State of the Union, Barroso’s speech

FLORENCE, ITALY – Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission, said he believes that through urgent commitment, positive results conducive to growth and development can be achieved. Barroso addressed the participants in the ‘State of the Union’ Conference in Florence, Italy, and added that economic growth demands three key-elements and namely fiscal consolidation, structural reforms and investments. It would allow for the much needed leap, he remarked, and as a result it would be possible to get the economy run again and create a new economic and social well-being for all European citizens.

“We need Europeans for all season. It is too easy to be Europeans when all is well, when the sun is shining”, as Eu Commission President Jose’ Manuel Barroso said on the occasion of the conference on the state of the Union in Florence. “The most dangerous of anti-European positions – he added – is pessimism. The real problem is not Euroscepticism, but the depressive and depressed attitude of Europeans. We must fight the intellectual fascination of pessimism, because it creates a counter-productive attitude. When things are well, it is all due to the politicians who often criticize, when things are wrong they blame Brussels.” Barroso concluded.