Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-07-Speech-3-013"
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Deputy Secretary of State, and, of course, Mr Barroso.
The first challenge for Europe is clearly to restore sustainable economic growth. This revival, of course, hinges on strengthening financial stability. We must restore our financial and economic stability, re-establish budgetary discipline, without hindering the economic recovery, and get back on the path towards annual growth of at least 2%. We need this growth to finance our social model, this particular European model to which we all are still very much attached. We also need growth to establish our international credibility.
Ladies and gentlemen, a banking crisis for which we were not responsible has drawn us into a harsh recession, which we are struggling to emerge from more than other continents. The European Commission has proposed several initiatives to arm us against financial adventurism, against a repetition of the abuse that has had such severe consequences, both for our Member States and for our citizens.
We share your ambition to complete the new supervisory system for financial institutions as quickly as possible, and the structure for alternative investment funds such as hedge funds.
This week, Parliament, the Council and the Commission have, once again, debated this at length. I also believe that today, you are going to adopt your amendments on supervision, but in doing that, I believe that you are also creating the opportunity to continue the dialogue, which we very much appreciate. So, let us set about opening a dialogue together, continuing the dialogue, but, above all, adopting a text that we have been waiting for for so long.
I would like to point out that, while the Belgian Presidency was absent yesterday, it was because the Belgian Parliament was sworn in, and you are aware that parliaments have a pre-session. That is why, unfortunately, the Belgian Presidency was not in attendance yesterday.
In any case, the Commission has, moreover, recently announced a comprehensive package of 20 other proposals in the area of financial services. Ladies and gentlemen, the Belgian Presidency will try, in close collaboration with you, with Parliament, to establish a road map to ensure that they are put into practice by the end of 2011.
Moreover, as we are aware, in October, the task force will be ready with its recommendations on the issue of strengthening budgetary discipline, the Stability and Growth Pact and economic governance. The recent euro crisis clearly demonstrated that monetary union without real economic coordination remains unstable. More than ever, the Union needs economic governance. The task force will therefore make recommendations for stricter monitoring, particularly in budgetary terms. This surveillance will not only concern the budgetary policies of our Member States, but also the economic parameters that make it possible to assess the credibility of tabled budgets.
The Commission will then take all the necessary initiatives to implement these recommendations. The Council and Parliament should also tackle them without delay. That is a priority for the Belgian Presidency, and we will provide every support for these recommendations to be put into practice as quickly as possible.
Ladies and gentlemen, as I have said, our first challenge is to restore sustainable economic growth. In the age of globalisation, we must step up our efforts so that Europe can once again have a competitive and innovative economy, and become a low-carbon economy. The way to get there is the Europe 2020 strategy for jobs and growth.
The Belgian Presidency will support the flagship initiatives announced by the Commission. However, sustainable growth is not just a matter of economic parameters. It is also and, above all, a matter of human beings. It is decided by what it contributes in the greatest number. As can be seen in several countries, there is no sustainable growth, no real sustainable growth without social cohesion, which is Europe’s second major challenge and the second priority of our Presidency.
Mr President, allow me to address my congratulations to our Dutch friends, in so far as they are awake yet. I hope for fair play and that the better team emerges victorious in the final.
That is why Belgium insisted, and achieved, in the EU 2020 programme, that the objective of combating poverty be expanded to the broader notion of social cohesion. Whether for this reason or for promoting economic growth, ladies and gentlemen, we must get Europe back to work, and we must increase employment rates.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to dwell for a moment on an issue that is close to my heart: that of our industrial base, the industrial base of the European economy.
In my view, what Europe is missing sometimes are common industrial projects, emblematic and inspirational projects, as, for example, Ariane, high-speed trains or Airbus were and still are.
This is not a matter of prestige and symbolism, but of real levers of our prosperity and of the creation of future jobs. Recently, I have been struck by economic analyses that showed that countries with a strong industrial base had weathered the crisis better than the more service-oriented economies.
Of course, our industrial fabric must be restructured. This does not necessarily mean that so-called traditional manufacturing sectors would be doomed either to relocating to countries with low levels of pay, or to disappearing. However, there are production methods that are.
By innovating, by manufacturing high-end products, with high added value, European countries can, even right now, successfully safeguard a high-performance, profitable industry with employees that are among the best paid in the world.
Ladies and gentlemen, we Europeans have won the telecommunications revolution. On the other hand, we have been less successful in information technology. We certainly must not fail the green revolution, not only in terms of research, but also, and above all, in manufacturing green technology. Europe actually has excellent researchers. However, the United States and China, for example, outstrip us when it comes to turning the results of research into industrial production.
The flagship initiative announced by the Commission in the area of industry will therefore be very eagerly awaited. Similarly, we attach the utmost importance to the December Council, which will be devoted to innovation in industry.
