Future of Europe is about the people

15.03.2017 14:08

Future of Europe is about the people

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"There is more at stake when we talk about the future of Europe than just the division of powers and competences between Brussels and the Member States", said Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, on Wednesday.

“What is most important is that it is about the people's interest. We have to open the black box of Brussels and give people their say. To do that, the first thing we need to do is accept our responsibilities and explain what we decide, especially the national governments in the Council”, he said, taking the floor during the plenary debate on the outcome of the last European Council. “When you vote for something, explain back home why you voted for it."

“We need to underline that the countries which are members of the European Union are much better off economically than those that are not - look at the economic differences between Poland and the Ukraine”, he said.

“We also need to be clear about the enlargement perspectives: while we believe that countries from the Western Balkans are members of the European family in the long-term, in the EPP Group’s view, it is also clear that Turkey cannot and will not become a full member of the European Union. This has to be stated clearly.

Regarding the current tensions with Turkey, we express full solidarity with the Netherlands. The Netherlands are Europe and Europe is the Netherlands. Attacking one of our countries means attacking Europe as a whole", Weber concluded.

Note to editors

The EPP Group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with 217 Members from 27 Member States

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