition and our applause. (Applause)

Political group: PSE