Under the heading of growth and innovation, there is also a specific issue that we hope to relaunch under our Presidency. That is the issue of the European patent, which we have already been awaiting for 30 years. We must think of our businesses, and SMEs in particular. Just think of the money and energy wasted by our businesses because there is no single procedure for the 27. Our operators are at a real disadvantage in the face of international competition. By relaunching this issue, the Council and the European Parliament have a wonderful opportunity to show their importance to citizens on practical issues. We must now move on from words to actions. The same applies, I believe, for the credibility of European innovation policy.
Ladies and gentlemen, the protection of the environment and of the climate is the third major challenge faced by Europe – the European Union – and, at the same time, is the third objective of our Presidency.
Ladies and gentlemen, a European final, who would have believed it only a few weeks ago? In any event, from the other side of the world, European footballers are an example of excellence, courage, self-confidence and determination to win.
No real sustainable economic growth is possible unless we protect our planet; a planet that does not belong to us but rather is on loan from our children. The European Union is the world leader in measures to protect the environment and combat greenhouse gases. It is the world leader in the objectives it sets itself for further reducing these greenhouse gas emissions. This pioneering role is not enough in itself, however, as the United Nations Climate Change conference in Copenhagen showed to our frustration. To be fair, the EU did not speak with one voice there and thus – to continue the football metaphor – sat on the bench while the play took place on the field.
Therefore, in the next few weeks and months, the EU must be much more active, precise and also assertive in the way it looks into the levers at its disposal to get other major players – and, at the same time, other major polluters – on board for an ambitious plan to protect our planet. This is the only way that the Cancún and Nagoya conferences will yield real results.
Ladies and gentlemen, as I have already mentioned, the EU is like those people who are said to have all the ingredients of a happy existence. Indeed, seen from the outside, the EU is a very attractive place, with its prosperity, system of solidarity and very human democratic forms of governance. Therefore – usually rightly – it attracts many people from all continents, people wanting to build a better life in Europe.
Indeed, the vast majority come here with good intentions, in search of ‘the modest miracle of a normal life’, as it was so beautifully put at a recent conference on Afghanistan. Such immigration has enriched our continent and will continue to do so. On the other hand, there are others at the present time who are abusing our systems of freedom. Organised crime networks are taking advantage of our openness. Terrorist organisations are abusing it for bloody attacks.
Ladies and gentlemen, guaranteeing the security and freedom of our citizens is therefore the fourth major challenge faced by Europe. More than ever, the Union must become an area of justice, security and freedom. Therefore, we want to ensure that the Stockholm Programme, which was drawn up by the Swedish Presidency, is implemented.
Belgium believes that developing a community policy in the areas of migration, asylum law and the prevention of terrorism is of great importance. With regard to cooperation in the field of criminal justice, our priority is the recognition of court judgments in the Member States. This includes a particular focus on establishing a European system for the collection of evidence.
In the context of combating international terrorism, Belgium would like to come to a rapid agreement with the USA on SWIFT. This agreement should combine the protection of citizens’ data with effective measures to prevent terrorism. I am very pleased that we have the opportunity to reach an agreement here tomorrow. The Belgian Presidency will continue to build on the excellent work done by the Spanish Presidency in this area.
This brings me, last but certainly not least, to the fifth challenge confronting the Union: its role on the international stage.
The challenges there are huge and numerous: combating climate change; helping to preserve or restore peace; promoting the spread of open government; combating international terrorism; preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction; ending gross violations of human rights in areas of conflict, with special attention to violence against women; drawing up a coherent common energy policy; preserving and improving our market share.
As already mentioned, the Copenhagen Summit painfully demonstrated that being the world’s largest trading bloc and being rich and attractive and a self-proclaimed role model of soft power does not buy us sufficient international bargaining power. The Union has to develop more leverage to bring others on board and create coalitions for the realisation of its objectives for peace, for sustainable development, for security and for free trade that is also fair.
Ladies and gentlemen, seen from the outside, Europe has every reason to be happy. The European Union’s success has helped spread peace and a democratic system of government across almost our entire continent. With its common market, the European Union has created unprecedented prosperity. It is true, however, that this Europe does not manage, or too seldom manages, to be happy.
This requires, more than ever, that the Union speaks with one voice, and preferably with one mouth. The Lisbon Treaty provides the Union with new tools for this purpose.
In the next six months, the Union will start the establishment of a European diplomatic service. This is also one of the major challenges of our Presidency.
We have, indeed, to decide on the organisation and working of the External Action Service, and we have to adopt, with Parliament, the Financial and Staff Regulations of that service. Belgium will do everything possible for a smooth and successful start to this External Action Service, which will enhance the visibility and also the credibility of the European Union worldwide.
Enlargement is another major element. The negotiations with candidate states have to be pursued vigorously, and all candidates must be judged solely on their own merits, in accordance with the renewed consensus of the European Council of December 2006.
The negotiations with Croatia could enter their final phase under our Presidency. With Turkey, they will continue their course. With Iceland, they will start. For the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Presidency will endeavour to find an agreement for starting the accession negotiations.
