Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-18-Speech-2-010"
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"Mr President, President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, the Portuguese Presidency and I myself have reached the point of reporting on our Presidency to Parliament with the feeling that we have done our duty. I think you will agree with me when I say that Europe and the Europeans have good reason to feel satisfied with political developments over the last six months. Indeed, I am convinced that Europe today is stronger, more self-assured and more confident. At the end of these six months it is a better Europe; better in relation to itself, but also better in relation to the rest of the world.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am in no doubt that anyone at all familiar with these issues, anyone interested in human rights, in issues of climate change, of migration and immigrant advocacy, of development or security, will be pleased to see that Europe and Africa have at last set up a political framework for negotiation and dialogue.
I am in no doubt that Europe’s external policy is better and richer since the Africa summit and I am therefore pleased to tell you that over these six months we have succeeded in overcoming obstacles and deadlocks, and that we have also succeeded in overcoming prejudices so that we can claim today, at the end of the Portuguese Presidency, that Europe has become stronger not only internally but also in its external policy.
We now have a coherent policy in relation to the BRIC countries and a political dialogue with Africa that everyone involved in external relations thought it was a mistake not to have in recent years. The Treaty, Brazil and Africa are achievements, and achievements for the benefit of Europe, but I have to say, ladies and gentlemen, Mr President, that there is not time here to recount, even in summary, all the achievements of the Portuguese Presidency, but I would like to tell you, albeit briefly, that this Presidency has left its mark on the main items on the European agenda and I would like to begin with the agenda regarding freedoms.
This Presidency left its mark on the freedom agenda the moment we proclaimed here the Charter of Fundamental Rights and that was a decisive moment for the European project, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, as I have said earlier, now has legal force in the Treaty of Lisbon. It was also under the Portuguese Presidency that we succeeded in establishing the European Day against the Death Penalty and this honours European values and gives a clear signal to the world of Europe’s defence of the value of life. I would also like you to know that it was during the Portuguese Presidency, at the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, that a moratorium on the death penalty was agreed and that vote came as a result of a European proposal that honours European traditions and values. Moreover, I would also like to highlight in this freedom agenda the efforts that the Portuguese Presidency made to extend the area of freedom of movement to the new Member States.
On 21 and 22 December, with the President of the Commission, and a number of ministers, I will have the opportunity to be present at the borders where controls are to be abolished, with nine countries entering the Schengen area, thereby fulfilling the greatest aspiration of those citizens who want to be part of Europe, to have freedom of movement while at the same time belonging to an area that safeguards their security.
SISone4all is a nice story, because it was at Portuguese insistence that on 31 December 2007 these internal border controls will be abolished, because it was a Portuguese minister who would not accept the idea that it was technically impossible to connect the databases of the new countries to the databases of the Schengen system, and because it was a Portuguese firm that proposed a technical solution to the problem. On 21 and 22 December we will be in those countries telling them that Portugal is very proud to have been able to contribute with Portuguese technology and Portuguese political will to enable those countries to give their citizens full freedom of movement, because that is the highest aspiration of the European peoples. I am from a country that experienced that moment; I remember well the moment when border controls between Portugal and Spain were abolished, and indeed for the first time we felt part of the European family. It is for that reason that if there is a symbolic moment of this Presidency it will be when the Portuguese and other politicians, and the President of the Commission, are present at those borders to mark the moment when controls are abolished, thereby realising a European dream and aspiration to create that area of freedom of movement and security that the Schengen area represents.
We did leave our mark on the freedom agenda, but also on the social agenda. I would like to remind everyone that it was during the Portuguese Presidency that an agreement was reached between European trade unions and employers’ associations, and it is a very important agreement that underlines the challenges for the European labour market, but it was also during this Presidency that all the countries agreed on the common principles of flexicurity, so acting as a driving force, moving ahead with this European model designed to make the flexibility that is indispensable to competitiveness compatible with security for workers, which is peculiar to the European social model.
Finally on this social agenda, I would like to highlight the attention that we gave to migration policy. Over the six months we placed much emphasis on this issue. We held an international conference in Lisbon because our goal was and is to help lay down or set out the broad guidelines for a European migration policy. At the latest Council, the President of the Commission had the opportunity to present the Commission’s document defining the bases of that policy, a migration policy that essentially has three pillars: inclusion of immigrants, combating illegal immigration, and cooperation with countries of origin, so as to regulate migratory flows and thereby protect immigrants. That is a landmark, an important item on the European social agenda and Portugal is very proud to have helped make progress on that European migration policy.
