Lamassoure (PPE). – (FR) Mr President, less than one year after the historic success of monetary union, we find the European Union in a strange position. It is running and running, but no longer knows where it is running to or how it is going to get there.

The European currency is not yet in circulation, and yet in Cologne in June there was mention of a European army, and in Tampere in September of a European criminal justice system, a Charter of fundamental rights is being prepared and finally, above all, the Commission is inviting the European Council to accept the prospect of a Europe expanding as far as Asia Minor, up to the western borders of Iraq and Iran. This is not just enlargement, it is explosion.

Some people, including us UDF members within the PPE, are in favour of the new developments in Europe. Others among us are doubtful and even hostile. But I believe that we are all unanimous in considering that it is time for the political leaders to regain control of the machine and to dare finally to discuss the objective of the geographical dimension and the way forward for political union in Europe, as we did for economic and monetary union in Europe.

How far is Europe going to go? How far, in terms of geography? This has never been debated either here in Parliament, or in the Council or the Commission. How far is Europe going to go, in terms of jurisdiction? A Europe of thirty Member States will no longer be able to operate in the same way as the Europe of twelve Member States. On the one hand, it will need a far more efficient decision-making system, one that is of a political and no longer diplomatic order. On the other hand, there will be far fewer matters of common interest and there will be much greater demand for decentralisation.

How far do we want to go? With what partners and by what route? These are the questions which must be answered before giving instructions to the legal experts on matters like “the future weighting of the vote for the beautiful island of Malta”.

(Applause)