Brussels, 10/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Saturday 8 May, Felipe Gonzalez submitted his reflection group's final report to the permanent president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy. The group is made up of 12 senior figures - in addition to the former Spanish prime minister, there is also Vaira Viíe-Freiberga, Jorma Ollila, Lykke Friis, Rem Koolhaas, Richard Lambert, Mario Monti, Rainer Münz, Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Nicole Notat, Wolfgang Schuster and Lech Wa³êsa. In November 2007 it was called on to identify the major challenges facing the EU up to 2030. These are found in the Project EUROPE 2030 - Challenges and Opportunities report, which does not contain any major revelations. Future challenges identified in the report (updating the European economic and social model, innovation and knowledge, the ageing population, immigration problems, energy security and climate change, internal and external security, EU action in the world etc) have been known for a long time, as have most of the recommendations. The main and encouraging message from the group is that the EU can meet these challenges and be an agent of change on the international stage. Europe can even become a “trend-setter and not just a passive witness” on condition that European countries work together, because future challenges are so great that no European country is capable of meeting them on its own. On the other hand, the report explains that “if the EU does not adjust to the needs of the global economy, there is a danger that Europe's relative decline may become absolute”.
Economic and social model. The longevity of the European model will depend upon the European Union's ability to re-establish a balance between economic, social and environmental development dimensions. The current economic crisis has in fact uncovered “structural weaknesses in the European economy that have long been diagnosed but too often ignored”, the report explains. The report's authors emphasise that they need to launch an ambitious long-term programme of structural reforms, including reform of the labour market: “We need an ambitious reform programme with clear priorities and much more effective enforcement mechanisms than the Open Method of Coordination can provide”. These economic reforms must be accompanied by new targeted measures that aim to ensure that people have more security and greater solidarity. Social and economic measures must also be accompanied and underpinned by a single and fully operational market. Any “new industrial strategy” will be necessary to protect new green technologies and industrial processes that are compatible with sustainable development.
Innovation, knowledge. Intelligence, innovation and creativity are Europe's insurance for future prosperity. Greater use of human resources will constitute the essential strategic instrument for ensuring social mobility and progress in European society as a whole. Too many European citizens and third country nationals living in Europe do not have access to the best quality education systems and there are not enough top-class universities in the EU. Public investment in R&D remains largely insufficient and must be increased rapidly.
Energy, climate change. The EU must implement a common energy policy, with both internal and external dimensions, that enables it to improve its energy efficiency, achieve energy savings, such as those outlined in the "EUROPE 2020"strategy and diversify its energy supplies from third countries. Europeans must also develop a far reaching discussion regarding the need for safe nuclear energy in Europe and outline a permanent incentive system for the development of substitution energy sources, explains the report. The EU must also continue to play a driving force in the fight against climate change, “yet, in order to be more effective and relevant in the emerging world order it must avoid repeating the mistakes we made in Copenhagen. It will be necessary to develop a truly common negotiation strategy which would allow us to defend our interests better”.
Demographics. If there are no urgent measures taken in this domain, the ageing of the population will put an untenable pressure on pensions, health and social protection systems, to the point that it will compromise European economic competitiveness. The report authors explain that priority should be given to increasing the proportion of women in the working population, promoting a better balance between professional and private life, reforming our concept of pensions, so that it is seen as a right and not as an obligation, and for a better planned immigration policy to be devised.
External/internal security. New forms of insecurity, which include financial instability, environmental damage, energy dependency, organised crime and terrorism are more varied, more difficult to tackle and more unpredictable than ever. Faced with all this, the EU has to take pro-active measures to update its “European security model” by prioritising the interests of European citizens, explains the report. The EU must also reach an agreement on its long-term defence vision, which could be outlined in a White Paper, accompanying clearly defined priorities in terms of threats, engagement criteria and resources allocated to this area.
Europe in the world. The EU must play a driving force in the definition of new rules for global governance, an area in which the EU must also promote key elements of the updated European model for growth, based on competitiveness, inclusion, social responsibility and environmental sustainability, explains the report. The EU will be unable to play this role if it does not manage to combine all the forces and instruments it has available in the diplomatic, military, trade and development domains, as well as the external aspects of its common economic policies. The report explains that “it is only by combining all its available instruments that the Union will be able to change things and help redefine the rules of global governance”. By using a White Paper, which will be regularly updated, this strategic concept will allow for the EU's long-term priorities to be defined, which will also become the reference framework for daily external action, explains the reflection group. With regard to the question of enlargement, the group recommends that the EU remains open to new potential members and that it evaluates each candidacy on a case-by-case basis based on the degree with which the country complies with the accession criteria. The authors of the report affirm that “these are in fact the true limits of Europe”. The EU must also honour its commitments made to official candidate countries, including Turkey, and continue with the negotiating process. At the same time, it should propose an intermediate phase for future potential candidate countries, as well as broad-based agreements prior to the launch of accession negotiations.
The EU and citizens. The report explains that practising good governance is by far the best way of the EU ensuring the continued support of its citizens. The report also states that it is crucial to explain EU action in a transparent and accurate manner. The reflection group insists that “instead of focusing on a communication policy which sometimes verges on propaganda, it would be preferable to communicate on policies, explaining frankly what is at stake and the different options available”. It also adds that “in short, it must avoid rhetoric and explain in plain language how it adds value to its citizens' lives”
The report is available in several languages at: (http: //http://www.consilium.europa.eu ). (H.B./transl.fl)