Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioners, it is so pleasant to see Sweden holding the presidency of the EU for the first time. We Moderates have always fought for Sweden in Europe, but unfortunately we have to point out that Sweden is only responsible for ‘half a presidency’ since it is Belgium, instead, which will be responsible for the issues relating to the euro. On the other hand, we hope that Sweden, as the country holding the presidency, will be able to achieve the success required in the work of enlargement. The common security and defence policy has to be made more concrete during the Swedish Presidency. Development in this area has been surprisingly rapid, but the ambitions must now be given some substance. Relations between the EU and NATO will be of the greatest importance. Commitment and the ability to solve outstanding problems are required if we are to avoid confusion and if we are to give the EU a complementary role in NATO’s military power. I hope, therefore, that the fact that NATO does not even get a mention in the Swedish programme is more of a chance occurrence than part of a strategy. In ten years’ time, the EU will have the most dynamic economy in the world. Sweden is one of those countries which have made the furthest strides in the development of the new economy. We have companies which are world leaders in telecommunications and the Internet. This is mainly due to the series of deregulations which took place under the Moderate-led government between 1991 and 1994. The markets for telecommunications, mail, electricity and rail traffic, as well as agriculture, were liberalised. At the time, Mr Persson was mainly opposed to these initiatives, but he seems to have changed his views. I am delighted about this and I hope that Sweden, encouraged by good experiences, will be able to push through this kind of development. The Stockholm Summit will provide an excellent opportunity. May it become a deregulation summit for jobs and prosperity. The debate surrounding globalisation and free trade has received increasing attention. The time has come to get rid of the EU’s final protectionist barriers. The EU, together with the new administration in the USA, can remove customs barriers for agricultural products and the textile industry. That, if anything, will show solidarity with the poor of the world. Unlike the Party which supports the Swedish Government, I find it gratifying that the Swedish Presidency states in its Programme that one of its main priorities is to devote itself to making the EU force the pace of development within the WTO towards tangible liberalisations. This declaration is totally in line with Sweden’s tradition of free trade and openness towards the surrounding world. The Minister of Commerce in Sweden, Mr Pagrotsky, has, however, described the Tobin tax (as it is called) as a nice idea, and the Prime Minister has expressed his sympathetic understanding of those who, by organising riots and disturbances, sabotaged the WTO meeting in Seattle. The Tobin tax is a threat to the poor of the world. A Tobin tax would only serve to undermine the efficiency of the market. I would therefore like to ask the following question: Could the President-in-Office of the Council, here before Parliament, give a clear statement as to whether the Swedish Presidency is for or against the introduction of a Tobin tax?

Political group: PPE-DE