The Portuguese Presidency also made its mark on the economic agenda, by which I mean, as the President of the European Parliament said, our approval under this Portuguese Presidency of the Galileo project, which for many years was dragging its feet, damaging Europe and sending out a clear signal to the whole world that Europe was incapable, in such a decisive sector, of having its own project. This Galileo project is perhaps one of the infrastructure projects for raising Europe’s profile in the world and endorsing Europe in the highly competitive field of telecommunications. That is why we are very proud that it was under the leadership of the Portuguese Presidency and of Minister Mário Lino that agreement was finally reached that distinguishes Europe and the European project. Also on the economic agenda, I would like to highlight our contribution to a Europe-wide maritime policy, with the approval of the Framework Directive on the marine environment strategy as a basic condition for Europe to have a consistent approach between all countries in their relationship to the sea.
As regards energy and climate change, I would like to highlight just two points: the first was the conclusion of the strategic plan for energy technologies. That is an absolutely fundamental point marking Europe’s ambitions in this area and its will to invest as much as possible in innovation and research so that we can meet the challenges of the future. I would also like to point to the Bali agreement, achieved under the Portuguese Presidency, which provides us today with a clear roadmap for negotiations so that in 2009 we can again reach a global agreement to respond to the challenges of climate change.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, you are well of the three priorities of the Portuguese Presidency. The priorities, I would recall, were the Treaty and the EU-Brazil and EU-Africa summits. As I had the opportunity to say here in the session launching the Portuguese Presidency, they were always the three main priorities of the Portuguese Presidency, right from the beginning.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, we also left a mark on the agenda for the future of the European Union meaning, of course, the Declaration on Globalisation that we approved in the latest Council. This declaration means the following: firstly, Europe has solved its institutional problems and is now looking to face the challenges of this changing world to assume a position of leadership in institutional reform, to address education, training and research as a central issue to solve Europe’s role in a globalised world, but also to combat all the environmental challenges threatening the world. This European globalisation agenda means that Europe is back, and Europe is back to discussing absolutely fundamental issues that it had unfortunately put very much on the back burner because in recent years it was so tied up with its institutional problems.
A declaration on globalisation, but also an agreement on the Reflection Group. At the recent Council we adopted a mandate for this Reflection Group to enable it to contribute to a general reflection on this issue and the future of Europe between 2020 and 2030. To enable it to help anticipate and meet the challenges, we also approved the leadership of this group – Felipe González, who is one of the great Europeans in European History, returning to political life to lead a reflection group serving what for him has always been one of his noblest ideals: the European project, together with Vice-Chairs Vike-Freiberga and Jorma Ollila who will join him in leading the group that has been formed in the meantime.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, as I said, I am not going to describe every detail of the Portuguese Presidency’s achievements, but I would like to tell you that I am very proud of this Presidency and very pleased about it. We achieved all the goals we set ourselves; the most important ones and even those we doubted we would achieve. The Treaty, Brazil, Africa, but also the marks we made in the economic agenda, the social agenda, the freedom agenda and the agenda for the future. This Presidency, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, is a Presidency of a pro-European country, a country that clearly understands that it is defending its own interests through the European project, in a country committed to European ideals, in a country led by European politicians who clearly understand that what Europe needs is to develop the European project and that this European project is probably the most generous, most critical and most important project of modern times, that this European project is important for Europeans, for the European economy, and also important for the world.
If you will allow me, Mr President, I would like to finish with some thanks, and with a very personal thank you to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is sitting here beside me, who has accompanied me throughout these six months, to the Secretary of State for European Affairs, who is here with me, but I would also like to thank the Portuguese diplomatic corps, which organised everything, working in the background and often unacknowledged for the fruits of its labours; I want to thank the whole Portuguese diplomatic corps that gave of its best for its country and for Europe and was headed by one of the great Portuguese ambassadors, ambassador Mendonça e Moura, who is here with me.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, we began this Presidency with the motto: ‘A stronger Europe for a better world’ and we have reached the end of these six months convinced that we have honoured that motto, that we gave of our best as a country so that Europe might present itself as a stronger Europe, a Europe that better serves its citizens and a Europe that is better equipped to play its role in the world.
