Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-24-Speech-2-009"
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"en.20080624.3.2-009"2
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"Mr President, each European Council is different and this one could not have been more complicated, taking place at a difficult time, only a week after the Irish ‘no’ vote and at a time of growing concern about the surge in food and oil prices.
I know that the Parliament is giving particular attention to the package and it is important for the three institutions to work effectively in order to progress the package towards agreement as soon as possible. Once again, this is not just about the future of our planet and environment – and of course that is critically important – but it is also about energy security and the urgency of some economic responses to concerns of our citizens.
As you know, the Commission has made clear that the internal market for energy is critically important for a comprehensive policy regarding climate change. Indeed, one policy cannot go without the other – energy policy and climate and environment policies. That is why it is important to note the broad agreement on essential elements of the internal market legislative package, in particular on the issue of the effective separation of supply and production activities from network operations in the gas and electricity sectors. In its conclusions the European Council urges the Council and the European Parliament to reach final agreement on the package before the end of the current legislative term.
I am also particularly delighted that the European Council backed another important long-term measure, in the shape of an agreement to locate the European Institute of Innovation and Technology in Budapest. Research on climate change and energy efficiency will be at the top of its list. In fact part of the answer to this issue of energy and climate change is innovation and technology. I see in the adoption of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and the decision to locate it in Budapest a clear commitment to going ahead with this innovation and technology agenda.
There were many other issues that were discussed at this European Council. Prime Minister Janša has already presented some of them. I will not go into detail but would just mention the Western Balkans, the Mediterranean Union, the Eastern Partnership and the Millennium Development Goals. Let me underline the importance of the conclusions on this last point. The European Council strongly affirms its commitment to seeing annual European Union overseas development assistance reach over EUR 66 billion in 2010. At least half of this collective increase will be allocated to Africa. Following a Commission proposal, the Member States were encouraged to establish their indicative timetables illustrating how they aim to achieve their agreed ODA targets.
So I believe that this European Council – even if it has taken place at a very difficult time for the reasons I have just presented – was indeed a successful one. This was to a large extent the result of the very competent and dedicated way the Slovenian Presidency has prepared all the work. I want to pay tribute to the commitment, the intellectual and political honesty and the fairness of the Slovenian Presidency. If all the Member States applied the same principles, the European Union could overcome many of its difficulties.
The European Council faced unexpected pressures. It was able to adjust swiftly to the new realities and to reach a consensus about the way forward. The result has shown a resilient and resourceful European Union – one which, I believe, is determined to stay the course of delivering the right results for our citizens.
It can be attributed to the effective chairmanship of Prime Minister Janez Janša and to the constructive engagement of members of the European Council that the meeting found a way to move forward without the sense of drama that some have tried to suggest. Emphasis was rather on Member States and European institutions working together to find solutions to both institutional and practical problems of direct concern to our citizens.
Regarding the Lisbon Treaty, there was broad consensus around the positions that emerged from our debates in Strasbourg. Nobody challenged the benefits of the Lisbon Treaty or that Member States had every right to continue ratification – and indeed should be given every encouragement to do so. It was recognised that the decision in the referendum had to be respected and properly understood, and that some time was needed to agree on the way forward.
At the same time, the European Union must not be diverted by institutional concerns from delivering its policy agenda for citizens. Returning to the issue at the October European Council was seen as striking the right balance in allowing the Irish authorities time to analyse and consult and at the same time recognising that it remains urgent to find the way ahead.
In the meantime, the European Council showed its determination to press ahead with the policy agenda focused on citizens’ needs. In particular there was a detailed discussion on the contribution the European Union could make in the face of rising food and fuel prices, for which the European Council clearly believed that Commission communications on food and oil prices provide the right framework. I am very grateful for the support given to our communications and also for the requests for further work from the Commission in this matter.
There was a lively debate between some Member States who want the European Union to focus only on longer term structural measures, leaving short-term measures to the national level, and others who want to be able to show citizens that we are capable of responding to their concerns with specific action at European Union as well as at national level. I strongly supported the political need to show that we are ready to act to counter the impact of high oil and food prices on the most vulnerable in our society.
Indeed, I do not see a contradiction between the need for a structural response to what is a structural problem – the energy crisis – and the need for immediate action to help those in need. It is also important to understand that there are different levels of work, namely what we can do at national, European and global level. That is why I have confirmed, on behalf of the Commission, our intention to bring forward the proposals I outlined last week in Strasbourg, notably the extension of the European Union’s food support to the most deprived inside the European Union, because there are people in the European Union who need our support. There are poor people who need European Union action. I also outlined our proposals to support agriculture in developing countries and the package to help fishermen facing the need to restructure.
Of course Member States also have a variety of tools available at national level through the tax and social security system to provide help without the need for Community action. Such measures can bring real help, but they work best if they are properly targeted and coordinated and, in particular, if they are well attuned to our long-term strategies and our long-term interests.
That is why I was particularly pleased that the European Council gave strong backing to pressing on with the package on climate change and energy security. The Commission argument that high oil prices argue in favour of our energy and climate package and in favour of its immediate adoption was well taken and was not contested by anyone. As we discussed last week in Strasbourg, the best way to make us less vulnerable to oil shocks in the future is to be less dependent. The best way to be less dependent is to pursue the route of more energy efficiency and energy diversification as well as more energy produced inside the European Union. This was exactly what we mapped out in the proposals made in January."@en1
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