Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-10-12-Speech-3-032-000"
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"en.20111012.14.3-032-000"2
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"Mr President, I come to Parliament almost straight from the discussion in Luxembourg yesterday at the General Affairs Council, where we also discussed with President Van Rompuy how we should prepare this important European Council. It will be a very important European Council that should take major audacious decisions that will protect Europe, the euro, the citizens and our economy from the shocks that are around.
The European Council will set specific timelines for the implementation of some of those key priorities, namely, the 12 priority proposals foreseen in the Single Market Act on which agreement should be reached by the end of 2012.
Among those priorities, utmost priority will be given to those which can bring the most benefits for growth and jobs, notably, finalisation of the unitary patent protection system in Europe, modernisation of the Professional Qualifications Directive, promotion of SME access to finance, modernisation and simplification of the legislative framework for EU public procurement, promotion of green development, in particular, through energy efficiency, and the rapid adoption of the standardisation regulation.
Secondly, full implementation of the Services Directive will also deliver significant economic gains. Member States will be called to complete the implementation by the end of this year and show that the points of single contact are operational.
Thirdly, measures to promote a fully integrated digital single market through the facilitation of e-commerce and the cross-border use of online services, including the instrument on European contract law, the so-called ‘Blue Button’.
Fourthly, reduction of administrative and regulatory burden. As regards the administrative burden, momentum should be maintained in implementing the 2007 action plan in order to meet the objective of a 25% reduction by 2012. The rapid adoption of the simplification proposals pending before the Council and Parliament is essential to being able to meet this objective.
As regards the regulatory burden, further efforts are needed to reduce the overall regulatory burden, in particular, for SMEs, including by proposing concrete working methods within the context of the smart regulation agenda. The European Council looks forward to the Commission’s forthcoming report in order to return to those issues at its December 2011 meeting.
As regards budgetary and structural reforms, Member States will be called to continue to ensure that the country-specific recommendations are fully reflected in national decisions, particularly as regards those which are of crucial importance for creating jobs and growth.
Regarding economic governance, the EU now has powerful tools to ensure that the measures required are taken to pull Europe out of the crisis: the Europe 2020 strategy, the European Semester, the Euro Plus Pact, and the package of the six legislative proposals recently agreed on economic governance. And here I want to stress that the so-called six-pack must be rigorously and timely implemented in a most serious fashion by all Member States.
Furthermore, the European Council will discuss the external aspects of the Union’s economic policy in conjunction with the preparations for the summits which will be taking place in the autumn as part of the follow-up to its September 2010 conclusions on strategic partnership. The intention is to adopt a thematic approach to this exercise with a focus on efforts to promote Europe’s competitiveness in the world. This covers potential issues such as trade, access to raw materials, investment treaties, public procurement and intellectual property rights.
Briefly, on the G20: the European Union considers that the G20 should send a strong message of confidence at the Cannes Summit through an ambitious action plan with concrete commitments and measures from all G20 countries to respond to the challenges emanating from the current slowdown and to ensure strong, sustainable and balanced growth, while implementing credible fiscal consolidation. In this context, I just want to recall that the main orientations for the EU position were discussed by the Finance, Agriculture, Employment, Development and General Affairs Councils and they form the basis for the discussion in the European Council.
I want to say at the outset that the decision of the President of the European Council to delay the meeting by six days is, I think, a good decision that has been welcomed by the Member States, because it will give us more time to prepare a package of decisions that the citizens and the markets are waiting for.
Briefly, the EU position is based on the following EU priorities: restoring growth and tackling global macro-economic imbalances, making tangible progress on implementing the financial market reform agenda, making the international monetary system more resilient, boosting trade as the most effective way to support global growth, enhancing the social dimension of globalisation, ensuring food security and promoting the G20 development agenda and innovative financing, the need for the G20 to further tackle the global climate and energy challenges and continue the fight against corruption.
Finally on climate change, I just want to say that the European Union will work towards an ambitious and balanced outcome at the Durban conference, building up on what was agreed last year in Cancún. It is urgent to address the issue of the second commitment period on the Kyoto Protocol and agree on a process towards a legally binding framework by a clear timeline, ensuring global participation, including from major economies.
Finally, I just want to say that the Polish Presidency, together with the President of the European Council and the Commission, stands ready to make sure that this summit will be a success. We are also considering two additional meetings of the Council formations, notably, Ecofin and the General Affairs Council, just before the European Council, before 23 October.
I also want to say that, despite some signals you may have heard about the process of ratification of the EFSF by the Member States, the Polish Presidency wants to express full confidence that we will have ratification completed on time by all the Member States concerned.
The next meeting of the European Council will once again be mainly dedicated to economic issues. As you all know, the economic situation is worsening with a slowing down in growth, and a continued impact of the sovereign debt risks in certain countries. In this difficult context, it is essential to intensify efforts to secure sustainable and job-creating growth, to ensure the sustainability of public finances and restore confidence.
Let me go through some of the main issues on the European Council agenda.
First of all, economic policy. The European Council will discuss a number of key priorities which should be fast-tracked because of their significant impact on jobs and growth in the short to medium term. It will also call for stronger focus to be given to the growth-enhancing aspects of the European Union’s external policies in order to maximise their contribution to growth in Europe and to shape the conditions to attract more foreign investment.
The second issue that we will discuss is the G20. The European Council will set out the Union’s position for the upcoming summit in Cannes, giving top priority to maintaining financial stability and restoring growth.
The third item will be climate change, and I am pleased to say that the Environment Council agreed conclusions on Monday that will put the European Union once again in the lead ahead of the climate conference in Durban in December.
Regarding economic policy, in the light of the Commission’s report on the growth-enhancing areas and the political conference that the Presidency and the Commission co-organised on 6 October, the European Council will identify a number of key priorities for internal economic policy that will have a significant impact on jobs and growth in the short to medium term. Economic policy in the European Union cannot be just about fiscal consolidation, discipline and austerity, much as we all need those words. We also need growth to boost the confidence of citizens too in the European project. This is why the Polish Presidency is giving such a high priority to the growth-enhancing measures."@en1
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