Hr. formand, kære kolleger, allerede ved dens fremlæggelse i juli havde vi gjort det klart, at Kommissionens meddelelse om den økonomiske ramme for perioden 2000 til 2006, indeholdt i det dokument, der sædvanligvis kaldes Agenda 2000, var karakteriseret af voluntarisme og helt utilstrækkeligt i forhold til de politiske, økonomiske og sociale udfordringer, som en Union står over for, der i dette tidsrum vil kunne blive udvidet med et endnu uvist antal nye medlemsstater.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, when the Commission's proposed financial framework for the period from 2000 to 2006, contained in the document commonly known as Agenda 2000, was submitted in July, it was clear to us that the laissez-faire attitude and general inadequacy of that document was incompatible with the political and socio-economic challenges facing a Union which could be enlarged to embrace an almost indeterminate number of new Member States in the course of that period.