Bonde’s Briefing 31.03.08
Read about friendship across political lines and about Bonde’s busy week.
Friendship across political lines
25 March we had an extraordinary session in the European Parliament in Brussels. I held one of my last political speeches. You can find it here. I also told the other group leaders I was going to resign 8 May.
I went to the office of commission president José Barroso to tell him I will leave after 29 years in the European Parliament. He was kind enough to say: I will miss you.
Well, we were never personal enemies. We became friends during many meetings and even co-operated on transparency and a few other issues. I have attacked his Commission in a rather tough way and several times, politically. But never personally. I think it is a very important division for members of parliaments. We need government and opposition. We don’t need slander and hate.
I have always worked with friendships across the political lines, as the ideal of my parliamentary life, the leader of the Danes in Nordschleswig, Hans-Peter Hanssen, did in the German Prussian parliament before WW1.
15 March 1999, we succeeded our “Clean the EU” campaign by the fall of the Santer Commission. The former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jacques Santer knew very well I was one of the organisers of his fall. But he never reacted personally. On a personal level we were always friends.
I had attacked his Commission in one of my best speeches ever in the European Parliament. I said he was not guilty but responsible. He was not the guilty one for the scandals in the Commission and the lack of responsibility. But he was the president and had to take responsibility to safeguard the very concept of responsibility in public offices.
During the Copenhagen ‘enlargement summit’, I met the next Commission president, Romano Prodi, in the corridor. He was immediately warned by the leader of the Copenhagen Information office against this subversive opposition politician.
Prodi answered: You mean my good friend, Bonde. Then he went over to me and laughed and kissed me in a very Italian and not the colder Danish way.
Friendship across political lines was always my way of behaving in the European parliament and I will miss a lot of friends when I leave the Parliament on the birthday of the Union, 9 May.
But I will not leave the fight for transparency, proximity and democracy. I will continue my political work working with the Danish JuneMovement and my European party, the EUDemocrats.
Attacking what is wrong, determined but polite, making friends not enemies.
EUD Congress
Friday, 4 Apri, 12:00 – 15:30 we will have an extraordinary congress of the EUDemocrats in Copenhagen. Hanne Dahl has resigned as president. I am a candidate to take over.
Birthday reception
Friday, 4 April, 16:00 – 19:00 there will be a 60-year birthday reception in Copenhagen in Grundtvigs Hus, Studiestræde 38, in the city of Copenhagen.
Annual meeting in the JuneMovement
Saturday, 5 April the JuneMovement will have its annual meeting in Vartov. We will probably elect minister Hanne Dahl, 37 years, as the top candidate for the JuneMovement in the coming European elections in June 2009. She will take over after my 29 years on 9 May.
Irish guest
We will also have an Irish guest at our annual meeting, Declan Ganley, the leader of the Irish referendum campaign group, Libertas. He will tell us about the one and only referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland.
Study tour in the Congress in Washingon
Sunday, 30 March I will go to Washington DC with the reform working group in the European Parliament to see if we can find ideas for the improvement of our own parliament. I think we can. The American Congress has very strict rules on lobbyism and the use of tax payers’ money. They are also able to question civil servants about all kinds of misbehaviour. There may be a lot of other good practises we can learn from and hopefully copy in the European Parliament.
Next week in Brussels
This week is committee week in Brussels. You can find the agendas for the different committee meetings here.
