Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-22-Speech-3-009"
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"en.20031022.2.3-009"2
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".
Mr President, thank you for noting that the Presidency has delivered on the commitments which I, personally, made before the House relating to the participation of representatives of the European Parliament in the work of the Intergovernmental Conference.
The European Council also addressed certain aspects of the programme
of work
established at Tampere, Laeken, Seville and, lastly, Thessaloniki, regarding asylum and immigration. We reaffirmed our commitment to the balanced approach we have adopted thus far to the need to combat illegal immigration and trafficking in human beings and strengthen external border control, and also to develop common policies for the reception and integration of legal immigrants to Europe.
At Thessaloniki, we set out the programme of work. At Brussels, we gave further impulse to certain specific issues. In the area of external border control, we noted the importance of the various joint initiatives that have been developed in recent months, which deserve better coordination. For this reason, we welcomed the Commission's proposal to create a Border Management Agency
to enhance the various forms of operational cooperation between the Member States for the management of external borders.
As regards controlling migratory flows, we reaffirmed the importance of an effective common policy for readmission and return. We thus urged the Commission to pursue the conclusion of readmission agreements with third countries, and we welcomed the Commission's proposal to provide adequate financial support for border management and return activities. I believe President Prodi is going to update the House on the decisions taken in this regard. Lastly, we felt it necessary to confirm, once again, the importance of forging constructive partnerships with third countries, both countries of origin and transit countries, to ensure the effective management of migratory flows.
While reaffirming full respect for national prerogatives in the sensitive area of deciding the number of legal immigrants to be admitted to their territories, we welcomed the Commission's initiation of a study on the relationship between legal and illegal immigration. I would like to pause here to recall the recent tragedy and the horror, the sorrow we felt, and also the other tragic incidents which continue to take place in the Mediterranean, just off the Italian coast, which affect us even more deeply. The loss of so many lives, of people driven by the force of desperation to seek a better future, must genuinely spur us to strengthen our mutual cooperation and prevent such disasters from ever happening again. I would also like to stress here that our Christian principles tell us that we must genuinely seek to give these immigrants a reception which is worthy of our level of civilisation, these people who leave their countries where poverty reigns and come to Europe trusting solely in their will to work and in the strength of their arms. I believe that we must all reflect carefully on the need for civilised Europe, Christian Europe, the Europe of prosperity, to open its doors and welcome those who come here hoping sincerely to be able to build a better future for themselves and their children.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Council also considered a number of international developments that, given their urgency and importance, required the European Union to adopt a position. With regard to the situation in the Middle East, the Council confirmed its commitment to the position the Union has always consistently held: on the one hand, its unwavering, unconditional condemnation of terrorism and its firm demand that the Palestinian Authority display genuine, practical determination to combat extremist violence; and, on the other, its demand that the Israeli Government change its settlement policy and, in exercising its legitimate right to defend its citizens, avoid actions which might cause civilian casualties. Thus, Europe reiterates its determination to contribute to the implementation of all aspects of the roadmap, stressing the importance of an effective international monitoring mechanism. We also confirmed the urgent need for an economic plan to revive the region's economy – which we named after the plan which brought about Europe’s recovery after the Second World War, the Marshall Plan – with the support of the G8 countries and the Member States of the European Union.
On Iraq, the Council welcomed the unanimous approval of UN Security Council Resolution 1511. This resolution improves the outlook for the Donors Conference, which is, as you know, to be held in Madrid on 24 October 2003. The European Union will make an initial pledge of EUR 200 million, already appropriated in the Community budget for 2003-2004. In this regard, the High Representative for CFSP and the Commission were asked to develop a medium-term strategy for the European Union’s relations with Iraq and to present a progress report by March 2004.
As regards Iran, we confirmed our attention to the deadline of the end of October established by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for the country to implement specific guarantees with regard to its nuclear programme. The Iranian Government was again called on to sign, ratify and implement promptly and unconditionally the Additional Protocol on Safeguards and to suspend all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities. At the same time, the European Union reiterated its willingness to develop wider cooperation with Iran. The Italian Presidency maintained constant contact with France, Germany and the United Kingdom with regard to the mission of their Foreign Ministers to Teheran yesterday, 21 October. The Presidency has closely followed the developments of the initiative since its conception in July 2003, considering it part of the broad action of the European Union as regards Iran. We therefore welcome the positive outcome of that mission. This development – if confirmed – will help create the conditions agreed on by the Brussels European Council which are necessary to foster cooperation with an important partner for the stability of the region.
