Addressing Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the Council, the Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, called for a political Danish Presidency, not just a technical Presidency, a crisis Presidency, and not a business-as-usual Presidency.

"President of the Council, I agree with the four priorities that you have put forward for your six months at the helm of the Council, namely responsibility, dynamism, a green Europe, and security. But in reality, it is the debt crisis, the crisis of growth and governance which will guide you", said Joseph Daul.

The Chairman of the biggest Group in the European Parliament called on the Danish Presidency to "be political, because the times in which we are living call for European players not to just oil the wheels or build bridges but to be committed players who make themselves heard."

Joseph Daul expressed his doubts on the proposal by the Danish Minister for European Affairs to establish a simplified procedure for the European Parliament as co-legislator: "I am in favour of quick and efficient legislative action, and, recently, the markets have been telling us, or forcing us, to work faster than before. But I am also in favour of the good functioning of democracy and transparency."

Finally, Joseph Daul called on the Danish Presidency to start the first discussions on the financial perspectives for 2014-2020 off on the right footing: "If the Danish Presidency manages to commit to debates on the right footing, by this I mean without taboos, notably on own resources, if it is capable of showing the Member States that, as stated by this Parliament, any money spent at European level on major horizontal projects is better spent than that spent piecemeal, it will have done a good job."

Joseph Daul's speech in plenary

(Translation from the original French)

For further information:

Joseph DAUL, Chairman of the EPP Group, Tel: +33-3-88175525

Antoine Ripoll, Chairman's Spokesman, Tel: +32-475-856290

Notes to Editors:

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 271 Members.