Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-22-Speech-3-026-000"
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"en.20110622.12.3-026-000"2
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".
Mr President, this week’s European Council has a very substantive agenda. Minister Győri has presented the agenda in general, on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council. I wish to thank her, at this juncture, for the commitment shown over the course of these six months.
The ESM, combined with the increase of the effective lending capacity of the EFSF, is a clear demonstration of our commitment to safeguard the stability of the euro area on the basis of sound and sustainable public finances.
You may remember that, in January when the Commission presented the annual growth survey, a very important topic was the need to reinforce the effective lending capacity of the EFSF. At that time we were very much criticised, but now – unanimously – the governments of Europe have decided to increase the effective lending capacity. I wonder if it would not have been possible to approve it some months ago.
The economic governance package, country-specific recommendations and the stability mechanisms: this is how Europe should seriously draw the lessons from the crisis and act upon them. The Commission will do its utmost to maintain this level of steadfast resolve in all matters to be discussed.
To respond to the economic crisis, every sector needs to contribute, and none more so than the financial sector. I have promised Parliament that the Commission will bring forward a formal legislative proposal on a financial tax.
The proposal will have three aims. Firstly, to avoid fragmentation of the internal market for financial services, because there are an increasing number of uncoordinated national tax measures being put in place. Secondly, this financial tax also aims to create appropriate disincentives for overly-risky or purely speculative transactions. Thirdly, to ensure that financial institutions make a fair and substantive contribution to the sharing of the costs of the recent crisis, as well as to address concerns about excessive profits.
The very high bonuses that are still being paid to bankers – bankers who have sometimes been saved thanks to huge amounts of taxpayers’ money – suggest that there are excessive profits in the banking sector and that the banking sector should also contribute to the common public good.
The second major issue for the European Council is migration. The issue of migration has come to the fore in recent months, particularly under the pressure of recent events in the southern Mediterranean.
I spoke to Parliament in May about the Commission’s migration package, which sets recent and future policy initiatives in a framework that allows the EU and its Member States to manage asylum, migration and mobility of third-country nationals in a secure environment.
Migration, let us face it, is a very emotive issue. But let me state clearly that the Commission will not accept any attempts to undermine the Schengen principles. In fact, I think that we will see exactly the opposite, through a reinforcement of the European approach to migration and free movement.
Let me focus on some specific points: I have written a letter to the members of the European Council outlining the positions of the Commission on what I believe are the most important items on the agenda, and I would like to share our positions with you. At the end I will also make some comments regarding Greece.
The Commission has proposed strengthening the governance of the Schengen area, thereby reinforcing Member States’ confidence and trust in the effective management of our external borders.
This will be done both through strengthening the Frontex border agency and through an evaluation mechanism whereby national border agencies will work jointly on assessing threats. We are also exploring the feasibility of a safeguard system which would allow the adoption of decisions at European level to confront possible difficult situations where our common external borders are subject to exceptional pressure or where Member States are failing to comply with their obligations to control their borders. Decisions on the best way to handle such situations should be taken at European Union level, avoiding unilateral action by Member States. As a last-resort mechanism, and if the critical situation justifies it, these decisions could make provision for the temporary reintroduction of internal border controls, but always within a Community framework.
This does not mean rolling back the abolition of internal borders. This is a way of strengthening the European dimension of the system so that individual Member States do not feel pressured into acting unilaterally. I will be looking for clear backing for this approach from the European Council, so that detailed Commission proposals can be finalised and have an opportunity to succeed.
The migration package is completed by proposals for a common, efficient and protective asylum system which guarantees asylum seekers equal treatment across the European Union. I am confident that Parliament and the Council will endorse the proposals set out in the Commission’s reviewed proposals on minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers and on refugee status. I will call on the European Council to lend its support to the completion of the entirety of the asylum package as quickly as possible within the agreed deadline.
The European Council has also discussed the situation in our neighbourhood, in particular the implementation of the Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean. This partnership is extremely important to our Arab partners, who are looking to the European Union to support the democratic transitions in the southern Mediterranean. We must not let them down.
Another item on the upcoming European Council agenda is the Commission’s recommendation that Croatia become the 28th Member State of the European Union, hopefully by 1 July 2013. There is still substantial work to be done, but I hope that at the end of the month we can sign off on the remaining chapters in the Accession Conference.
Finally, a word about Greece, because I hope Member States will also have the occasion to discuss at the highest level this situation, which is important not only for a Member State of our Union but, I believe, for the stability of the euro area and for the stability of the European Union as a whole. The issue of Greece raises very important issues, not just in terms of financial stability, but also in terms of social commitment and in terms of the political determination of the European Union.