The Council also addressed other developments in world affairs. On Kosovo, firstly, the Council urged all of the parties involved in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to engage constructively in this process. As regards the Republic of Moldova, we called for the resolution of the Transdniestrian issue and reiterated our support for the OSCE's mediation efforts. The European Union remains attentive to developments in areas that are more distant geographically but are nevertheless linked to us by historical and cultural bonds. We refer to the tragic developments in the situation in Bolivia and the turbulent preparations for elections in Guatemala, and express our concern at the violence and intimidation that is dominating the pre-electoral period there.
Lastly, I would like to note the warm congratulations extended by the European Council to His Holiness John Paul II on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of a pontificate devoted to building peace and solidarity among peoples. The President-in-Office of the European Council has been charged by the Council to express, on its behalf, its support for and thanks to the Pope, not least in view of the important role played by his efforts to uphold civil rights, which the Council believes directly contributed to the collapse of the regime in the Soviet Union and certainly contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to be able to report on the proceedings of the Intergovernmental Conference and the recent European Council. At the opening of the Conference on 4 October 2003, the Heads of State or Government, together with the President of Parliament and the President of the European Commission, adopted the Declaration of Rome, which reaffirmed the essential role of European integration in securing peace, democracy, prosperity and solidarity in our continent.
This, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, is the summary report of our work. Thank you for your attention.
I want to emphasise that we have pursued our efforts in close cooperation with the European Parliament, as you mentioned, Mr President. The participation of President Cox in the meetings in Rome and Brussels and the participation of Mr Hänsch and Mr Méndez de Vigo underscore the historic importance of the constitutional step we are in the process of taking.
The meetings of the Conference that have been held to date have confirmed that there is broad consensus on most of the provisions drafted by the Convention. Differences remain regarding the specific reservations of some Member States. We feel that it is essential to assess the draft document produced by the Convention as a whole, with the aim of strengthening each institution while preserving the balance that has been achieved between them. The coming weeks will tell us whether it will be possible to achieve an agreement during the Italian Presidency. Moreover, the Italian Presidency reiterates its refusal to support a watered-down compromise.
The proposal that we intend to submit in the second half of November, with a view to the final stages of negotiations, will offer worthy, noble solutions for a European Union capable of playing a leading role in bringing security, freedom and peace to the world. In this connection, let me recall the progress that has been made in the field of common foreign and security policy, one of the pillars of the future Constitutional Treaty. The debate between the Heads of State or Government of 16 October confirmed that there is consensus on the issue, which, I would say, is increasing. In particular, the common foreign and security policy will be all the more effective and credible if it is part of a framework that is fully compatible with and complementary to the transatlantic relationship. This aspect must be unambiguously reaffirmed in the future Constitutional Treaty.
Turning to last week's European Council, the proceedings were devoted to the issues of economic growth, boosting competitiveness and immigration policy. The discussion revealed the shared desire for full coherence with the Lisbon Strategy. In particular, I would like to stress the agreement in principle on the European Initiative for Growth: an initiative that the Italian Presidency launched at the start of the six-month term and which the Commission has fully endorsed and made its own. The Initiative seeks to create transport infrastructure and energy and telecommunications networks, with a parallel effort to increase investment in innovation and research. The implementation of these projects, as regards both infrastructure and innovation and research, will have to be financed by an appropriate mix of public and private funds, which will have a key role to play here. The Commission has committed itself to the swift definition and launch of a package of projects for rapid implementation, with the possibility of a higher rate of cofinancing from the European Union budget.
The conclusions of the European Council also underscore the importance of an undertaking by the Union and the individual Member States to enhance the competitiveness of the European production sector across the board. This emphasis is manifested in the call for rapid final approval of the Community patent regulation, the appeal to the Member States to step up the pace of transposal of Community internal market legislation into national law, and, above all, the call for rapid progress on the implementation of the Financial Services Action Plan and for rapid conclusion of the work on the take-over bids directive.
In addition, we reiterated the objective of investing 3% of GDP in research and innovation. The Council also reaffirmed the importance of the quality of legislation and, above all, the importance of simplification, deregulation and the efficiency and transparency of public administrations. Lastly, we confirmed the importance of the social dimension of European economic development.
As regards employment, we await the report of the task force headed by Wim Kok, which will be discussed at an extraordinary Social Summit that the Presidency plans to convene on the eve of the December European Council. We addressed a number of aspects of social protection with a view to making open coordination of Member States’ policies in this field more effective. The aim is to promote and facilitate the modernisation of social protection systems in order to cope with the gradual ageing of the European population and to ensure the financial sustainability of pension
systems. We felt obliged to take note of this problem collectively without, however, interfering in the decision-making independence of the individual Member States. Our purpose is to compare respective practices and to set common objectives to ensure the success of the intergenerational pact that underpins social cohesion within our societies."@en1
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