Speeches by Jose Manuel BARROSO, EC President , Hans-Gert POETTERING, EP President and Jose SOCRATES, President-in-office of the European Council before the signing ceremony of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Lisbon Treaty (T)

BARROSO, Jose Manuel (PT, EC President)

signature

PÖTTERING, Hans-Gert (EPP, DE)

Lisbon

SOCRATES, Jose (PT)

Signing ceremony of the Treaty of Lisbon: extracts from the speeches by Jose Manuel BARROSO, EC President , Hans-Gert POETTERING, EP President and Jose SOCRATES, President-in-office of the European Council

SOUNDBITE (Original) Jose SOCRATES, President-in-office of the European Council, that the Treaty of Lisbon responds to a central challenge, and it is the challenge of the European citizenship. Yesterday in Strasbourg, the Council, the Commission and the Parliament have proclaimed the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, as this Treaty of Lisbon recognizes a juridical and a full value to this Charter, since in this Treaty, it is confirmed their encouragement on these values, which are the identity values of the European project.

SOUNDBITE (Original) Jose SOCRATES, President-in-office of the European Council, saying (in PORTUGUESE) that in these 50 years, they knew that the European project would gain legitimacy through its achievements, and only a Europe which is able to decide, will be able to achieve results. Europe wants to be an open economy, Europe wants to rise the challenges of global competitiveness, an economy based on skills and qualifications, research and innovation, based on economical growth and as environmentally friendly, based on an efficiencies energy policy that is able to combat climate change. In all these areas the Treaty of Lisbon makes decision making more flexible (3 shots).

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Jos&eacute; Manuel BARROSO, saying  that in this old continent, a new Europe is born. An enlarged Europe of 27 Member States, re-unified around the freedom and the democracy. After solving the institutional questions, Europe prepares itself now to serve better the citizens, and to face the global problems.

SOUNDBITE (French) Jos&eacute; Manuel BARROSO, that for achieving this result, all the governments have proved their political courage. He invites them now to have the same determination during the ratification period. It is extremely important to communicate the added value of this Treaty, the fact that it gains efficiency to their decision process, their institutions gain democracy and their external action gains in coherence.

SOUNDBITE (Englishl) Jos&eacute; Manuel BARROSO saying that the Treaty of Lisbon also has a very special political significance. It is the Treaty of an enlarged Europe from the Mediterranean to the Baltic, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black sea. A Europe that shares common values and common ambitions. For the first time, the countries that were once divided by a totalitarian curtain, are now united in support of a common Treaty that they had themselves negotiated.

SOUNDBITE (German) Hans-Gert P&Ouml;TTERING that as Heads of State or Government of the countries of the EU, they are signing the reformed Treaty of Lisbon -50 years after the Treaty of Rome was signed- will held the EU to follow a common path to watch a shared European future on the 21st Century: this is a lovely birthday present for the EU. Together, over the last fifty years, they have made the founder Fathers' dream to become true (3 shots).

SOUNDBITE (German) Hans-Gert P&Ouml;TTERING, EP President, that they want that this reformed Treaty of Lisbon will be ratified to come into force by January of 2009, as the latest. Then the citizens of the EU will be able to understand what Europe means for them in their daily lives. Like this, they will have a democratic base to be able to vote on the Parliament election in June 2009 (3 shots).