Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-25-Speech-3-011"
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"Mr President, Mr Barroso, honourable Members, it is wonderful to have this opportunity to have this debate with you ahead of the next meeting of the European Council. It will, of course, be the second ordinary meeting held during the Swedish Presidency and it will also be the last time that it is led by a rotating presidency.
The economic prospects look brighter, but there are still major risks. It is therefore not yet time to withdraw the support measures that have been taken. However, within the Council we have initiated a discussion about how these special crisis measures should be phased out and when this can start. The European Council will review the work that the Council has done with regard to exit strategies. We will also monitor the EU’s Economic Recovery Plan.
With regard to the financial markets, it is gratifying that the situation on the financial market has improved considerably. The financial sector’s need for support measures has diminished. We therefore need to formulate strategies for how the measures can be phased out in a coordinated way. However, it is important to emphasise that it is still too early to begin a general phasing out of the support measures in the financial area.
The Swedish Presidency is seeking agreement on a number of guiding principles with regard to the timing, coordination and sequencing of the phasing out of the support measures.
I will now turn to financial supervision. There is agreement that increased and improved cooperation in relation to financial supervision within the EU is necessary, particularly in view of the experience we have had during the financial crisis.
The proposal for the structure and focus of the work in the Systemic Risk Council was adopted by the EU’s finance ministers at the Ecofin meeting on 20 October. The Presidency then received the mandate to initiate negotiations with the European Parliament, which we have done.
As regards the three ‘micro-authorities’, the Presidency’s aim is to arrive at a general approach for these authorities and hence for the entire supervisory package at the next Ecofin meeting on 2 December so that we can report back to the Council in December.
The value of having a structure in place is significant for the financial services industry, for the world outside Europe and for our citizens. The package will include a requirement for the plan to be reviewed in three years. We will then be able to rectify any shortcomings that stand out as functioning less well or as being less effective.
The EU’s current strategy for jobs and growth, the Lisbon strategy, expires next year. It is therefore imperative that the EU should agree on a new strategy that is able to promote a vision for long-term growth and prosperity. This will be one of the most important issues over the next few months and one of the priority issues for the forthcoming Spanish Presidency.
The economic and financial crisis has created pressure for immediate action to be taken to minimise the impact on growth and the labour market. At the same time, structural weaknesses and the long-term challenges for our economies have become more apparent.
Maintaining and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness on the global market, combating climate change and dealing with the challenges as a consequence of an ageing population are demanding tasks for the European Union and its Member States in the medium and long term. These require common and coordinated solutions, a common vision and a strengthened European reform agenda for the next ten years.
As you know, the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force on 1 December, but in accordance with the declaration adopted in the European Council in December 2008, the rotating Presidency will continue to preside over the European Council until the Presidency ends at the end of the year. All the Member States have now ratified the treaty and deposited their instruments of ratification in Rome. I am therefore delighted to be able to confirm that the Treaty of Lisbon will indeed enter into force on 1 December.
The vision is about turning challenges into opportunities. It is about fully realising the potential of the internal market and exploiting the advantages of foreign trade and openness. It is about recognising the opportunities involved in turning Europe into an eco-efficient or climate-smart economy and creating a labour market with high levels of employment, sustainable public finances and social cohesion.
During the Swedish Presidency, a second follow-up assessment of the EU’s sustainability strategy is being carried out. Progress has been made in many areas. At the same time, there are several areas where unsustainable trends have been identified. These areas include the rapid increase in demand for natural resources, the diminishing of biological diversity, the increase in energy consumption by the transport sector and the persistence of global poverty.
We have raised the question of how we can monitor and follow up the strategy in a better and more effective way, including how we can make use of the benefits of coordination resulting from the interaction with other EU strategies, the Lisbon strategy, for example.
The Integrated Maritime Policy will also be discussed at the European Council meeting. The Commission has recently submitted its progress report. The European Council will examine the report and give its opinion of the future direction of this important cross-sectoral work. In this regard, I would like to emphasise our view of sustainable economic growth and eco-efficient work and innovation.
