Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-01-14-Speech-3-005"
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This is a time of historic change for the Union. We must be prepared for the future. We want a Union that is more democratic, more accountable, more transparent and more effective. We must ensure that the Union is, and is seen to be, as close as possible to its citizens. A new constitution is fundamental to this. The European Convention did outstanding work in bringing forward an excellent draft text. I pay warm tribute to all who contributed to its proceedings. In particular, I pay tribute to the representatives of the European Parliament who brought to the Convention not only great vitality, but also great insight. I fully understand the importance Parliament attaches to bringing the constitutional project to a successful and early conclusion. In my contacts with many of you here in Parliament since the Brussels European Council, we have made clear our strong support for a speedy and successful outcome to the Intergovernmental Conference.
You may rest assured that I have heard that message and I share your view.
I thank the Italian presidency for the good work it did during its term, and I want to thank it for the support and assistance it has given to our presidency. We all hoped that agreement could be reached last month and were disappointed when it was not. It now falls to Ireland to try to make further progress. We have taken up this challenge and we will do all in our power to see it through. We are determined to do whatever we can to encourage and facilitate the earliest possible agreement. It remains to be seen whether this will prove possible in our presidency. We know what the outstanding issues are. Various possible solutions have been proposed. But ultimately, if we are to arrive at the necessary compromises, what is needed is sufficient collective political will.
I am convinced that this is profoundly in the interests of the Union and its citizens, and indeed of the Member States individually – new and old, large and small. A new constitution would help the Union respond to the demands and expectations of its citizens. It would help the Union play a more coherent and effective role in the wider world. On the other hand, excessive delay will damage our credibility and weaken our standing. Stalemate is not an option any of us can contemplate.
I have undertaken to consult intensely and to make a report to the March European Council. That process of consultation is well under way. I have spoken to many of my colleagues in the European Council already. All of them have indicated their commitment to helping us find a way forward. I will continue to explore with them how and when this can be achieved. I want to be able to make the fullest possible report in March.
I can assure Parliament that if my consultations suggest that there is a real prospect of agreement, I will immediately move to seize the opportunity. I pledge to you again that the Irish presidency will spare no effort to make progress and to facilitate consensus during our term in office.
This issue will command the highest priority under our presidency.
The negotiations on the future financial perspectives will be critically important for the future shape and direction of the enlarged Union. We also look forward to initiating discussions once the Commission communication is tabled later this month. Our aim as the presidency will be to seek initial reactions from Member States and we will be working to secure agreement at the Spring European Council on the calendar and process for the negotiations.
Mr President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, it is both an honour and a pleasure to be here today to present to you the priorities for the Irish presidency.
The Irish presidency has begun in a Union of 15 Member States and will end in a Union of 25. It is a particular privilege to hold the presidency at a time when history is being made. We greatly look forward to welcoming the new members of the family at an official ceremony in Dublin on 1 May. We plan to make this a real welcome in Ireland. Community cultural events are being organised and real local involvement and international exchange will occur. We believe that the diversity of Europe’s cultural heritage is something to be shared and celebrated.
We want the formal enlargement of the European Union to be as smooth and successful as possible. Making enlargement work is of the greatest possible importance to us. Integrating the new Member States and ensuring that the Council continues to function effectively will be a high priority. We will press forward with the future enlargement agenda. We will prioritise work in relation to Romania and Bulgaria with the aim of concluding negotiations this year.
We also welcome Turkey’s efforts to fulfil the necessary criteria with a view to a decision to be taken at the European Council next December. I am convinced that the accession of Cyprus continues to provide the context for a comprehensive settlement, which would enable the accession of a united island on 1 May. We welcome the signs of progress in recent days. As the presidency, we will support fully the central role of the United Nations Secretary-General in this process. I urge all parties in the period ahead to demonstrate conclusively their commitment to negotiating a settlement on the basis of his proposals.
The newly enlarged Union must work for all its people. That is why the Irish presidency has placed sustainable growth and social cohesion at the very centre of its work programme. Four years ago in Lisbon, we agreed on the goal of making the European Union the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world. The Lisbon Agenda is the best mechanism for achieving this goal in a demanding and competitive global context. It is the means by which the Member States and the European institutions can work together to develop the European economy, to create more employment, to ensure social protection and to invest in a sustainable future for us all.
