Member States must stay true to their earlier commitments on the environment

5.43.00pm GMT Wed 3rd Dec 2008

Speaking in a plenary debate on the upcoming EU Summit, ALDE Leader Graham Watson underlined the urgency of coordinated action to revive Europe's economy.

"Yesterday our finance ministers failed to grasp the urgency of the Commission's recovery plan. The stimulus impulse is changing from sugar to treacle. The Presidency had better tell us which countries were against the plan. Member States must grasp the scale of action required: staying within the Stability and Growth Pact, maintaining competition and state aid rules and meeting the challenge of the Lisbon Agenda" said Graham Watson MEP (LibDems, UK).

He also warned against taking the path of least resistance when discussing the climate change package: "This week's deal on CO2 emissions from cars shows how easy it is to let vested interests get ahead of global interests. That must not happen on the climate change deal. Sensitivity to individual States' circumstances and the phenomenon of carbon leakage is reasonable and so is a sliding scale for carbon auctioning, reaching 100% of emissions by 2020.What would not be reasonable is any attempt by any Member State to shoot down a long-term plan for short-term self interest".