Brussels, 29/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a speech delivered on Thursday 28 October before European leaders, the president of the European Parliament placed emphasis on the Parliament's impartiality in discussions on EU economic governance and came down on the side of strengthening the transatlantic link.
The final report of the task force on economic governance is a “valuable document”, EP President Jerzy Buzek (EPP, Poland) said, although it must be “read in conjunction with the proposals presented by the European Commission on 29 September”. He went on to add that the EP will be examining the proposals made by the Commission “with the same constructive attitude”.
“We can all agree that we need greater fiscal discipline, that we need better coordination and more surveillance, and stronger institutions”, Buzek said, adding: “What we need today is a genuine economic union, and not just a monetary one”. The Parliament, on the other hand, remains “cautious” about the idea of changing the treaty, Buzek said, taking a stance in favour of a Community method that has “worked so well for our continent over the last 60 years”.
On the subject of talks underway with the Council on the draft budget for 2011, the president of the EP defended the shift of spending priorities to areas such as “research, energy, the environment, training and education”. He also reiterated his opposition to cuts proposed by Council. “Policies must be translated into spending priorities. Today we do the opposite - we are creating policies without the financial resources to make them effective”, he bemoaned. In the context of budgetary negotiation with Council, the Parliament is seeking to conduct a “serious political dialogue” with the Council on a number of inter-related issues such as: - the need for a genuine strategic discussion with Council; - providing a sufficient overall level of spending; - greater focus on “European Added Value”; - the proper “Lisbonisation” of the budget; - starting the mid-term review through the 2011 budget; - developing meaningful own resources; - and proper involvement of the Parliament in negotiations on the next multi-annual financial framework.
The EP president also hoped the forthcoming summit in Cancun would allow an agreement to be reached on funding action to combat climate change. He urged for the creation of a “Green Climate Fund” which would contribute to funding this work after 2020. On the subject of the EU's strategic partnerships, Buzek defended the EP's role in EU external policy, calling for an appropriate parliamentary dimension for multilateral and bilateral conferences. He suggested, moreover, that these meetings be preceded by parliamentary pre-summits. “We are convinced that any future governance will have to be based on a strong transatlantic partnership. Very often, when the EU and the United States can agree a common position, the rest of the world follows”, he said by way of conclusion, with reference to the forthcoming EU-United States summit. (A.By./transl.jl)