Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-11-Speech-3-058"
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"en.20070711.5.3-058"2
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"Mr President, only a few months ago, not many observers were fully convinced that the European Council could successfully relaunch the treaty review process. Opinion across Europe was fragile and there were wide divergences of views but, thanks to the admirable determination of Chancellor Merkel and the German Presidency and through a real collective effort by Member States and our institutions, the European Council last month reached agreement on a clear and stringent mandate for a new IGC, and it is important that we today recognise this success.
How can we assess these changes? In our view, the overall balance is positive: the disappearance of some elements, including some of a symbolic nature, as well as the changes that reduced the readability of the text, were necessary parts of a package agreement which could be subscribed to by all Member States. Without an effort to compromise from all those involved, success would not have been possible.
The European train is back on track, but we are not yet at the end of the journey and the citizens must be on board. The mandate is not yet the final product. To steer this new consensus to a successful IGC will require intensive efforts from the Portuguese Presidency, the Member States and our institutions. We particularly welcome the decision of the European Council to strengthen the involvement of the European Parliament in the IGC.
However, our collective negotiating efforts on their own will not be enough. We all – the Commission, the Member States and Parliament – should draw some lessons from the previous ratification process and from the listening phase of Plan D. I am glad to see that the European Council has recognised the importance of communicating with citizens, providing full and comprehensive information on the EU and involving them in a permanent dialogue. This should be even more important in view of the changes that have reduced the readability of the treaty text.
In the coming months, the Commission will present some ideas on how a debate around the reformed Treaty could be organised during the ratification period. We want to work closely with you in the European Parliament, all the Member States and other institutions. Together, we should use this window of opportunity; together, we should engage in this new process without any delay and with all our energy.
Yesterday, the Commission adopted its opinion on the IGC and, today, you are discussing Parliament’s opinion. This process will allow the Portuguese Presidency to launch the Intergovernmental Conference later this month, but it is not only on timing that our institutions walk side by side. We also do so more importantly on the substance.
The Commission shares the globally positive assessment of the IGC mandate which Mr Leinen’s report provides. The mandate contains many positive elements which are to be welcomed. Like any compromise text, it is also a carefully crafted balance between different interests, between ambition and political realism, and this means that some of the changes agreed in the 2004 IGC were not retained. It is also the reason why a number of derogations were granted to individual Member States.
I shall set out four reasons why the Commission believes that this mandate will allow us in the IGC to provide the European Union with the sound institutional and political basis which we need to meet the expectations of our citizens and the challenges of our societies.
Firstly, the mandate will lay the ground for modern and more accountable institutions for the enlarged Union. We warmly welcome the provisions which will refresh and reinforce the European Union’s democratic legitimacy, a stronger and wider role for the European Parliament, transparency of Council deliberations, more codecision, more decisions taken by qualified majority, a clearer division of competences.
National parliaments will have greater opportunity to be involved in the work of the European Union, while the role of the European institutions will be fully respected. We are also very pleased to see that the innovations of the constitutions on democratic participation, including the citizens’ initiative, have been safeguarded.
Secondly, the Union will have a Charter of Fundamental Rights to protect the citizens, not just a declaratory text but one which will have legal force. Citizens will be able to claim before the courts the rights enshrined in the Charter. The Charter will be binding for the European institutions and for Member States when they implement EU law, even if this does not apply to all of them.
Thirdly, the Union will be able to speak with one single voice on the global scene and be better able to protect the European interest. If we really want to tackle globalisation and address common concerns on sustainable development, climate change, competitiveness and human rights in the world, the Union should use to the fullest its great potential to act collectively.
My fourth remark concerns the policy areas, because the mandate develops the Union’s capacity to deliver swifter and more consistent decisions in the area of freedom, security and justice. Furthermore, it reinforces the legal basis to deal with the challenges of energy policy and climate change."@en1
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