Athens , 30 June 2009

Dear President of the European Parliament,

Dear Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament,

Dear Ministers,

And of course Dear Colleagues of the European Parliament,

I am very pleased to be amongst you this evening. All of us in New Democracy cherish the moments we spend in the midst of our European political family.

I would like to especially welcome the newly elected members of the European Parliament and congratulate the EPP leadership and Secretariat on a successful European elections campaign.

Once again EPP is the biggest and most influential European parliamentary Group. With increased influence however comes increased responsibility; responsibility towards all the citizens of our European Union.

Lest we forget we meet in interesting times for Europe.

We have just come out from a European parliamentary election that marked the end of a stormy season. The winter we left behind was long and bitter as we felt the impact of the global economic crisis on all our economies. At the same time political, social and environmental challenges abound on and off our continent.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Study Days organized by the EPP are invaluable tools in our MEPs’ quest to learn and analyze ways to move our agenda forward. They also present a good opportunity to pause and reflect on where we are and where we are going.

And we have to begin, I believe, with the message of the European Elections.

Now, it is always risky, as you all well know, to try to read into results that were often influenced by a myriad of national factors some sort of pan-European message. 

Yet I would suggest that we can, at the bare minimum, all agree that the low voter turnout that characterized our Elections proves that there is much ground that we have to cover; particularly when it comes to bridging the gap between Brussels and our capitals.

And here is where the European Parliament can be the catalyst of all our efforts.    

We are armed with good news. All polls indicate that the average European still thinks of the European Union as a very successful political experiment. And this is a message to Euro-skeptics everywhere.  After all Europe’s achievements are so embedded in our everyday lives that it would be hard to think of our continent in a different way. The queue of countries lining up to be members is further proof.

Even at the worst of times Europe is still attractive and our Union is, on the whole, a success.

But - and there is a but - we have often done a miserable job of communicating effectively with our citizens.

The economic crisis shapes our political environment.   The tectonic plates of our political debate have shifted and - if we don’t want to fall through the cracks- we have to adjust.

To do this, we have to focus on two directions:

First, we need to set clear and widely recognizable priorities. We, politicians, have a particular responsibility to speak and act in an open and direct manner in all aspects of politics. Our societies expect concrete proposals and tangible suggestions that can shape policy and impact their daily lives. Our peoples expect action not merely warm and fuzzy words.

Second, to drop the bureaucratic language that alienates us from the public, the so called “eurospeak”, used by, what the public perceives as the bureaucratic elite in Brussels. And changing the languae means going to  Europe’s grassroots taking our message to every street, every corner, every square. The EPP knows how to do this and has been able to speak clearly to Europeans. This was reflected in the election results; results which for the third time running reflect that the EPP is the driving force of the European Parliament.

With these few words of introduction, do indulge me ladies and gentlemen as I comment on the timely choices made by the EPP for its Study days.

The subjects chosen after all correspond to the important challenges our Union faces.

Turning to the economic crisis and to the prospects of economic revival:

A new economic environment is being shaped globally and Europe must play a leading part in this process. The crisis demands clear, fast and decisive action. We have already seen important initiatives aiming to reform and restructure the global financial market. The reform of financial supervision within the EU itself aimed at setting up a new system to help avoid financial crises in the future is critical in this respect.

Yet, more needs to be done. Indeed, to transform this crisis into an opportunity we need to reach into the heart of the matter. To reexamine the strengths and weaknesses of our economic and social model. It served us well for many decades but has possibly reached the point of a major tension. The EPP Congress was right to declare in its emergency resolution, adopted in Warsaw, that “the positive effects of the Social Market Economy have demonstrated that a socially responsible and sustainable free market system can give prosperity to everyone”. The measures proposed by the EPP were correct in aiming to restore confidence and growth and in generating the creation of new jobs while “repairing” the financial system, strengthening financial regulation and building an inclusive, green, sustainable but still competitive economy . These propositions indicate that we have the right resources, skills and willingness to seize the opportunity of change presented to us.