Next year, we will be half way towards the 2010 target date set at the Lisbon European Council in March 2000. We have achieved a great deal already. We have seen advances in the areas of research and development, financial services, liberalisation of energy markets, telecommunications, environmental protection and regulatory reform. It is now much easier for workers and students to move around the European Union, to access jobs and education; it is easier to set up and run a small business; consumers are already enjoying cheaper telephone calls; significant studies have been made in terms of equality and social protection. And Europe’s commitment to the environment means a cleaner and safer world for our children and our grandchildren. Despite these achievements, it is increasingly clear that unless we increase momentum, we will not make Europe the most competitive economy in the world by 2010.
We intend to use the Spring European Council this year to give renewed focus and impetus to the Lisbon Agenda. We look forward in this context to the publication next week of the Commission's report on the Spring European Council. Positive signs of economic progress are emerging, both in Europe and internationally. It is imperative that we make the most of this. We must increase our efforts to implement at individual Member State level those reforms and legislative changes already agreed, if we are to reap the full social and economic benefits. We must also continue to implement further reforms. Maintaining the
will not improve Europe's economic standing, competitiveness or employment rates.
I have written to you, Mr President, and to my colleagues in the European Council, setting out my proposed approach and the key elements of the Lisbon Agenda, on which I intend to focus at the Spring European Council. Our primary focus is clear: sustainable growth and high-quality employment are our twin priorities.
It is my intention that, during the Spring European Council, we will have a real debate on the most pressing economic and social challenges facing Europe. Investment in physical and human capital, supporting higher rates of growth across the European Union economy and, equally, continuing to maintain macroeconomic stability are just some of the challenges.
A central challenge facing Europe continues to be competitiveness. While the internal market has indeed been one of the Union’s most important achievements, we see the further development of the services sector as the key motor of growth and job creation.
Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Europe, however, is the pressing need to create more and better employment. We welcome the focus and the practical, country-specific messages in the report of the Employment Taskforce which was chaired by Mr Wim Kok. Building on the employment guidelines, we will work with our European partners, Parliament and the Commission, to ensure that real progress is made.
Before I make this presentation, may I thank you for the reception you gave the President of Ireland, Mrs Mary McAleese, during her visit last November. Your warm welcome to her was greatly appreciated in Ireland.
Social dialogue will greatly assist us in addressing these challenges. During our presidency, I look forward to working with the European social partners, through the Tripartite Social Summit in March and in other ways, to boost their involvement in achieving the overall Lisbon goal.
Before leaving the Lisbon Agenda, I also want to point out that 2005 will offer a unique opportunity for a mid-point review of the overall process. How to stay on course to realise the Lisbon goal in the new climate represents a very considerable challenge. The Irish presidency will contribute to the process of setting up a meaningful evaluation of the Agenda, in cooperation with our partners, including the incoming presidency.
Over the past 50 years, we in Europe have created an area of peace and prosperity. We have also created a single market where our people can trade and do business without barriers. We must ensure that the freedoms we enjoy are not exploited by criminal elements for illegal gains. As a presidency, Ireland will work for the greatest levels of freedom, security and safety for all the people of the European Union.
In the justice and home affairs area, we will focus on the delivery of the outstanding requirements under the Amsterdam Treaty and the broader Tampere programme, as updated by subsequent European Councils. This will involve a wide-ranging agenda including asylum, immigration, police, judicial cooperation in criminal matters and civil law cooperation. The June European Council is likely to initiate an assessment of the achievements of the Tampere programme, with a view to launching a further development of the Union’s justice and home affairs policies. We will also focus on practical police cooperation. We will place emphasis on the fight against drugs and organised crime and on combating illegal immigration.
The range of foreign policy issues that the Union now deals with and the breadth and intensity of the Union’s contacts with its partners around the globe is truly extensive. The European Union is, in every sense, a global player. During our presidency, we will focus on a number of key areas, as well as ensuring the effective conduct of the Union’s international commitments. We are committed to working ever more closely with the United Nations. We want in particular to support the UN Secretary-General's reform effort and will work to shape a positive and progressive European Union input into the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change.
