Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-16-Speech-3-016"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20091216.3.3-016"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, Prime Minister, during the past six months, we have seen a new treaty come into force, ending almost a decade of debate and opening the door to new opportunities for this new, enlarged European Union we have today. We have seen the first evidence that decisive action taken to stabilise the European economy in the face of crisis is bearing some results. And as we enter the end game in Copenhagen, we can be clear that the European Union has been working hard to maintain the momentum it has championed towards decisive global action on climate change.
Second, action on climate has sometimes been a divisive point for the European Council. However, the atmosphere this time was different. There was a strong shared sense that everyone has an interest in the European Union pulling its weight. We should now be getting the benefits from the investment we have made as the pioneers in this agenda.
What I did find generally encouraging was recognition that the European Union has to stand together. Let us hope that this determination holds firm under the pressures of the next two or three days.
What can we expect over the next few days? Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark will probably put forward a text today – but with a lot of the key numbers still left blank. The leaders’ task will be to move this forward to a deal. This is why I am going to Copenhagen immediately after this debate. Together with Prime Minister Reinfeldt, we will do our best for the European Union to lead this debate.
We know that the atmosphere at the moment is not easy at Copenhagen. We also know that this is part of the usual rhythm of a top negotiation. However, the arrival of so many Heads of State or Government will be a powerful driver to reach a deal. If that deal includes real commitment to cut emissions from both developed and developing countries; a clear commitment on financing to make this happen; and an agreement on how this is to be applied and verified – if this agreement includes the different elements of the Bali road map and can be seen to be in the right ball park to respect the 2 °C limit, then I think we will say rightly that it will be a major achievement. We are not there yet, but I believe it is possible to reach that agreement.
The next few days will show whether the ambitions we have discussed in this Parliament so often are going to be realised, but I sense already that there is a compelling need for change and that we need to make this success in Copenhagen. There is a huge amount at stake. There is, of course, a balance to be found, but there is also a sense that today’s generation knows that there is a challenge which cannot be avoided. I believe last week’s European Council left the European Union ready to meet the challenge. I hope that with European leadership, we will achieve success at Copenhagen.
I would therefore like to pay a very sincere tribute to Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and all the team of the Swedish Presidency for a highly successful presidency. It is particularly important that the Swedish Presidency has been so effective in ensuring the completion of the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty, managing the transition to this new treaty while achieving all the other objectives. We have seen the appointment of the first President of the European Council and of the first High Representative, the Vice-President of the Commission, by the European Council. And let us not forget – because it was a very important moment for this Parliament, following the unanimous designation by the European Council – we have seen the election by this Parliament of the President of the next Commission with a qualified majority.
Last week’s European Council was the first time that it has met as a fully fledged institution. It was also the first time that the new High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission, Catherine Ashton, has attended. The new President of the European Council will be fully functioning by 1 January 2010 and has presented his ideas on how to organise the European Council in the future. I very much welcome all the proposals to give the European Council more consistency and more continuity in its work. I also welcome the ideas of having more political, frank discussions and short and punchy conclusions.
There were many other issues that were the object of the European Council. I would like to highlight just some, not forgetting one very important one, the definition of the Baltic Strategy, which can be a model for other regional cooperation inside the European Union and with some of our partners.
On the economy, we are keeping the right balance between maintaining the stimulus and preparing our exit strategies. I presented the scene for our European 2020 Strategy. I hope the European Council will focus on the discussion of this very important agenda for the future of Europe, namely through discussions in the next meetings, in the formal European Council in February and in the spring European Council. I would like to reiterate here my offer to come to this plenary so that Parliament can organise a specific debate on this very important issue. I think it is extremely important that there is full ownership by the European Parliament and, on the side of the Council, by the European Council, of this European Union 2020 Strategy, which is where our future will be played.
On the Stockholm Programme, the Commission’s proposals have now been translated into an agreed approach for the next five years. I know that many in this Parliament share our determination to use this springboard to seize the opportunities of the Lisbon Treaty for a step change in European action on freedom, security and justice. That was one of the major reasons why I decided to reorganise the portfolios of the next College in this area. It is going to be one of the most important areas of the European Union’s work in the next five years.
The European Council had a particular significance for climate change. In the past few years, the European Union has developed a consistent and ambitious approach on climate change. I am very proud that the Commission has been the initiator of this very ambitious agenda. The impact of reduced emissions may only be felt in several decades’ time, but we are already taking concrete steps, giving our targets the force of law.
Let us be frank about this. Some of our partners are announcing their intentions by press statements; but we have announced our intentions by law, law that is already agreed by all the Member States. The developed world must act, but it must also help the developing world to decouple growth and emissions. I think that it is right that the European Council last week centred on how we can put this global leadership at the service of an ambitious deal at Copenhagen: by promising help to developing countries not in some distant future but already next year; by making clear that the deal must be comprehensive and must have the verification mechanisms to make it stick; by maintaining our readiness to up our targets, but only if others put ambitious commitments on the table as well.
I think the European Council achieved very important results, namely on two matters. First, on finance, the Council was able successfully to put together a fast-start finance package, bigger than expected and, critically, with every Member State involved. Of course, some have said that this is not enough coming from the European Union, but EUR 7.2 billion, more than USD 10 billion in the current circumstances, and for three years, is a very serious commitment. I hope the money is now guaranteed, not just an aspiration. It is now for others to match it. The European Council also reiterated its commitment for medium-term financing, to ensure it gives the fair contribution that is necessary for 2020."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples