European Parliament
Paasilinna (PSE ).
(FI)
Mr President, Members of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, defending the Lisbon Strategy in economic and political terms, in difficult times, is a significant matter.
I would furthermore like to remind everyone of the reform of the telecommunications sector. This is a huge legislative package which has raised our status once again, for example, as a legislator on the world stage, and in putting us in a position to compete once more with the United States. Monopolies and duopolies have been dissolved to the benefit of consumers and users, which is important. This has been a great achievement. We have achieved just as much with regard to energy issues as well. We are now acquiring and constructing Trans-European energy networks. All of us understand how important this is for a reliable and consumer-friendly system.
We should be taking better care of those people who, as the barriers come down, remain on the wrong side of our internal borders. It is a fact that intellectual and social barriers are becoming ever more rigid.
Enlargement is an important matter, and we are now reaping its benefits: equality and justice. It should make these qualities visible outside Europe as well. For this reason I would say that sexual discrimination on the part of the Commission, for example, is an intolerable idea, and this Parliament will not be able to co-exist with a Commission that acts in such a way.

