Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-04-07-Speech-3-014"
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"en.20100407.4.3-014"2
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"− Mr President, last month the European Council had to deal with an important agenda under very demanding circumstances. After intensive and earnest debate, it not only agreed on the essence of the Commission’s proposals for the Europe 2020 strategy on growth and jobs but it also decided on a mechanism to ensure financial stability in the euro area capable of providing financial support to Greece, should the need arise.
Following this European Council, we now have precise figures agreed for employment, research and development, as well as climate and energy. The Commission also believes that the case for an education target has been accepted, and that we can be confident that concrete goals will be set in this respect as well – along the lines the Commission has proposed – we hope already in June.
I would like to say a word about the target that was most intensively discussed, meaning the one on action against poverty. You are aware that a number of Member States remain to be convinced that setting a target against poverty is a task for our Union. The Commission’s view on the matter is also very clear.
First, anyone who has read the Treaty provisions on social policy knows that it is quite wrong to say that this matter should be reserved for the Member States alone.
Second, the Commission rejects suggestions that there can be no meaningful target here. We will continue to refine the clear and methodologically sound approach we have advanced. The Commission is confident that a consensus can be built around it between now and June.
Third, we always need to be conscious of the risk that our Union could be perceived as being more concerned about banks and businesses than about workers and families. The Commission is determined to ensure that this is not the case. A target against poverty would send a powerful signal that the EU is about opportunities for everyone in society, even the most marginalised and the most vulnerable people. And, as the Commission has repeatedly stated, the issue of poverty cannot be resolved through an employment policy alone. Employment policy is of overwhelming importance, but it can never reach out to all sectors of society. What about children? How are you going to treat pensioners? What kind of solutions are we looking for if it comes to the marginalised communities?
Therefore I can assure you that the Commission will be keeping up the pressure to keep a target against poverty as a top priority. In doing so, we will of course respect the distribution of competences as provided for in the treaties. Our flagship initiatives are all construed in a way that means that European Union-level action complements those actions by the Member States. Europe 2020 is not about one level acting at the expense of the other. It is about making all levels work well and together as a whole.
Over the next few months, the debate will increasingly switch to the Member States level, as the EU-wide targets are translated into national targets. I would like to ask you to participate fully in this debate, explaining that this is not about a centrally imposed diktat. This is about a common approach to common problems, and a creative way of using the European dimension to encourage Member States to stretch that little bit further in their efforts to reform their economies.
A final word on the other issues which have been discussed during the European Council.
Over dinner, the European Council discussed the forthcoming G20 summit on the basis of introductory comments by President Barroso. As you know, not all the EU Member States have a seat of their own in the G20. The Commission has been acting and is determined to continue to act as the trustee of the general European interest. Now, as the immediate impact of the financial crisis fades, the G20 faces the challenge of keeping up its momentum for a joint approach to the policy issues that need to be addressed if the world wants to come out of the crisis in a better shape.
In the Commission’s view, the European Union must continue to act as a driver for this ambition. The forthcoming Toronto summit must provide a clear message from the G20 on an exit strategy to support recovery – one where all major economies play their part. It should also underline again how concluding the Doha Round would be a huge boost for the world economy. Most importantly, it must drive on with financial market reform: we need to keep up pressure on our international partners to deliver the timely and consistent implementation of the G20 commitments.
But let us be frank. There were not many people who would have predicted this outcome. Given the stakes, there were important divergences of opinion between the Member States up to the very beginning of the European Council, both on the short-term issue of the financial stability mechanism but also on the medium-term issue of the Europe 2020 strategy. Let me explain briefly how the solution has been achieved and what this means from the Commission’s point of view. I will start with the financial stability mechanism and then move on to the Europe 2020 strategy.
In this respect, it was emphasised that our message will be strongest if we can say that the EU has done its homework. That is why before Toronto we should aim to have agreement on the key financial services regulation files still outstanding, namely the files on alternative investment fund managers and on bank capital, the famous CRD III. And of course it is essential to agree on the supervision package so the authorities can be up and running from 2011. The Commission has never hidden its disappointment at the degree to which the Council proposed to cut back the powers of the authorities, putting their effectiveness at risk. You are now in the process of debating the package, which gives the opportunity for a collective rethink, also bearing in mind the experience of the past couple of months.
