Brussels, 11/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - Addressing the European Policy Centre (EPC) on Friday 11 June, Jean De Ruyt, Belgium's permanent representative to the EU, set out the priorities of the forthcoming Belgian EU Presidency during the second half of this year. These priorities are: response to the economic, financial and monetary crisis; complete establishment of the new institutional structures introduced by the Lisbon Treaty; completion of the internal market; preparation of international negotiations on climate change; implementation of the Stockholm programme on justice/freedom/security; and continuation of the enlargement process with the countries of the Balkans and Turkey. As far as the euro crisis is concerned, “we have to be ready for new turmoils”, said De Ruyt, who will be the Coreper chairman for six months as of 1 July. The Belgian Presidency will supervise work underway on the new instruments for strengthening fiscal consolidation in member states and for improving economic governance while, in parallel, preparing the implementation of EU2020 strategy which will be “key” for returning to economic growth in Europe, De Ruyt said. “We should ensure our efforts for fiscal consolidation are coherent with our European agenda in order to stimulate economic growth”, he stressed. The Belgian Presidency will naturally also continue legislative work underway on the regulation of financial markets within the Ecofin Council, which will be the “most important Council” for the Belgian Presidency. On the subject of enlargement, De Ruyt underlined the need to continue the integration process for the Western Balkans “as the region cannot be stabilised without the prospect of momentum in the accession process”. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to close membership talks with Croatia by the end of the year “but we hope to see some light at the end of the tunnel by then”, the Belgian ambassador said. He also asserted that the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday (14 June) would “certainly” give its agreement to the ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia - a dossier that has been blocked for some time by the Netherlands, which reproaches Belgrade for not fully cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the arrest of war criminals, especially Ratko Mladic. Speaking of Turkey, De Ruyt underlined the Belgian Presidency's “determination” to take accession talks forward and, if possible, to open several new chapters. Unfortunately, talks are not moving forward very fast “because Turkey is not very fast in adopting its new legislation”, he said. Nonetheless, he went on, the Union “must keep up the momentum” of the process - “we cannot stop it”. It is clear that, during this period of economic and financial crisis, member states “no longer feel the same enthusiasm” as before for enlargement but the crisis and the difficulties linked to institutional changes within the EU must not serve as a pretext for putting a halt to enlargement policy, De Ruyt said. With regard to the new institutions created by the Lisbon Treaty, the Belgian ambassador said the aim of the Belgian presidency was to make them all fully operational by the end of the year. He expects agreement on the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS) “in July” but fears the service will not be up and running “for a large part of the Belgian Presidency” (Ed: Catherine Ashton herself works on the assumption that the service will not be operational until 1 December). Although this dossier does not appear among its official priorities, the Belgian Presidency also plans, albeit cautiously, to manage the debate on midterm review of the 2007-2013 financial perspectives, a debate that will begin during the first half of 2011 on the basis of a Commission proposal due in September. No-one intends to “open up Pandora's box” by amending the current budgetary framework, De Ruyt points out, saying: “There is no question of increasing the ceilings for expenditure” at a time when all member states are compelled to reduce their spending. “We have to manage with what we have” in the current budget, he stressed. The Belgian Presidency will also ensure that midterm review does not complicate the search for an agreement on the future budgetary framework for 2014-2020, he added. (H.B./transl.jl)