I will now turn to another very important item at the European Council meeting, namely the adoption of a new five-year work programme in the area of freedom, security and justice. The Stockholm Programme is intended to supersede the Hague Programme that is currently in force and which was adopted in 2004.
The vision of the Stockholm Programme is for a safer and more open Europe where the rights of individuals are protected. The programme is a result of intensive contact and discussions in the Council and with the European Parliament. There have also been valuable contributions from national parliaments, civil society, EU bodies and various agencies and authorities.
My Swedish colleagues, the Minister for Justice, Beatrice Ask, and the Minister for Migration, Tobias Billström, were here yesterday and presented the Stockholm Programme in a very long debate. Therefore, I will not repeat what they said, but I would like to take the opportunity to emphasise that the Stockholm Programme focuses on specific measures that bring added value to the everyday lives of citizens. It includes cooperation outside the EU. A more secure and more open Europe requires genuine partnership with our partner countries.
Future work in this area should also be based on a balance between measures aimed at creating a safe and secure Europe and measures aimed at protecting the rights of individuals.
The ambitious work that has been carried out and our future method of working with increased codecision for Parliament should help to provide us with an action plan that is better able to deal with these major challenges.
With regard to climate change, while the European Council meeting is going on, the climate negotiations will, of course, also be taking place in Copenhagen. These issues are important for Europe and for the future of our entire planet. Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stood in Parliament in Brussels and presented the outcome of the European Council meeting in October, including the most important elements of the EU’s position ahead of the Copenhagen conference. It is now imperative that we continue to make it clear to our partners around the world how highly we regard this and that we provide momentum to drive the negotiations forward. The Swedish Presidency will put all of its energy into this work.
The work involved in getting to this point was long and strenuous, as Parliament is well aware. The new treaty will change the way the EU works in several respects. As a result of the treaty, we will have better opportunities to get to grips with the important issues that the EU is facing and we can do this in a more democratic, transparent and efficient manner. It also brings with it many important reforms that affect you here in Parliament.
Next month, the European Council will assess the situation in the negotiations that will be going on simultaneously in order to take the decisions that are necessary to enable us to have a successful outcome in Copenhagen.
As usual, a number of foreign policy issues may also arise at the European Council meeting, but it is a little too early to say what these might be.
The top priorities of the Swedish Presidency have been to respond to the demands of climate change and to ensure that the EU retains its leading position ahead of the negotiations in Copenhagen while, at the same time, we are responsible for continuing to address the economic and financial crisis. These issues will have top priority at the final summit.
At the European Council’s extra meeting last week, the Heads of State or Government agreed to appoint Herman van Rompuy as President of the European Council. He will lead the European Council’s work and take it forward from 1 January.
Agreement was also reached, following approval from the Commission President, on the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In line with the treaty, Mrs Ashton will take up all of her roles on 1 December, including that of Vice-President of the Commission. Just as the European Parliament adopts a position on all Members, you will, of course, also be holding a hearing with Mrs Ashton. I understand that she will shortly be presenting herself to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and answering questions.
The European Council also reached agreement on the appointment of Pierre de Boissieu as Secretary-General of the Council Secretariat.
The work in preparation for the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon has continued as detailed by the Presidency in its status report to the European Council in October. On 1 December, a number of decisions will be taken in order to put the Treaty of Lisbon fully in place, for example, with regard to revised rules of procedure for the Council and rules of procedure for the European Council. At the European Council meeting in December, we will present a new report summarising the status of the issues that we have dealt with in connection with the implementation and practical application of the Treaty of Lisbon. The European External Action Service will be included among these issues. The report will also contain a road map pointing the way forward for the work in this area.
At the European Council meeting in December, the focus will primarily be on economic and financial issues. The effects of the crisis will be felt for a long time to come – particularly on the labour market. However, it is also important for us to take a long-term view and to meet important challenges in both the medium and the long term.
The EU, the Member States and Europe’s central banks have taken numerous measures, for example, guarantee programmes for banks and the European Economic Recovery Plan. These measures have made a major contribution to increasing financial stability and reducing the effects of the crisis on growth and employment."@en1
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