We did it all for Europe, in the service of Europe, because that is how to defend the interests of Portugal, of Europe and also of the world. I would like to thank all the Parliamentary groups that gave us so much support over this period; I would like to thank the Commission for its support and I would like to thank the President of the European Parliament for his constant help that he never refused the Portuguese Presidency. I am very proud of and very pleased about the Presidency and so I would like to share my happiness with you which is a happiness for Europe.
I am very pleased to tell you that we have achieved all the goals we set ourselves for these six months. But let us begin with the goal that was the most important of all: the Treaty. The Treaty, the new Treaty for Europe. This was always the top priority, and the new Treaty that we signed in Lisbon and named the Treaty of Lisbon is, of course, a treaty that resolves Europe’s institutional deadlock, a treaty that responds to Europe’s institutional crisis. I must tell you that no sign of confidence was of greater importance for the European project, for Europeans and for the European economy than overcoming that deadlock and that crisis.
But this Treaty also responded to the three major challenges facing Europe. First, the challenge of European citizenship. The challenge of affirming the values underlying our political project and that affirmation of values and of European citizenship is contained in the Charter of Fundamental Rights that we proclaimed in this Parliament but which has legal force through its inclusion in the Treaty of Lisbon. That was the first challenge.
The second, of course, was to give Europe better decision-making ability. Anyone who is familiar with Europe clearly understands that a Europe of 27 had to change its rules. Changing the rules, keeping the rules democratic, but allowing the institutions to respond more effectively and efficiently on behalf of all Europeans to the challenges of the new world. This challenge was also addressed by the Treaty of Lisbon.
Finally, the challenge of having stronger and more capable institutions, institutions equal to the new demands that Europe is facing. This challenge is also now addressed by the Treaty of Lisbon. And if we want to attempt to sum up the Treaty of Lisbon it is precisely here that we should do it. It is a treaty that meets the three major challenges: transforming Europe into a political project that affirms its values and affirms European citizenship, a Europe that is now better able to take up the challenges of modern times, that has the conditions for more effective decision-making, and also a Europe that has strengthened its institutions to respond to Europeans’ aspirations and also to what the world expects of Europe.
This is an important treaty for Europe, but it is also a treaty that makes Europe stronger to serve a better world. It is not only a treaty for the Europeans, for the European economy, it is also a treaty that gives a clear signal to the world that Europe is back and is back to pursue a European project in a form to inspire many continents all over the world. The Treaty: this priority was achieved under the Portuguese Presidency. But while the Treaty was perhaps the greatest contribution that we made to a stronger Europe, I would like to emphasise the other two priorities.
First, the summit with Brazil. Why Brazil? For the simple reason that EU external policy already included annual summits with India, Russia and China but has never had an annual summit with Brazil. By approving a strategic partnership at that summit we are transforming the EU’s external policy into a more coherent and more understandable policy. We now have a policy with BRIC – Brazil, Russia, India and China – that serves a Europe that wants to be a global political player. This summit with Brazil and the strategic partnership that we established has enhanced Europe’s external policy and established better conditions to bolster the European economy, and also to endorse the values and aims of the European project.
Thirdly the summit with Africa. The Africa summit. When we embarked on the Africa summit we were well aware of the difficulties we were facing, but we overcame them because it was clear from the start that we were right, that Europe was paying the price of seven years with no political dialogue with Africa, that this was bad for Africa, bad for Europe and bad for the world. There was no reason not to have a broader and global political dialogue with Africa. And perhaps Portugal’s sensitivity made it better placed to appreciate that this was a mistake. We corrected this mistake with the Africa summit. The summit was a success, because for the first time in the history of the world, Europe has a joint strategy with Africa. Let us not deceive ourselves; it is not a European strategy for Africa, or vice versa. No, it is a joint strategy of both continents and a joint strategy that is being pursued on the basis of five main themes that are important to both continents: peace and security, climate change, human rights, areas that are – migrations too, excuse me, I was forgetting that area of major importance – those are the five structuring themes of a political dialogue with Africa that, as I said, concerns Africa, Europe and also the world as a whole. But we did not restrict ourselves to approving a joint strategy, we also laid down an action plan and a mechanism for implementing the strategy, and we are now setting up an institution between the European Commission and the African Union, the African Union Commission, to enable them to work together to implement what we have agreed."@en1
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