I welcome Parliament's decision to award the Sakharov Prize to the Secretary-General of the UN. Mr Kofi Annan's participation in the plenary session of the European Parliament later this month sends out a clear message. That message is that effective multilateralism is a core value which informs the Union’s foreign policy. The Council will be represented by Foreign Minister Cowen on this important occasion.
We will also work to advance EU-UN cooperation in crisis management. The European Union and the United Nations are natural partners. Under the Italian presidency, the Union signed a declaration with the UN on cooperation in crisis management. The challenge for our presidency is to put this declaration into practice.
European Security and Defence Policy is how the Union's contribution to conflict prevention and crisis management. As a presidency, we will also progress work on the Union's crisis management capabilities. Europe will work with the world community to fight the spread of weapons of mass destruction and to promote disarmament.
Our presidency will be practical and imaginative in promoting human rights around the globe. During our presidency, we will adopt the EU guidelines to support human rights defenders. We also intend to implement the EU´s Strategy on Children in Armed Conflict.
Last year saw serious tensions and disagreement over Iraq, both across the Atlantic and indeed within Europe. The world is a better and a safer place when the European Union and the United States work together, pooling their considerable energy and resources to achieve our shared goals based on our shared values. The United States has stressed the importance it attaches to working with key partners, including Europe. We will continue to focus EU-US relations on what we can and should achieve together. Our aim will be to consult and cooperate with the United States on the broad range of issues, both political and economic, that face us all. We intend to work particularly closely with the United States on areas such as the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and effective multilateralism, as well as on the extensive trade and economic agenda. We will not always see eye to eye, but we can and should concentrate on those areas where our cooperation is to the mutual benefit of our citizens and the wider international community.
We have chosen 'Europeans – Working Together' as the theme of our presidency. It is a theme which captures a vision of the people of the European Union working as a partnership, striving together to achieve our common goals and objectives. We need the cooperation of everybody to achieve our ambitions. I know that I can count on the Members of the European Parliament to work with us during our term for the greater good of the European Union.
The European Union values its relationship with the Americas as a whole. This is reflected in the fact that the European Union will have summit meetings with the US, with Canada, with Latin American and Caribbean countries during our presidency. These meetings will provide key opportunities to strengthen our relationships.
In the Middle East, we will continue to promote the implementation of the roadmap as the basis for progress towards a just and lasting two-state solution. Our participation in the Quartet will be based on this principle and we will work closely with our partners in an effort to move the peace process forward. Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen, in his capacity as President of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, travels to the Middle East this evening.
Enlargement gives renewed impetus to the Union’s strategic relationship with Russia. Our security and well-being are increasingly intertwined and we need to work effectively together. The EU-Russia Summit during our presidency is an opportunity to set a course for our future relationship.
In the conflict prevention area, we want to focus, in particular, on the role of non-governmental organisations and civil society in conflict prevention. We also want to integrate support for conflict prevention into our engagement and dialogue with the rest of the world. This is particularly relevant in the case of Africa. There are 290 million people living below the poverty line in sub-Saharan Africa. An estimated 30 million are infected with HIV/AIDS. Over a dozen conflict situations make this humanitarian crisis even worse. We must work with our African partners to find comprehensive solutions to these problems. Our overriding approach as a presidency will be to support African-led initiatives to tackle the enormous challenges the continent faces.
I would like to see greater convergence between foreign and development policy and this will form part of our approach as a presidency. The Union has a critical role to play in responding to major developing challenges such as poverty alleviation, the fight against infectious diseases and environmental degradation. The Union must set an example in relation to the progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and the creation of a fairer and more stable world order.
We also need to extend to our near neighbours the conditions of security, stability and prosperity that we enjoy in the European Union. After enlargement on 1 May, there will be 385 million people living in the countries on the external land and sea borders of the Union. Through our European neighbourhood initiative, we will enhance relations with those countries to the east and south on the basis of the values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
The Union has reached a shared understanding with the countries of the Western Balkans that their future lies within the European Union. As a presidency, we are committed to the full implementation of the agenda agreed last June at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Thessaloniki. The rate at which progress is made now depends on the democratically elected governments of the region. The Union will strongly support their efforts as they pursue wide-ranging and difficult reforms.
We are also committed to a multilateral approach to trade policy. Since Cancun, the European Union has been reflecting on the way forward in order to achieve a successful relaunch of the Doha Development Agenda. A successful conclusion to the current round of trade talks is vital for long-term economic growth and development in the world. The presidency will work in the Council and with the Commission to achieve balanced progress in the negotiations.