President Barroso also addressed the burden of bank repair and reaffirmed the Commission’s sympathy for novel instruments, including levies on banks to feed resolution funds. Moreover, he spoke about derivatives, in particular about the problem of naked credit default swaps on sovereign bonds. He stressed that the Commission is looking into this closely and considering what new measures are needed on short selling, over and above the structural reform of derivatives markets that we are already pursuing through legislation we will present to you in June and later this year.
The European Council also devoted attention to climate change, endorsing the main messages set out in the Commission’s communication. Member States agreed that this remains right at the top of our list of challenges. This means keeping up the momentum of international efforts – and you know that this is not always easy. But we have the right springboard. We have the track record of action inside the EU. And the European Council reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to fast-start financing to help developing countries.
What we now need is to be determined and consistent. Determined in going out and making our case with key partners worldwide, explaining why we cannot let our ambition slip. The Commission acknowledges that Parliament is already engaged in this effort. As you know my colleague Commissioner Connie Hedegaard has already embarked on a programme of outreach.
We must be consistent in our commitment to an effective international agreement, if the other most important players are ready to take part. We need to cement the advances made in the Copenhagen Accord.
In summary, the Commission has provided strong input into this European Council, the first formal meeting under the successful chairmanship of the permanent President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy. I would like to congratulate him for his successful chairmanship through these very difficult waters and in the complicated circumstances.
We look forward to the intensive work of the next months, especially between now and the European Council in June, with you in this House and the Spanish Presidency in the sector Council formations. This work must set the course for a dynamic and focused EU ready to meet the challenges of the decade ahead.
Regarding the financial stability mechanism, the truth is we were moving in uncharted territory. But let us be frank about another point as well. Whilst it was necessary to map out the new response to a new challenge, it was unthinkable not to provide a response. The question was not whether there would be a response. The question was what the response could and should be. As I said, there was no initial consensus among the Member States in this respect. Discussions had been going on for quite some time but had not come to a conclusion before the meeting – neither on the principle nor on the details of the mechanism.
This is why the Commission, and more specifically President Barroso and Commissioner Rehn, took the initiative, through a mixture of consensus-building work and public advocacy, to help Member States come together around our shared interests. On the one hand, the Commission was at all times working very actively with euro-area Member States in designing an adequate mechanism. In particular the Commission ensured that any mechanism should be placed in a Community context. On the other hand, in the 10 days before the European Council, the Commission repeatedly pressed for a decision for such a mechanism based on two key principles: stability on the one hand and solidarity on the other. If you remember our debate before the European Council: these are the two principles all of you have been calling for.
You all know that it took sustained work and complex negotiations to achieve the solution that ultimately proved acceptable. In its essence it is based on the euro-area mechanism advocated by the Commission whilst providing for participation by the IMF as well. With this we now have a workable mechanism in place and ready to use. It is a prudent safety net. This is what we needed and this is what we have got.
The Commission is satisfied with the final shape of the mechanism. It may not be perfect. It is surely unprecedented, although designed in full respect of the Treaties. And its core features retain the essentials. The institutions keep the role of triggering the mechanism. The right arrangements have been made to involve the IMF, within the framework of the euro area.
At the same time the European Council announced the task force to look deeper into mechanisms for dealing with this sort of crisis. Its particular format is explained by its complex remit, which is rooted in a long-term perspective, making provision for a wide-ranging discussion of all possible options, not excluding possible Treaty changes. Such fundamental debate is of course important and, this being said, already this spring the Commission will bring forward measures to improve coordination in the euro area. For this we will be using the new opportunities already provided by the Lisbon Treaty. The Commission knows that Parliament shares its view that it is much better to anticipate the need for coordination ahead of time and to have the right mechanisms already in place when needed.
Let me now turn to the discussion of the Europe 2020 strategy. We have already discussed here the urgency with which we should action, the need to galvanise society to change our approach, and the essential role of the EU in obtaining a successful transformation of our economy.
Delivery will require a collective effort by all stakeholders at all levels. We all know that strong, clear messages give something for people to rally around, and this is why the concrete targets and the flexible initiatives proposed for these strategies are so important. They exemplify our shared European ambition and provide a point around which collective efforts can be shaped. We know that, if we collectively manage to achieve them, Europe will boost its competitive edge, Europe will preserve its way of life, and Europe will strengthen its position as a global player. Therefore it is also very important to underline that this will be a test of how far the Member States are prepared to commit to national action in pursuit of common goals."@en1
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