Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-12-14-Speech-3-014-000"
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"en.20111214.5.3-014-000"2
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"Mr President, Mr Prime Minister, honourable Members, I would like to begin by saying straight away that the Polish Presidency of the Council has delivered very significant achievements under very difficult circumstances. The Polish Presidency has worked with great professionalism and enthusiasm.
On the fight against climate change, Durban was certainly not a perfect agreement, but in the difficult circumstances, we can say that it achieved some important results; in spite of all the scepticism, it was possible to make progress, with all major emitters agreeing for the first time to have a new comprehensive and binding legal instrument, which will include limits on CO
emissions. This was only possible because of the leadership from the European Union, and I am particularly proud of the role that the Commission has played in this matter.
We will now continue our efforts with our international partners to flesh out a new global climate agreement involving all countries as quickly as possible, and we will no doubt have a strong partner in this Parliament.
The Polish Presidency has also put a lot of energy into defending a united Europe, and you have just heard the inspiring words of Prime Minister Tusk. Together with the Commission, the Polish Presidency has been a strong advocate of the preservation of the coherence and the integrity of the European Union.
What we need is more integration, not fragmentation. What we need is to consolidate our
and not to weaken what we have achieved over the last 60 years. What we need to do is to tap the full potential of the single market, not to damage it. What we need is more union, not a
.
This is exactly what the Community method guarantees. It enables us to join forces in the general interest. It reinforces our solidarity and our cohesion. Let me tell you very frankly that it was not insignificant that the discussions about the reinforcement of the euro area took place during the Polish Presidency, because Poland, whilst supporting very clearly a stronger economic governance of the eurozone, was also making clear that this stronger governance of the eurozone must not be to the detriment of the overall objectives of our Union. This was particularly important.
I want to say the same thing regarding the next Presidency. We are, I hope, going to continue to conclude the negotiations for this new fiscal compact during the Danish Presidency of the Council. With the very constructive position taken by the Prime Minister of Denmark, I am hopeful that we can conclude these negotiations with a stronger euro area and stronger governance but, at the same time, also with a stronger Union, because that is exactly what we need.
The last point I would like to make before concluding is about open Europe: united but also open Europe. Since the early days of European integration, our openness to the world and our attractiveness to our neighbours and to newcomers has always been one of our greatest strengths. Over these last six months, we have done a lot to advance our relations with our neighbours.
First, good progress has been made with enlargement countries on the European integration of the Western Balkans. Last Friday, we were happy to witness the signature of the Accession Treaty of our 28th Member State – Croatia – which will join in July 2013. This should constitute an incentive for the rest of the region to keep to the path of European reforms.
The successful summit with our Eastern neighbours hosted by the Polish Presidency in Warsaw confirmed our ambition to create the necessary conditions to accelerate political association and further economic integration between the European Union and interested partner countries within our enhanced neighbourhood policy.
Exactly 30 years after the introduction of martial law, Poland has shown during this Presidency its commitment to Europe, to democracy and to our common values. I am sure that everybody remembers Prime Minister Tusk’s inspiring speech here in this House six months ago. That speech came from the heart: a true act of faith in Europe and a strong appeal for more European integration. What you just said, Prime Minister and dear friend, about the Community spirit and the need to fight narrow national interests and egotism, and your support, without doubt, to strong European institutions is very inspiring and a great source of strength for us in these difficult times.
Association agreements are being negotiated with four of the six eastern partners and deep and comprehensive free trade areas with three of them. This Monday, we started further negotiations with Georgia and Moldova. I will be travelling to Kiev next Monday, as we seek to conclude an association agreement with Ukraine. This House has called for the conclusion of the negotiations by the end of the year. The Ukrainian authorities need, however, to demonstrate that they abide by the principles and values that underpin this agreement, namely, respect for democracy, the rule of law, human rights and judiciary independence.
The establishment of the European Endowment for Democracy, an innovation also introduced by Poland, will greatly enrich the range of instruments at our disposal to support the process of democratisation and consolidate the aspirations of those fighting for freedom, including in places in our neighbourhood where democracy and rule of law needs to be encouraged.
Finally, I will travel to Warsaw tomorrow – once again – where I will participate in European Development Day, a Commission initiative, this time in cooperation with the Polish Presidency. This shows clearly that, even in times of crisis, the European Union does not forget about the need to show solidarity to developing countries and to the most poor of the world. As you remember, some time ago, when we had this enlargement, there were some suspicions in the developing world that the fact that Europe was enlarging showed that it conferred less interest and importance to the south of our planet. This did not happen; on the contrary, we are reinforcing our commitments to the developing world.
As I said, these were considerable achievements under difficult circumstances. But this crisis is not behind us, and we have a lot of work ahead. As we move forward, I would like all Member States to show the same level of commitment to Europe as Poland has shown.
The Polish Presidency will be a tough act to follow. The challenge ahead will now be with our Danish friends. In conclusion, let me very sincerely thank Prime Minister Tusk, all his team and his government, the team dedicated to the Presidency, for your leadership, your strong European commitment and your political courage. I think this was a great example for all the Member States which are committed to a stronger European union.
Six months later, we can say that Poland has lived up to its reputation and the Polish Presidency to our expectations. The Polish Presidency has held up the spirit of partnership between the European institutions and the Member States. Poland has constantly pushed for more Europe to address efficiently a crisis that has not only a financial and economic dimension but also, above all, a political one. There is just, as Prime Minister Tusk mentioned, a problem of confidence and of trust.
Let me highlight some of the concrete points we worked on throughout the Presidency. First, a strong Europe: a more stable Europe that can withstand all kinds of weather. A Europe that can learn from its own mistakes and can also address its weaknesses, building its recovery on sound and sustainable foundations.
We have laid the foundations on which any further reforms will be built. The adoption of the legislative package on strengthening economic governance – the ‘six-pack’ – has significantly reinforced the Stability and Growth Pact. It puts more emphasis on debt limitations and extends the Commission’s surveillance to macro-economic imbalances. Now we need to combine words with actions so that we can reinforce this stability culture.
Yesterday, the ‘six-pack’ entered into force. It will put the Commission at the heart of ensuring fiscal discipline, in line with the position of this Parliament. We will accept this increased responsibility knowing that its democratic legitimacy derives precisely from this House. To complete this set of tools, we have come up with two Article 136 proposals on further strengthening economic governance, and more proposals will come to bring the new fiscal compact as much as possible into our existing Union framework.
A strong Europe is also a Europe that is able to recreate the conditions for growth and job creation; as I said yesterday during the debate, we need stability, but we also need growth. That is why our 2012 Annual Growth Survey puts a strong emphasis on the need for implementation of growth-enhancing actions, and I welcome the support for our fast-track programme for measures with a significant impact on growth and jobs. This includes the proposals on the Single Market Act.
During the Polish Presidency, we have taken key decisions to prepare the relaunch of economic growth, through the development and strengthening of the single market, notably on the e-economy. I would also like to mention the very good progress made in the negotiations on the unitary patent, which showed the energy and constructive approach needed. I call on the Member States quickly to resolve among themselves the one outstanding issue: the seat of the litigation court under the intergovernmental agreement.
Growth is also about green growth, energy security and the fight against climate change, and we are moving forward on all these fronts. The Commission has already tabled proposals on completing the internal energy market, boosting energy efficiency, enhancing the coherence and coordination of our external energy policy and improving nuclear safety. Let me emphasise in particular the commitment of Poland to reinforcing the external dimension of the energy policy that has been adopted by the Energy Council."@en1
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