Press "For a new political Europe-inspired by the courage of our origins"

Press Releases | 06-09-2012 in Informação à Imprensa

Maria da Graça Carvalho participated in the meeting of the bureau of the EPP Group to discuss the current situation in the European Union and to outline broad policy lines in the context of creating a new political Europe, inspired by the courage of our origins.

The EPP Group debated on how to restore economic growth in Europe and on the defence of non-negotiable values during this meeting of its Bureau in Florence, Italy on 6-7 September.

The EPP Group Chairman, Joseph Daul MEP, led the two-day event which was attended by Italian Prime Minister, Mario Monti, European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, as well as Maltese Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi, Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Angelino Alfano, PDL Party National Secretary, Pierferdinando Casini, UDC Party Leader, European Commissioners, Ministers and EPP Group MEPs.

This is a turning point for the European Union: the Euro crisis is putting the whole European construction in danger and bold decisions have to be made in order to preserve our common achievements, strengthening European integration and ensuring the future of the next generations.

The EPP Group is convinced that this can only be done by having sound public finances in all Member States as a base for credible and stronger growth policies. The EU needs effective reforms in all sectors to free the European economic potential preserving our social market economy.

The EPP Group believes that the answer to get the EU back on the track to growth and prosperity is more Europe. More Europe not only in terms of economic reforms but also in terms of building a more integrated political union. One of the conditions to get this job done is the preservation and the defence of non-negotiable values, those values that, thanks to our Founding Fathers, contributed to building today's Europe.

In the first session of the meeting in Florence on Thursday morning, there were welcome speeches by Joseph Daul MEP, Vito Bonsignore, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group, Mario Mauro MEP, Head of the Italian (PDL) Delegation of the EPP Group, Giuseppe Gargani MEP, Head of the Italian (UDC-SVP) Delegation of the EPP Group, and interventions by Angelino Alfano and Pierferdinando Casini.

The Members of the EPP Group Bureau debated on the defence of non-negotiable values. Jaime Mayor Oreja MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group responsible for Political Strategy and the European Ideas Network, chaired this panel in which Lawrence Gonzi, the Maltese Prime Minister, Eugenio Nasarre, a Spanish MP, Rocco Buttiglione, Vice-President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and President of the UDC Party, Peter Liese MEP, Chairman of the Bioethics Working Group of the EPP Group and EPP Group Coordinator in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the EP, Mariya Gabriel MEP and Carlo Casini MEP, Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the EP, all participated in this debate.

On Thursday afternoon, during the second session of the meeting, the EPP Group MEPs heard the Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti at the European University Institute. This intervention was introduced by the EPP Group Chairman, Joseph Daul MEP, and Roberta Angelilli, MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament.

On Friday, the first panel focused on 'The crisis of the European Project and the role of the EPP Family'. This debate was chaired by Joseph Daul MEP and the speakers were: José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Lorenzo Ornaghi, Italian Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities, Elmar Brok MEP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the EP, and Mario Mauro MEP, Head of the Italian (PDL) Delegation of the EPP Group.

The second panel 'Economic growth and the defence of the social market economy' was chaired by Vito Bonsignore MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group responsible for the Mediterranean Union and Euromed. Speakers were: Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Eniko Gyori, Secretary of State responsible for European Affairs of Hungary, Janusz Lewandowski, European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget, Paolo Bartolozzi MEP and Salavador Garriga Polledo MEP, EPP Group Coordinator in the Budgets Committee of the EP.

An intervention by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, closed the meeting.

On the margins of the Bureau meeting, the XV Dialogue with Religions and Cultures and the EPP Group took place.

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