Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-007"
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"en.20041215.2.3-007"2
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".
Mr President, we are all aware of the fact that important decisions have to be taken at the coming European Council. These decisions will pave the way for a further enlarged European Union, as well as a further strengthening of policy areas that are of crucial importance for effective action by the European Union on the challenges facing the world of today and tomorrow.
At the European Council meeting the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012 will be adopted. The strategy will be a key instrument to confront drug use and trafficking effectively with a view to ensuring a high level of health protection, wellbeing and social cohesion, as well as a high level of security for the general public. The strategy is based on a balanced approach towards supply and demand reduction. The Commission will be requested to present an action plan based on this strategy for 2005-2008 to the Council and the European Parliament as soon as possible. I look forward to close cooperation with Parliament in this area.
The European Council will welcome the progress made under the Netherlands presidency in the field of immigration and integration. Common basic principles for immigrant integration policy within the European Union have been established. Moreover, the need for common basic principles on integration, clear goals and means of evaluation mechanisms, and greater coordination of national integration policies and EU initiatives in this field is also underlined in the Hague Programme.
In the field of external relations the European Council will discuss four issues. First, we will address the situation in Ukraine. I am glad that the parties concerned have reached an agreement on reform of the election laws and on a modification of the Constitution. We have seen that these changes have brought the Ukrainians a little closer to each other. We should now focus all our attention on the election process; because our goal remains free and fair elections, without external interference, where the Ukrainian people can be certain that the election results reflect their will. That is also the best way to guarantee the absence of violence and to maintain the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The second subject to be discussed is the Middle East peace process. Of course, in the short term attention will have to go primarily to the preparations for the Palestinian presidential elections. But we should also keep in mind the longer-term perspective. Therefore, we must ensure that the short-term actions fit into the framework of the road map, because both the Israelis and the Palestinians should return to the road map in order to be able to realise the long-term, final goal of a two-state solution.
Thirdly, the European security strategy was adopted a year ago and the European Council will mark that. In the area of key threats and increasing the security in our common neighbourhood, the EU has achieved quite a lot. Examples include our efforts in the field of non-proliferation vis-à-vis Iran, and also the support package for Iraq that we were able to offer Prime Minister Allawi at the November European Council. Meanwhile, a number of challenges remain, for example the situation in Darfur. For the implementation of the security strategy, relations with the US remain of vital importance and therefore ministers will discuss how we can further strengthen our transatlantic relationship.
Fourthly, the European Council will also have a discussion with Kofi Annan, who will elaborate on a number of elements of the high-level panel's report. Government leaders will then have an exchange of views with him, especially about the threats and challenges of our time and the Millennium Development Goals, also in view of the major UN event in 2005.
The European Council will endorse a number of conclusions adopted by the ministers for development cooperation in November. In general the European Council will emphasise that the official development assistance of the European Community needs to contribute in a coherent way to poverty eradication in all developing countries. The European Council will also underline that the focus on the poorest should be increased, in particular in Africa.
The European Council will also discuss the UN high-level event in September 2005, when the world community will take stock of progress made towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Apart from the main themes on the agenda of the European Council, other issues to be addressed are commonly shared values, consular cooperation, the EU Human Rights Agency and the European External Action Service.
On commonly shared values, the European Council will note with approval the series of public debates hosted by the Netherlands presidency, engaging participants with wide-ranging backgrounds and experience on the European identity and the concept of commonly shared values as the foundation of European integration and cooperation.
The fifth round of enlargement did not end on 1 May this year. As reiterated by the European Council in June, Bulgaria and Romania are an integral part of it. In its regular reports in October, the Commission concluded that both countries should be ready to assume all membership obligations by 1 January 2007 and could sign the Accession Treaty early in 2005. The European Council is expected to agree on these conclusions. The accession negotiations with both countries were formally concluded at the accession conferences yesterday. At the same time, Bulgaria and Romania will be encouraged to maintain the pace of their reforms until the time of accession. Close monitoring by the Commission will assist them in their preparations for accession.