Our Belgian Presidency is, in fact, the first one which takes place entirely under the Lisbon Treaty. Belgium feels honour bound to exercise it with full respect for the letter and the spirit of the treaty, so as to create the right precedents.
You are, of course, aware that elections have taken place in my country, that the negotiations on the formation of a new coalition will take some time, and that my government is a so-called caretaker government. I would like to assure you that this will not at all impair the vigour and enthusiasm of our Presidency. This 12th Presidency is supported by a large consensus in my country and by a long European tradition.
We have in our political world in Belgium, at the federal as well as at the regional level, in our diplomatic corps and in our civil service, a large number of men and women with a profound knowledge of the European Union. Preparation has been very thorough, in close cooperation with the other Member States of the trio, and with the European institutions.
Moreover, the government is supported by the European conviction of the population. The nine political parties taking part in Belgium in the federal and regional governments represent 90% of the population of the country. Belgium is one of the countries where the European idea and the project of European integration still command very large popular support.
Last but not least, we have carefully and deliberately embedded our Presidency in the European agenda so as to set realistic goals and to promote them efficiently. I do not doubt our ability to conduct our Presidency efficiently, just as I do not doubt that the new government, when it is formed, will continue it smoothly and seamlessly.
Undoubtedly, ladies and gentlemen, you have also been able to observe in Asia, for example, the extent to which energy, ambition, self-confidence and confidence in the future are practically tangible. America, for its part, still believes in itself, despite its problems. And, lastly, holding the football World Cup in South Africa sends a clear signal to Africa and sends out a clear signal from it, a real shot in the arm.
As I made clear, a rotating Presidency is part of an ongoing European process; it does not constitute an entirely new start. Still, every Presidency brings its own accents and the start is always an occasion to refocus the attention of the population on the importance of the European Union, on the importance of European ideals. The festivities which surround the start of our Presidency demonstrate the wide support for those ideals in my country. From the King and the Royal House to the concerts and dances in so many cities and villages, all communities and social classes took an enthusiastic part in celebrating the start of our 12th Presidency.
I also want to express my sincere appreciation for the meetings I was able to have with colleagues in these last days, with you, with representatives of this Parliament. I found those meetings very instructive and constructive, and my government attaches the greatest importance to close cooperation with the elected representatives of the European citizens.
I would like to address a last word to those populations whom you represent. I would like indeed to exhort them to believe in themselves, to have ambition for themselves, for their countries and for Europe.
Our European Union must avoid two pitfalls: the pitfall of despondency and the pitfall of complacency. There is no reason for despondency. We should not fear the new competition in an increasingly multi-polar world. On the contrary, we should rejoice in it.
For we ourselves helped to bring this new world about, for instance, by our efforts in favour of a more equitable distribution of resources and power. As has been said, what is happening now is not ‘the decline of the West’ but ‘the rise of the rest’. We must throw ourselves into this competition with zest and confidence – confidence in ourselves and in all the assets we have.
Nor are there grounds for complacency. We can certainly be proud of great achievements in the past. We have systems of government which combine political and economic freedom with social solidarity and ecological responsibility. We offer many of our citizens a living standard which is amongst the highest in the world. But we cannot simply sit back and enjoy what we have. The rest of the world does not owe us a living. We have to work for it; we have to work even harder for it.
I do not think that this Assembly needs convincing that, to get our Union and its Member States in higher gear, we need ‘more Europe’. This objective of ‘more Europe’ is at the core of the Belgians’ European and international policy. My country has always favoured the ‘
’, the ‘Community method’, and continues to do so wholeheartedly.
More Europe means, in the priorities and objectives of our Presidency: endowing the Union with a new financial regulatory structure; strengthening its economic governance; stimulating its return to sustainable growth; consolidating its social model; enhancing its capacity for innovation; developing its diplomatic service.
I stand before you, the representatives of almost half a billion European citizens, to ask you for your cooperation and your support for those ambitions of our Presidency. The Treaty of Lisbon has, I am happy to say, strengthened the competences of the European Parliament and thus made it more than ever the driving force for European integration.
My colleagues and I look forward to a fruitful cooperation between our Presidency and you all, Members of the European Parliament, in favour of the ambitions for Europe which we all share.
Europe, on the other hand, unfortunately too often seems to have lost its faith in the future. We need to give Europe its confidence back, to restore ambition for the European Union.
Ladies and gentlemen, our action, Mr President, is intended to be part of this ambition, an ambition that you certainly share.
It is all the more necessary to get Europe moving again since the rest of the world is not waiting for us.
: everything flows. If there is one constant in our world, it is permanent and high-speed change – technological change, economic change and change in balances of power across the globe.
In this changing world, where new centres of economic and political power are emerging, Europe is facing huge challenges. We, the Belgian Presidency, have structured the five lines of action of our Presidency around these challenges."@en1
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