Admittedly, the public is still looking towards the state for turning the crisis around through specific policies but, as shown by the election results in Europe, it neither wants protectionist policies nor rejects the market economy. And this should be underlined. This is neither the time nor the moment to shy away from our principles or our beliefs. Our societies, when facing problems, instinctively look towards the European ideals of solidarity, responsibility, and humanism as guarantees of progress, and security. In our political family we take the potential of each and every European citizen very seriously. And it is only in free environments that economies and societies can flourish.

Our citizens are not looking up to us just for restoring our economies. They expect us to renew our faith in and give new strength to our societies. Europe has a successful social model which takes care of its citizens while rewarding initiative. We should focus on active citizenship at the core of this civil society. It was Aristotle who declared  that the city is its citizens.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Humanism entails that we take care of those less fortunate. Here I would like to stress the importance of the illegal migration issue. Undeniably Greece is facing a disproportionately great migratory pressure due to its geographic position at the external border of the EU by land and sea and to its proximity to countries of both origin and transit of illegal immigration.

Facing illegal migration demands European synergies. Greece believes that illegal migration  and the need to collaborate on this with both countries of origin and transit should be part of EU foreign policy.

Specific measures are required:

1.       EU members need to devise a burden sharing scheme

2.       Frontex needs to be upgraded. It should conduct joint operations on a permanent basis.

3.       Specialized braches of Frontex, one of them in Greece for the southern sea borders.

4.       Dublin II regulation should be reformed.

There is a clear political message here which I would like to stress. Illegal migration is not a problem that affects only the South or only the Mediterranean, the port of call of migrants as they go on to the whole of Europe. This is a European problem par excellence that needs a European solution. Genuine solidarity between Member States is urgently needed in order to effectively tackle this common European challenge. It is an illusion to think that any country can carry this weight alone or that any country can affect its consequences for long.  

And this is what Europe is about. About standing together, shoulder to shoulder in the face of adversity.

One of the paradigm par excellence of European synergy is climate change.

Global problems require global solutions. Nowhere is this more evident than when we talk about climate change. It remains a crucial issue on both the environmental and the political agenda. It is linked to the immediate future of the planet, to the energy we consume, to our health and security, to the living conditions of billions across the globe.

We are a small country with limited economic resources. Yet, we have already taken up several initiatives to tackle climate change. A year ago, in the framework of our Chairmanship of the Human Security Network, we hosted the first International Conference on Climate Change and Human security. Our aim was to draw attention to the close relationship between climate change and vulnerable population groups.

Greece has also taken initiatives when it comes to the effects of climate change and to dealing with its consequences. And it is a source f great pride for us that Europe is at the forefront of the debate.  Europe and I dare say the EPP set the agenda and this is no small feat. Such policies bring the European Union closer to the European Citizen. With specific actions such as these, the EU can recapture the ‘minds and hearts’ of its citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Concluding, there are harsh realities we need to face in the political and economic realm. But as Thucydides said “It is from the greatest dangers that the greatest glory is to be won”.

Our citizens look towards the European People’s Party and ask us to provide clear, recognizable and tangible solutions to the challenges facing our Continent. They ask for more Europe not less.

They demand clarity, cohesion, and solidarity. They demand more Europe. A better Europe and a better governance of Europe.

This is the message I hear wherever I go. The so called voter apathy is the result of not communicating correctly all that the European Union does on a daily basis for each and every European at the local level. In our neighborhoods. On our streets. The EPP is indeed the PEOPLES’ party.

It is up to us, to each parliamentarian, to each EPP member and to each politician to show Europeans just how much we can achieve in the next five years.

We know the issues that matter to our peoples. It is up to us to show to voters and non voters alike that we did get the message of the European elections.

Thank you for your attention and enjoy the rest of the evening.