On consular cooperation, the European Council will confirm the commitments of the European Union to intensify consular cooperation among Member States. Closer consular cooperation gives substance to the concept of European citizenship and helps Member States to deal more effectively with an ever-growing demand for consular services and to face new challenges, such as the consequences of an increasing number of terrorist activities, including bomb attacks and hostage-takings.
With a view to enhancing the coherence and consistency of EU human rights policy, the European Council is expected to call for effective follow-up to the December 2003 decision to establish an EU Human Rights Agency.
On the European External Action Service, the European Council will invite the Secretary-General/High Representative, together with the Commission, to prepare a progress report on this preparatory work and to take appropriate steps to keep the European Parliament informed.
The Netherlands presidency has made it its duty to ensure smooth and efficient cooperation between the Commission, the Council and Parliament to make it possible to deliver on the issues to be discussed at the European Council meeting. On 21 December Prime Minister Balkenende will brief you on the outcome of the meeting.
Next, the final steps for the fifth round of enlargement. The European Council will tackle the framework for future accession negotiations and the individual accession candidacies of Croatia and Turkey. In the future, specific frameworks for negotiations with each candidate country will take into account the experience of the past enlargement as well as the individual merits of the candidate country.
On Croatia, the European Council is expected to welcome its progress in preparing for the opening of accession negotiations, but also to urge Croatia to take the necessary steps for full cooperation with ICTY. The remaining indictee must be located and transferred to The Hague as soon as possible.
As far as Turkey is concerned, the European Council will assess whether it fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria. On the basis of this assessment, the European Council is expected to take a decision as to whether to start accession negotiations with Turkey, while also providing for a framework for these negotiations.
The Council has agreed on setting up a border agency. Passports will be safer through the use of biometrics. National capacity of anti-terrorism services will be strengthened and stricter controls on cash entering and leaving the Union to combat the financing of terrorism have been agreed upon. In order to integrate intelligence capacity within the Council, the Situation Centre has been enlarged and a secure communications link with Europol has been established. Member States will exchange information from criminal records, Europol and Eurojust will be better informed by Member States concerning terrorist offences and there will be closer cooperation with selected third countries.
I also mention the Hague Programme on freedom, security and justice, adopted by the European Council on 5 November, which in the coming years will contribute substantially to the fight against terrorism. This does not mean, however, that we can sit back – on the contrary! The EU remains vulnerable and there is still much work to be done in implementing the EU Action Plan. In the next six months the EU will therefore continue its efforts.
The Multiannual Strategic Programme 2004-2006 issued a clear mandate to the Netherlands presidency to take a decision on principles and guidelines in order to enable the EU to achieve political agreement on the financial perspectives by June 2005. Six months of intense discussions under the Netherlands presidency have resulted in clear principles and guidelines. They provide for a framework for the Council to reach a general political agreement. The principles and guidelines will be accompanied by an elaborate progress report, which constitutes an overview of the positions of Member States based on the legislative proposals, communications and further technical clarifications by the Commission. An important part of this report is the 'building blocks', which have provided a useful structure for the discussions and have contributed to the process of moving towards a consensus according to the established time frame. The result of this approach is an analysis and a clear picture of the positions of Member States in relation to policy content and financial implications. Considering the work done and results achieved under the Netherlands presidency, progress as scheduled should be within reach. We now pass the baton on to Luxembourg, which will continue the discussion in a spirit of mutual understanding directed at finding a consensus acceptable to every Member State. In this respect, let me also reiterate here that the important role of the European Parliament in reaching an agreement with the Council on the next multiannual financial framework is understood by all, and appropriate language will be included in the Council's conclusions."@en1
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"As we know only too well, terrorism is and remains one of the greatest threats to all our societies. That is why the Netherlands presidency has made security one of the main issues of its presidency. The June European Council agreed on a new EU Action Plan to combat terrorism. Now it will take stock of progress. There is no room for complacency, but overall we can be satisfied: considerable progress has been made, both inside the EU and in our external relations. This is shown by the updated EU Action Plan and several reports, dealing with specific issues of counter-terrorism measures."1
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