The Union's relations with Asia are a key element of our agenda. Our engagement will be at all levels in the region. We will pursue political dialogue with the full range of countries, including an Asia-Europe meeting at foreign minister level in April. We would also hope to hold an EU-Japan Summit during our term.
As I have already stated, the Irish presidency looks forward to working closely with Parliament in the coming months. It is essential that we cooperate effectively and that we get down to work immediately. There is a range of important dossiers which require close cooperation if they are to be satisfactorily progressed in the time available to us. The discussions on the Members’ Statute are of particular concern. I pay tribute to President Cox for his personal commitment to bringing closure to these discussions. The Parliament vote, in December, provides the basis for us to move forward together to achieve an agreement which has eluded our institutions for too long. The Irish presidency hopes to conclude this matter rapidly and is doing all in its power to deliver a positive outcome.
This is Ireland’s sixth presidency. We are taking on our task at an historic and challenging time, but we have prepared well for what lies ahead. The overriding objective of our presidency is to secure outcomes which have a positive impact on the lives of Europe’s people. Like every presidency, we aim to write another chapter in the success story that is the European Union.
As we move further into the 21st century, I have no doubt that the Union will continue to develop and to grow, to broaden and to deepen. The Union must meet new challenges and exploit new opportunities that lie ahead. There will continue to be healthy debate and differing perspectives among us. We will continue to work to accommodate this enriching diversity. We must tackle these challenges and embrace these opportunities together, united by our shared interest in the success of the Union.
The founding fathers were inspired by the dream of a future in which Europeans would never again fight each other to the death over resources, over territory or over their beliefs; a future in which Europeans would never again be divided from each other. This year will see that dream – a Europe whole and healed – brought closer to reality.
The founding fathers dreamt also of a Europe in which ever-closer cooperation would deliver greater security and prosperity for its people. I stand before you as a firm believer in that dream. I come from a country where membership of the European Union – a Union which we have helped to shape – has enabled us to develop and to flourish to our fullest potential. I profoundly wish the same for the incoming Member States.
Six months is not a long time. But I promise you an Irish presidency that will not stint in its efforts to achieve as much as is possible in this time. I greatly look forward to cooperating closely with our partners and with the institutions of the Union, especially with the European Parliament.
Our agenda is demanding and complex. We have begun our work with ambition and with humility. We call on everyone to help us with this challenging task for the six months ahead. We know that, as Europeans, our strength is our unity. We achieve more, and we are at our very best, as 'Europeans – Working Together'.
This task deserves our full attention and we each have a part to play. Parliament is unique among the institutions in having a direct mandate from the people. It is central to an effective Union which is successful and which delivers. It goes without saying that a good relationship between the Council and Parliament is vital to the Union’s success.
The elections in June mean that the time in which we can work together will be shorter than usual. As a presidency, therefore, we are totally committed to working intensively with Parliament at all levels so that our interaction is as constructive and productive as it can be. President Pat Cox – of whose leadership of Parliament we in Ireland are enormously proud – has assured me that you stand ready to play your full part.
There is important work to be done. As Europeans working together, we must ensure that the Union can take advantage of the global economic recovery. We must create an environment which fosters more and better jobs for our people. We must take the measures necessary to allow our citizens to live and move freely throughout the European Union in safety and security. And we must ensure that the Union can play a positive and constructive role in the world.
The Irish presidency is the first to see the full implementation of the Seville European Council decisions aimed at ensuring a more coherent and strategic approach to our work. Our programme is, therefore, consistent with and reflects the priorities in the annual Operational Programme for 2004, prepared with the future Dutch presidency. It is also consistent with the Multiannual Strategic Programme for 2004-2006. The preparation of the annual and multiannual programmes with the Netherlands and with the four presidencies to follow has been both an innovation and a practical example of 'Europeans – Working Together'."@en1
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"A Uachtaráin, a chomhaltaí onóracha de Pharlaimint na hEorpa, a Uachtaráin an Choimisiúin, a dhaoine uaisle, is onóir agus cúis áthais domsa a bheith anseo inniu chun na tosaíochtaí d’Uachtaránacht na hÉireann a chur i bhur láthair."1
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