Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-06-15-Speech-4-022"
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"We have presented proposals on government contracts, postal services and enterprise policy. We will shortly be presenting guidelines relating to the new European Social Agenda, to deal with the problems of social exclusion, which I mentioned earlier and which persist. We have also contributed to the development of the Charter for small firms, which Mr Gama mentioned and which will be adopted at Feira. The high level working group on social protection is preparing its interim report on the modernisation and improvement of social protection.
I also want to stress the major role played by this House in all these issues. We are particularly pleased that the new regulatory framework for electronic commerce has been rapidly adopted and we hope – we feel sure – that the same fruitful collaboration between Parliament, the Council and the Commission will be maintained throughout the legislative process so that progress can be made as rapidly as possible on each of the areas of interest defined in Lisbon.
We trust the Feira European Council will acknowledge all the progress made. But the European Council must also provide fresh impetus for intensifying these efforts, particularly in the areas where short term action is still necessary to achieve the Lisbon objectives. I am thinking of reducing Internet costs, implementing the action plan for financial services, creating a European research area and the ‘single sky’, and, finally, greater efforts to raise employment levels, fight exclusion and prepare the new Social Agenda. All this requires a commitment from all the operators involved and the political impetus to introduce the necessary measures, but in our turn we must convert this political will, ladies and gentlemen, when the time comes, into priority expenditure, both by the Union and by the Member States. There again, perhaps Feira can point us in that direction.
Just before I end, ladies and gentlemen, let me very briefly mention three important economic and financial points.
First, the one Pedro Solbes will report on: the main economic policy guidelines and the coordination that goes with them, essential for a better balance between the two pillars of economic and monetary union. We are persuaded that the guidelines thus defined are, with the Luxembourg, Cardiff and Cologne processes, essential for proper progress towards the Lisbon objectives.
Then, Greece has made a marvellous effort to achieve convergence, and we are in a position to extend the euro zone to that country, as the Commission has proposed. We will be presenting recommendations to that effect to the Heads of State and Government at Feira and trust they will be followed.
Finally, the fiscal package. As you know, the Council has not reached agreement, but discussions continue. On 18 June there will be a special Ecofin Council, and we hope it will open the way to an agreement, provided all the parties demonstrate goodwill and a desire to reach a conclusion.
The various speeches have reflected the abundance of important issues, even though we need to concentrate our political attention and energy on the three essential points I have raised: reform of the institutions, foreign policy and the CFSP, and the follow-up to Lisbon.
Ladies and gentlemen, a European Council is a result achieved by a presidency. I want to say, on behalf of the Commission, how very active the Portuguese Presidency really has been. But a European Council is also the result of the effort made by each institution. So I feel sure that the effort everyone has made will result in the Feira European Council making progress possible on all these fundamental issues, responding better to the challenges of the Union as a whole, responding better to the expectations of the citizens of our fifteen countries, but also to the expectations I mentioned just now, those of the citizens of the twelve countries of Central, Eastern, Baltic and Mediterranean Europe who are soon going to join us."@en1
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