Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-09-Speech-3-185"
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"en.20050309.15.3-185"2
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".
Mr President, I wish to thank all the Members of the European Parliament for their valuable contributions to this debate and also for their concrete ideas.
The Commission will look into the details of creating a charter for sustainable development, which must include very concrete policies and actions. Indeed, nothing of what has been said about the Stability Pact, the Lisbon Strategy or sustainable development will lead anywhere unless we start to take action. The overall challenge for us is one of implementation: to maintain consensus, ensure best use of governance and secure the support of European citizens for what we are doing. Those three issues must guide us in ensuring a successful summit meeting and, hopefully, successful implementation of what has been discussed today.
This debate has shown the need for a coherent and consistent approach. We must ensure that the policies on the Stability Pact, the Lisbon Strategy and the Sustainable Development Strategy go hand in hand. During the debate this morning on the Lisbon Strategy you also made the point that the very concrete proposals we have been discussing for some time must uphold this balance.
We shall do all this in the European way, which is to ensure that the creation of growth and jobs does not happen at the expense of over-using natural resources or of social policy. We must ensure that our policies include all three of those elements and that they reinforce one another. Climate change is one example, as it is not only an environmental issue but also one with enormous economic and social consequences, meaning that our policies have to be designed accordingly. This is exactly what incorporating the dimension of sustainable development is all about. It brings the future and the rest of the world into the frame as well.
I wish to thank all those who have raised issues concerning the Lisbon Strategy and assure them that the Commission will take due note of all these issues.
Mr Bonde was the only person who said he was very happy. I am glad he is happy, because his comments related to openness and transparency, which are things very close to my heart too. I would remind you that we have enhanced transparency as regards expert groups in the context of negotiations on the framework agreement. There is a new article on expert groups, and a list of the expert groups, their composition, activities, agendas and documents will be made available. That is important.
Unfortunately, while some members of that Group put difficult questions, they have not stayed long enough to hear the responses as regards, for example, the Stability Pact, which is another important issue.
We sometimes seem to lose sight of what has been achieved through the Stability Pact. Just a few years ago, the economic situation in Europe was totally different. The Pact has helped us to re-establish financial stability in Europe and enabled us to cooperate rather than to drive our currencies against each other. This is an important point which should not be forgotten. At the same time, if we are prepared to increase the flexibility of our rules, we also need to take steps to improve the quality of our cooperation at European Union level.
The euro has brought our economies closer together, and national economic policies have become a common concern. If we want to maintain a meaningful fiscal surveillance system then we should also strengthen our institutional settings and provide greater incentives for cooperation and sound fiscal policies in Europe.
The Commission will continue to work in a constructive way with the Luxembourg Presidency to ensure it is possible for the necessary changes to be made, to modernise and to harness the progress made to reinforce our other policies. Thank you for the contributions to the debate on the Stability Pact, which the Commission considers does not need re-writing, but to be interpreted in a way that guarantees its effectiveness and credibility."@en1
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"Vice-President, Commission"1
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