Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-10-26-Speech-2-019"
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"en.20041026.5.2-019"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in July, I announced to you my intention to build a partnership for Europe – a partnership for prosperity, solidarity and security. In order to achieve this, the new Commission must tackle some major issues, both at internal and international level. It must meet the expectations of European citizens.
Our European Union is not only an economic area; it is also a fully-fledged area of freedom, security and justice. The Commission attaches the highest importance to implementing common policies in the areas of asylum and immigration – fair and balanced policies that are intended to promote economic and social integration for third-country nationals, policies that respect every individual’s cultural identity and the core values of European society.
In this area, cooperation with third countries is crucial. I must state that I am opposed to setting up ‘camps’ outside the EU. The Commission will cooperate more extensively with third countries in order to help them deal with migratory flows. Partnership with third countries is only possible if based on a joint undertaking and in compliance with international law. Let me be clear on this point: the future Commission will work with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to build international cooperation in this field. It will urge those third countries that are our partners to sign up to and comply with the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
This new Commission will also continue to work towards strengthening the security of us all, whilst respecting their civil liberties, to meet the tough challenges posed by the threat of terrorism.
The EU must play its full role on the international stage. It has important responsibilities and must be a strong and credible partner. It must continue to foster peace and stability and to strengthen the multilateral dimension in a wide range of areas.
We must strengthen relations with third countries and with regional organisations. Cooperation with the United States must be based on a relationship of equals and on deep mutual understanding. The election of a new US President, at the same time as the new Commission takes up its duties, gives us the opportunity to restore the transatlantic axis, regardless of the election result. I firmly believe that the United States is ready to contribute towards setting up a more balanced relationship with Europe. Whilst we want the United States to take a more multilateral approach, we must also, on our side, carry out our activities with greater unity and effectiveness.
We shall continue the process of enlarging the EU to include the candidate countries. Our neighbourhood policy is also something that we see as a priority, a powerful tool in the EU’s external relations that will enable us to build stronger partnerships. I believe that our continent stands a much greater chance of lasting peace with an enhanced stability policy in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean countries. I feel that development policy is essential for greater cooperation with the parts of the world that need our support and our assistance.
Ladies and gentlemen, next January, I shall appear before you in this House to present the EU’s strategic priorities. This will not solely concern the Commission’s legislative and work programme for 2005. My intention is to give the strategic programme a broader outlook. In the spirit of the Constitution, I shall present to you the priorities for the next five years. My aim is to reach an agreement on long-term programming with Parliament and the Council, and in so doing, I shall be addressing one of the main concerns expressed by Parliament.
In July I told you of my wish to establish positive cooperation between Parliament and the Commission. I strongly believe that the Commission’s strength and credibility lie in Parliament’s support and in active cooperation between our two institutions. I have studied carefully Mr Borrell’s proposals on relations between our two institutions.
I await your resolution with interest and I am ready to respond most openly during tomorrow’s debate. Let me say straight away that I am in favour of transparency and cooperation between our two institutions.
I hope that, as soon as the new Commission takes up its duties, negotiations will get underway between our two institutions aimed at introducing the necessary changes to the framework agreement. Europe needs fruitful cooperation between Parliament and the Commission, the two institutions that are always at the forefront of the European project.
Fundamental institutional changes await us in the years to come, when the Constitution enters into force – as the Commission hopes it will – after it has been ratified by all of the Member States.
Ladies and gentlemen, an event of historic importance is almost upon us – the Constitutional Treaty is set to be signed in a few days, on 29 October. This is not a simple matter of revising the existing Treaties; it is the culmination of a long process involving Parliament, the Member States, the Commission, the national parliaments and civil society, aimed at making the EU more democratic, more transparent and more efficient.
As the representatives of the peoples of our enlarged Europe, you are aware of the magnitude of the European citizens’ expectations. You are aware of the apathy and the scepticism that are affecting European democracy. You are aware, as I am, of populist threats coming from people who wish to weaken Europe and who always seek to call into question the credibility of our institutions. We must not give them any fresh arguments to use against us.
This is a momentous time for our countries and for the EU. I have shared with you the principles that have guided the composition of my Commission and I have shared with you my intention to work closely with you throughout the next five years, so as to promote prosperity, solidarity and security. We have no time to lose; the time has come to take action and to work together for the benefit of the citizens.
Let us devote our energies to promoting growth, jobs, harmonisation and the Lisbon strategy, to strengthening a dynamic knowledge-based economy and to promoting greater cohesion in our enlarged Europe.
This Commission is worthy of your confidence and deserves your support. I appeal to your sense of responsibility. I appeal particularly to your European commitment to express your confidence in this college. We can build a stronger Europe on the foundations of this relationship of mutual respect and confidence.
We must prepare for those changes. We must also explain, clearly and objectively, to people the many advantages of the Constitution over the current Treaties. This Constitution will significantly enhance both the democracy and the effectiveness of the European Union. It will provide the EU with the appropriate instruments to address the actual needs and expectations of Europeans more effectively.
The main task of achieving ratification at national level naturally falls to the Member States, in accordance with the procedures laid down in their internal legal orders. The future Commission, however, is more than ready to work with the Council and with Parliament to set up a common communication strategy.
The EU must place growth at the heart of its activities. Europe needs more growth, more jobs, more entrepreneurial spirit, more innovation and more research. It must achieve reforms that foster economic dynamism. It must invest in education and training, knowledge and technological development, so as to be a genuinely knowledge-based economy that is up to speed with the increasingly tough demands of international competitiveness.
Those reforms and that spirit of constructive change must form part of a sustainable development strategy that takes up the challenge posed by climate change and that appropriately addresses the issues of energy, transport and protection of the environment.
To this end, we must redouble our efforts at both internal and international level, in our quest for a coordinated strategy within a multilateral framework. The Russian Federation’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol is a tangible success of the multilateral strategy for the environment, which bodes well for the future.
A more dynamic and more competitive Europe must go hand in hand with maintaining the European social model, and I would add that a more dynamic and more competitive Europe is the only one in which we will be capable of completely safeguarding this model. We must also bear in mind that, in some of our countries, we are still a long way from a genuinely fair level of social protection. Competitiveness, cohesion and solidarity must progress in tandem. It is clear that cohesion policy and actions aimed at creating a more competitive and more dynamic European economy are intrinsically linked and complement one another. The new Member States in particular expect us all to make an effort in terms of cohesion and solidarity.
I am convinced that solidarity is a core value and abandoning it would endanger the character of our societies. Solidarity – between generations, between members and groups of our societies, between Member States and regions – is not an abstract value. It is a wise choice, which fosters social cohesion and which requires both political commitment and the appropriate financial resources."@en1
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