Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-18-Speech-3-010"
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"en.20060118.2.3-010"2
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"Mr President, Mr Schüssel, ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to take the floor today on the occasion of the presentation of the work programme of the Austrian Presidency. We are all aware of the skills and the traditions of Austrian diplomacy. If I may say so, I have long been aware of Mr Schüssel’s intelligence and of his devotion to the European cause.
The parliamentary dimension of the Lisbon Agenda is not window dressing but an essential element in promoting and ensuring support for the implementation of the necessary reforms. In that sense, we can say that the revised Lisbon Agenda has already been successful. It has managed to create a common vision and a strong consensus. Nobody seriously continues to contest that the priority should be on growth for jobs. It is now time to turn words into deeds, vision into action. The message we need from the Spring European Council is that Europe has made a credible commitment to structural reforms and is determined to exploit fully all its potential for growth and more and better jobs.
We therefore welcome the Austrian Presidency’s willingness to inject new dynamism into the discussion of some pending proposals that are key to the success of the Lisbon Strategy, including the Services Directive. The establishment of a well-functioning internal market in the area of services is a key opportunity to free up the potential of Europe. The Commission will cooperate fully with the Presidency and Parliament to seek political agreement on directives between the Council and Parliament.
I welcome the fact that Parliament is actively preparing the ground for a balanced approach, that is to say, an approach that will apply the Treaty provisions on trade in services while, at the same time, ensuring compliance with working and employment conditions for posted workers and recognising the specific nature of services of general interest.
For this purpose, I believe the role of the European social partners can be a crucial one. We will be calling on our social partners for a joint contribution to a balanced
ambitious solution for the services sector. Let us be frank about this: the services sector and small and medium-sized enterprises are the most important drivers for the creation of jobs in Europe. They should receive the support they deserve from political leaders.
Progress on the revised Lisbon Agenda will have to factor in the work undertaken as a follow-up to the Hampton Court meeting. This covers key areas like research and development, universities, demographic change, energy, migration, security and the role of Europe in the world.
The Commission will propose new initiatives in the fields of research and education, preparing the establishment of a European institute of technology and furthering work on the mutual comparability and recognition of qualifications.
We will provide a focus for debate on demographic change and on its implications for a fairer work/life balance. We shall also present a roadmap for gender equality which will look at different European Union policies and see how they can contribute to reducing gender gaps in employment or unemployment conditions and to addressing the phenomenon of violence against women and trafficking.
We will seek to strengthen the effectiveness of the European Union in pursuing its external objectives and interests by increasing the coherence of our action. Energy issues mark the debut of this Presidency, and I want to thank the Austrian Presidency for its excellent cooperation in dealing with the recent gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine. Energy issues will remain a dominant theme of our future agenda. The recent crisis and persistently high oil prices teach a lesson to those who normally resist and obstruct the provision of a European dimension for energy policy and to all those who always resist a European dimension in politics and policy-making.
Europe must have an improved, more coordinated energy policy based on the principles of diversification of sources, security of supply and sustainability. Well before Hampton Court, when leaders clearly stressed the need for a new approach, the Commission announced a green paper on secure, competitive and sustainable energy policy. We are also preparing a series of new initiatives on energy efficiency and clean technologies. We will take up the debate initiated with the Biomass Action Plan and complement it with a communication on biofuels.
Finally, we will put forward ideas for developing a real pan-European energy market, enhancing cooperation with our neighbouring countries. This is an example of common sense driving a common approach, where no option should be excluded.
I am particularly pleased that this Presidency can begin its work already, armed with a vision of the financial perspective, thanks to the agreement obtained at the December European Council. As I have already said, this agreement marked an important moment for Europe, a moment in which Europe was able to demonstrate that it continues to be effective and relevant. The agreement has enabled a relatively optimistic climate to be created for 2006, which will be a crucial year.
National leaders and citizens see the sense of a common, coherent European policy. Now is the moment for the European institutions to play their role with ambition and rigour. I look forward to working with you over the coming months to give shape to European energy policy.
This brings me to another important point. The Commission has presented sustainable development as an overarching objective and, last December, presented a communication on the review of the Sustainable Development Strategy. We welcome the fact that the Austrian Presidency has chosen to put that at the top of its priorities. This will provide the momentum needed to complete the preparation of a new European Union Sustainable Development Strategy. The Commission document is an ambitious and concrete one. It offers a long-term vision for addressing issues such as climate change, preservation of natural resources, social exclusion and world poverty. It sets clear objectives, realistic targets and procedures for monitoring and measuring progress. It identifies involving all stakeholders – not only institutions, but business too – in a real partnership as a priority. Regional authorities and citizens should work together to deliver concrete results.
Another issue that will remain high up on the European agenda in the coming months is security. I am pleased to see that the priorities of the Austrian Presidency in the area of freedom, justice and security match those of the Commission.
The translation of the aid programme into practical measures remains our common priority.
In the area of migration, we shall pursue the debate launched by the Policy Plan on Legal Migration, adopted in December 2005, and come forward with proposals on the long-term resident status of persons in need of international protection.
During this semester we shall also table a green paper on drugs and civil society, a proposal on the applicable law in divorce matters, and a green paper on conflict of law in the area of matrimonial property regimes. The Commission will present the first implementation report on The Hague Action Plan. We look forward to achieving significant progress on those important files during the Austrian Presidency.