Last night’s vote in the Greek Parliament allows the government to build consensus in support of the reform package, agreed with the European Union and IMF, of fiscal measures, privatisations and reforms that are necessary in Greece’s journey back to growth. Because, let us be absolutely clear, there is no alternative to this plan. So let us act upon it.
I know that many people in Greece are living through a period of great hardship and uncertainty. My message to the Greek people is that if the government acts, Europe will deliver. If Greece can demonstrate that it is genuinely committed to the reform package agreed with the European Union and the IMF, we will accompany Greece on its journey back to growth. Fiscal consolidation is entirely necessary, but the goal is growth.
We should never forget that one euro spent on interest rates to pay the debt is one euro that cannot go to the people of Greece, so it is critically important to reduce debt and to control the deficit so that we can restore confidence in the Greek economy, in order to promote growth.
This European Council will take very important steps towards ensuring that the European Union’s economic policy-making is both more coherent and more effective.
At the same time, it is extremely important that the Greek people understand that in the face of such difficult circumstances a national consensus is necessary: a national consensus and not short-sighted partisan politics. We need a national consensus in Greece so that Greece can win the confidence of the partners and the markets in terms of the very important reforms that are needed.
On Monday night I met with Prime Minister Papandreou, and we also discussed a more strategic use of our European structural funds. Greece has the potential to access a significant amount of European funds under the cohesion policy. I believe we should increase their rate of absorption and accelerate those funds, aiming for a significant impact on improving competitiveness and employment.
This will be done within the existing funds. It will be a comprehensive programme of technical assistance focused on growth and jobs, but with an emergency character because – I repeat – Greece is living in an emergency situation.
I will discuss these issues with the European Council: what we can do together with Greece. We, the Commission, can put this in place, bilaterally with the government, but I believe efforts are necessary from all those that can contribute, namely in terms of technical assistance coming from different Member States.
The Greek Government is ready to engage with us in this approach. I believe we should also be ready to react in a very positive way, always on the basis of strict conditionality regarding the necessary reforms for that country.
The implementation of Greece’s reform plans calls for exceptional efforts from the Greek people. The Commission is now proposing an exceptional response as a sign to the Greek people that there is hope. They are making sacrifices, and we know they are making sacrifices, but at the end of that road there is hope, and solutions are within their reach. They are making some important cuts, but those cuts are necessary for growth. Growth is the answer, and we will work with the Greek authorities and the Greek people to achieve that objective.
Firstly, we have the economic governance package. I would like to thank this Parliament very sincerely for the extremely hard work and commitment it has shown in maintaining a high level of ambition on this issue. Later this afternoon, Commissioner Rehn, on behalf of the Commission, will express our detailed positions on these extremely important matters. Now I expect Parliament and the Member States to come to an agreement, because the adoption of the governance package is fundamental to our comprehensive response to the crisis.
Agreement on this package is vital. It will be extremely difficult to explain to our citizens why we are not able to agree on the fundamental pillars of the response to this crisis when we are trying to respond to challenges of the current magnitude. I believe the agreement on this package will strengthen our economic surveillance mechanisms at European level. It will make the European Union far better placed to prevent the development of unsustainable public debt and deficits, and the emergence of harmful macroeconomic imbalances. Although prevention is better than cure, we will also be better placed to take action to correct these situations if they do emerge.
Secondly, I expect the Heads of State and Government to endorse the country-specific recommendations that the Commission presented on 7 June. This is, as you know, the first time we are carrying out this kind of collective exercise at European level.
The recommendations are based on an extensive analysis by the Commission of Member States’ plans for sustainable growth and job creation, married to sound public finances. They are focused, measurable and tailored to each country’s most pressing challenges. Of course, discussions between the Commission and the Member States on these recommendations have sometimes been very intense, but I am pleased that the overall result has maintained the high level of ambition.
We cannot reap the benefits of the single market on the one hand and ignore reckless economic policy-making on the other. There is no point in signing off on a brand new economic governance package if, the very same week, Member States question the methodology and independent Commission recommendations in the country-specific exercise. This new way of policy-making is also a strong appeal for collective responsibility, because the European Union’s economic space is so much more than the sum of our different economies.
Thirdly, the European Council is due to endorse the treaty change needed to allow for the establishment of the European Stability Mechanism in 2013, with its capacity to assist – on the basis of strict conditionality – euro area Member States in financial difficulties."@en1
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