Deputy Leader of ECR Group Timothy Kirkhope's key note speech at PiS conference in Poznan

7th March 2010, PiS Conference, Poznan, Ppland

I am delighted to be with you today. It is testament to the deepening relationship between both our parties: the UK Conservative Party, the oldest one in Europe and a party of freedom and democracy, with the Law and Justice Party of Poland which is a beacon for that same belief in freedom and democracy here in your country.

Working closely together and demonstrating that the creation of our new group in the European Parliament is not a short-term expedient but a long-term project - it is an alliance being built to endure - building on the traditions of both our proud nations.

I want to put on record my personal appreciation and the appreciation of my party for the efforts of Michal Kaminski, Chairman, and Adam Bielan, the Vice Chairman, in the process of creating the Group. And I am grateful to Professor Legutko for the excellent cooperation between our two parties in the work of the Group.

I am also delighted to be sharing this session with Mirek Topolanek, one of the key architects of our group and the host in Prague of the highly successful summit which led to the drafting of the founding Declaration of Principles. It paved the way for the leaders of our parties to reinforced them in the summit in Warsaw last May.

And may I congratulate Chairman Czazynski on his success with this conference and in the Party, and the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, David Badrazda.

I am confident that the relationships between Law and Justice, the ODS, the Conservative Party and our allies will grow ever stronger in the years ahead.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a new force and significant force in European politics.

The Group of European Conservatives and Reformists has been established to give a voice to all those who felt the old groups in Brussels were out of touch and out of control. Overly enthusiastic about the European Union, and blind to its faults, they were so obsessed by institutional wrangling, they had lost sight of the real concerns of ordinary people.

Our vision of Europe is different.

We share the belief that it is right that the nations of Europe come together in a common framework based on agreed institutions and a commitment to the rule of law.

But we want a European Union where all member states, whether big or small, old or new, rich or poor, north or south, east or west are valued and appreciated equally.

We want a European Union which respects the rights of its member states and focuses on acting where it can genuinely deliver added value but not needlessly or too much.

We want a Europe in tune with the daily concerns of its peoples - a Europe which reflects their values, appreciates their cultural inheritance and traditions, and believes in individual freedom.

The European Union we want supports the market economy as the best way to deliver value and efficiency, based on the simple principle that a commitment to low taxes and light regulation maximises individual freedoms.

But we know that reforming Europe is not easy. Old habits die hard. But it is a noble objective worth fighting for and I believe our group has already started to make an impact.

Without our support, José Manual Barroso would no longer be President of the European Commission - he would have been ousted by the socialists. He came to a meeting of the ECR - the first meeting he attended of any political group - took our questions and listened to our concerns.  On the basis of what we heard in response, we gave him our support.

No party has a majority in the European Parliament. Every issue is subject to negotiation. The left can be outvoted if the groups in the centre and centre-right come together. In these discussions, our position has proved decisive - we are a pivotal player in the parliament.

To maximise our influence we have established positive working relationships with the leaders of other groups, and other institutions. They know that we are a responsible group in the European Parliament with whom they can do business. Our support cannot be taken for granted but it is understood that we are committed to negotiating seriously and effectively to advance our objectives.

Our members are well-placed to do so. We have the Chairmanship of the important Internal Market Committee in Parliament - and we have MEPs in key posts in committees and in the Conference of Presidents.

We must also win more electoral success for the ECR parties during the course of the year ahead. We wish you and President Lech Kaczyński well for your election later this year. And, Mirek, we very much hope you will be returned to office in May. In the United Kingdom we hope we will be able to set a trend by seeing David Cameron elected Prime Minister under a new Conservative Government, possibly in early May.

Given the scale of the challenges ahead of us, the expansion of our Group's influence is vitally important.

Our first priority is making sure the European Union plays a constructive part in Europe's economic recovery.

Governments do not create jobs - successful businesses and dynamic entrepreneurs do that - but governments do have a role to play in creating the conditions in which they can thrive.

We want the European Union to develop and extend the internal market. We want increased competition, lighter regulation, and more open global markets. Opening up opportunities for businesses to expand will help stimulate economic growth.

For these reasons we support the thrust of the Agenda 2020 initiative and your own 2020 ambitions. But we will remain vigilant to ensure that this initiative does not serve merely as an excuse to centralise more power in Brussels. Member states must themselves embrace the aspirations of the initiative if it is to avoid the fate of the Lisbon Strategy which first lost momentum and then petered out.
 
We also face a key challenge during the course of this century: the rise of authoritarian capitalism.

For three centuries the cause of freedom has been taken forward by nations with relative economic superiority.

This era may be coming to a close.

We do not fear fair competition in global markets for goods and commodities. But we should fear countries that use economic power as a political weapon. In Europe, for example, we are vulnerable to energy suppliers who do not share our values. Our energy security is now at stake - and it is hardly reassuring to see a former German Chancellor signed up to work for Russian interests including the narrow and selfish approach to other European Countries.

We hope of course that trade, free markets, better education, rising living standards and the digital age will all help propel these nations forward to a democratic future.

But our hopes for the future are balanced by our appreciation of the risks we face today.

This is why for the ECR, the transatlantic alliance is as important as ever. If the world in the 21st century is to be multi-polar, we must reject the idea of those on the left who believe that Europe and the United States form two separate poles. I have just returned from Washington where I was on my second visit in a fortnight, the first being with Michal Kaminski and Adam Bielan - visits which have put the ECR in a unique position of respect by the major players in the USA and demonstrate the importance of the transatlantic alliance.

We believe that all the nations who are philosophically part of the 'west' should stand together as one pole in our common defence. It is a very dangerous world. The expression of this unity is and must remain NATO which should be strengthened and expanded. Nations across the globe who share our values should be associated with its work.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have embarked on a great and historic mission: to build a new centre-right force in European politics and a broad conservative movement across our continent. We will work tirelessly to reform the European Union so that it is in step with the beliefs and values of our peoples and works to serve the needs of its member states - a Union which is more open, transparent, democratic and effective. The Group of European Conservatives and Reformists has made a very positive start, and I and the British Conservative Party look forward to developing our ties with Law and Justice now in and in the future as we take this great movement forward.

Thank you for your invitation and attention today.

8th February 2012 - ECR Vice-Chairmen speak at Heritage Foundation