One last priority that I want to comment on is our relations with our neighbours. The year 2006 will be a decisive period. In the spring, the Commission will review the progress made by Bulgaria and Romania in preparing for accession and assess the level of their readiness to join the Union.
On the Western Balkans, we welcome the priority set by the Austrian Presidency. Since 2003 the countries of the Western Balkans have had a clear European perspective. That process is critical for ensuring peace and stability in Europe. The Commission attaches a great deal of importance to the careful monitoring of the situation in the region and the region’s relationship with the Union. That is why I have decided personally to visit the region in the coming weeks.
Europe also needs to prepare to take greater responsibility in Kosovo. As discussions on Kosovo’s future status reach a critical stage, the European Union has to show that it is able to bring a concrete contribution to a complex and delicate issue.
Last year, Heads of State and Government launched a period of reflection on the future of Europe. Citizens, civil society and political actors are expressing and debating their views, expectations and ideas. The Commission is playing its part fully, implementing Plan ‘D’ for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate. I am pleased to report that members of the Commission made a total of 68 visits to national parliaments in the course of 2005, explaining our policies and their added value to European citizens, and listening, because a process of dialogue is not just about explaining; it is also, and above all, about listening to the message citizens give to us. The European Parliament, with its counterparts in the national parliaments, is putting its weight behind this debate. The Commission is ready to cooperate fully with its initiatives.
We must now pursue, and give concrete expression to, this dynamic approach. Although the Council took a step forward in December, it is now up to us to take the next step together, that is to say to make very swift progress in negotiating and concluding an interinstitutional agreement. I have been saying this for months: the agreement of the three institutions is necessary, and effective cooperation between them is crucial. It is now time for us to turn our words into deeds.
European leaders before us were prepared to dream of what could be. They had the courage of their European convictions. They opened a pathway to reconciliation and progress for Europe which none had walked before. Today we are the beneficiaries of that legacy and of their foresight. However, at a time when past achievements and current freedoms are so easily discounted, we cannot take future public consent for granted. It must be earned.
My vision is of a stronger Europe which provides a solid political, economic and social framework for our citizens, a Europe based on culture, a Europe based on common values. It is of a Europe of democracy, accountability and transparency. In our troubled world today, we more than ever need a strong European Union, a European Union which promotes security, human rights and respect for the rule of law.
Following the June European Council, the Commission will take stock of the preliminary results of the public debate and of discussions under Plan ‘D’. We also intend, at the request of the Austrian Presidency, to propose an agenda for further debate and action at European level. This will provide a basis for the Heads of State and Government to determine the way forward for the Union with a renewed commitment to translate our common objectives into actions.
The Union’s main asset is a core of common values and a rich culture which should inspire our reflection on the future of Europe. Institutions are important, of course they are, but institutions are instruments for achieving our goals and we should not forget the main goals of our project. We need to provide determined leadership and reinforced consensus to bring Europe forward together. We need to concentrate on the essentials. We need to focus on delivery. We need to communicate our public purpose in plain and meaningful terms.
I shall conclude by saying, as I told Chancellor Schüssel when I and other commissioners visited him in Vienna, that I think it was a great decision by the Austrian Presidency to choose all the beautiful and bright colours of Europe as its logo. I believe it is now time for us to do away with grey and black colours, to insist on the possibilities of such diversity of Europe and to use these very important six months of the Austrian Presidency to show our renewed commitment to a Europe that belongs to the future and believes in that future.
In this context, allow me to lay special emphasis on the measures connected to citizenship, particularly those related to culture and to young people. Further efforts are required in this area in order to fulfil our shared commitment to make our people more in touch with our measures and to promote the European dimension.
As from 1 February, the Commission will be proposing an amended draft interinstitutional agreement, which will serve as the basis for our negotiations. As you know, aside from the question of resources, we still need to specify important points on which the Commission has fully exercised its influence: more flexibility and adaptability of our resources, the creation of a Globalisation Adjustment Fund and the prospect of a revision clause. The Commission considers that these elements of flexibility will be crucial in reaching an agreement between the three institutions.
We must also work together towards the adoption of a set of legislative proposals that will give effect to the interinstitutional agreement, once it has been adopted. In that area too, efforts will be required of the Council groups, the parliamentary committees and the Commission services. This is a real challenge but one that we cannot overlook. We must in fact see to it that the Union is ready to get down to the job on 1 January 2007. If the deadlines were to be missed, then we would seriously run the risk of being late in implementing the Structural Funds, which are key elements for solidarity within an enlarged Europe.
Ladies and gentlemen, in the context of Europe, the forthcoming year is, on the one hand, rich in possibilities and, on the other hand, fraught with responsibilities. The Presidency will be able to count on the Commission’s full support and cooperation. We see a close interrelationship between the programme of the Austrian Presidency and the objectives pursued by the Commission since taking up its duties, and particularly its strategic objectives. Armed with its culture and values, Europe will be able to go forward if it can simultaneously make progress in three areas: economic performance, social cohesion and the sustainable management of its resources.
To succeed in this, Europe needs a real partnership involving all the actors. We need everyone’s contribution so that Europe can release its full potential.
Mr President, growth and jobs are the core preoccupation of our citizens. We must show them that Europe can deliver a credible response to their concerns. The Spring European Council in March is the first real test of the determination of all actors to move forward towards economic reform and modernisation. Member States have drawn up their national reform programmes. The Commission is finalising its appraisal of those programmes and will report to the Spring European Council. I should like to thank the European Parliament for its support and look forward to continuing working closely with you on the growth and jobs agenda."@en1
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