Brussels, 07/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - Addressing MEPs who were often critical, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, defended the results of the most recent EU27 summit (EUROPE 10107). Describing implementation of a possible mechanism to support Greece, he was pleased that “the EU's capacity to find compromise remains intact”. On Wednesday 7 April in Brussels, during a brief and special European Parliament plenary session, he indicated that this question had largely monopolised attention but should not mean that other challenges which it is linked to are left out, particularly the new European strategy for employment and growth (EU2020) and future progress in economic governance.
Van Rompuy highlighted the progress that could be expected from the reflection exercise his work group was carrying out. It is in charge of examining ways of toughening up budgetary discipline and proposing crisis-busting solutions. This group has a complex mandate based on long term reflection perspectives (which incorporate the possibility of introducing changes to the treaty), as recognised by Maroš Šefèoviè, the commissioner for inter-institutional relations and administration. With regard to the different elements in the EU2020 strategy, the latter said that they would still need to convince certain member states to create poverty eradication targets. According to the commissioner, the education target had been accepted even though discussions were continuing.
Corien Wortmann-Kool (Netherlands) speaking on behalf of the EPP welcomed the decision by heads of state to develop the idea of strengthening economic policies by setting up a task force on the subject. She said that this approach was, above all, “a promise for the future…because months or years will be necessary before citizens can see the results in practice”.
Hannes Swoboda (S&D, Austria) said that the Council had been very disappointing, on Greece the result had been “not very satisfactory” and that the EU2020 strategy had not been any better. The reactions from the markets to the declaration from the eurozone leaders had not been particularly spectacular and, ultimately, the message from the EU16 had not been very positive. The same applied to the creation of a taskforce, which was in danger of postponing important discussions and demonstrating that heads of state and government had not been prepared to adopt real solutions. On the 2020 strategy, Swoboda said that it was aberrant that inequalities and poverty were increasing in Europe and to hear that the heads of state say that this was not really a subject for the strategy. He hammered home the fact that “we must insist that the fight against poverty remains a goal! It is an imperative”.
Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, Belgium) confessed that he had “a lot of doubts about the viability of the support mechanism to Greece”. He said that “for the moment, the markets are not getting it wrong, they don't believe in this system” and argued that it was indispensable that the Commission got back to the initial idea of a European loan as soon as possible. The former Belgian prime minister affirmed that “what we need is more than a mechanism, we need a courageous European Commission” that presents them with a package of economic reforms, “a package with the breadth they had had under Jacques Delors”, who added that “we need this courageous Commission to use its right of initiative”.
Rebecca Harms (Germany, the co-president of Greens/EFA) was indignant that they dared to talk about solidarity with Greece and the “claimed security net, which in actual fact isn't really one at all”. She said that ultimately, they “agreed that Greece should touch rock bottom before they decided to help the country”.
Timothy Kirkhope (ECR, United Kingdom) declared that his group wanted the eurozone to be a success for those who wanted to be members. He also said that it was vital that any instability did not harm trade or the European economy. He warned that the crisis in Greece should not serve as a pretext for strengthening the EU's powers. He was concerned that there were dangerous rumours of the need for greater European governance. Kirkhope stated that Greece needed their encouragement but they could not ask taxpayers outside the eurozone to pay the bill for them, which would be a very dangerous exercise.
Speaking on behalf of the GUE/EFA, Lothar Bisky from Germany criticised the agreement on the aid mechanism to Greece and that that it would not benefit any citizens. He regretted that in connection with the 2020 strategy, the European Council had not agreed on measures to tackle the increase in unemployment, such as increased structural and cohesion funds or a ban on the trade in derivatives.
He criticised the European Council for not yet having reached the poverty reduction objective and explained that his group believed that “it is really is a scandal. Waiting until June (next European Council) will be much too late”.
Nigel Farage (EFD, United Kingdom) has not finished settling his score with the president of the European Council who he said was such an important man he was deemed to be above criticism. He said that those who wanted to question the president's authority or dignity had better watch out because they could be subject to very severe penalties. He said that he could testify to this because he had already had a maximum fine imposed on him and explained that he would have the microphone taken away from him if he went too far. Farage pointed out that with regard to the measures decided on by the European Council, all major central plans were doomed to failure and the Euro had failed at the first obstacle it encountered.
With regard to the EU's future strategy, Van Rompuy was keen to rectify the assessment made by some MEPs, “when the 5 objectives were discussed, we did not question their validity”. He asked for a little more patience and said that they had to wait until June but would reach an agreement and the targets, adding, “I believe that we have convinced our colleagues”, the ministers and heads of state, that social, economic and ecological balance is kept in the strategy. With regard to the taskforce, he stated: “I agree with those who say we need to be ambitious”. He thought it necessary to include instruments to prevent crises: “We need to be more preventative on the budgetary level and on economic policy…so that they do not put the euro or common market in danger”. He also indicated that he would look at the possibility of his work group cooperating with the EP: “We only have nine months but in nine months a lot can be achieved in the natural world”. Van Rompuy said that they had to get Europe moving and that they had finally had “a European Council that had avoided the worst, which had developed a basis for a solidarity mechanism and had concluded an economic strategy with five objectives”. (A.B./L.C./transl.fl)