Brussels, 16/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Herman Van Rompuy had an unpleasant moment on the afternoon of Wednesday 16 March during the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament, which the permanent president of the European Council was attending, together with José Manuel Barroso, to present the results of the extraordinary European Council of 11 March on Libya and of the meeting of the leaders of the eurozone (EUROPE 10335 and 10336). The presidents of all the political groups - with the exception of the EPP - strongly criticised the European Council for its “inaction” in Libya and over the shortcomings of the pact for the euro. On both subjects, the EPP stood out from the crowd with its highly positive assessment. The EPP Group “supports” the leaders' conclusions on Libya and takes the view that the pact for the euro is a “major step forward” towards greater economic, budgetary and social convergence in the EU, said the group's president, Joseph Daul.
Libya. In the view of the Socialist Group (S&D), the decisions of the summit do not go far enough. “The Libyan revolution must not fail”, the failure of the rebellion and of the democratic movement would also have serious consequences for the neighbouring countries, such as Tunisia and Egypt, said Hannes Swoboda. On behalf of the Liberal Group (ALDE), Guy Verhofstadt gave an impressive speech, devastating to the European Council and its members. “The EU's attitude makes me sick, I am sick when I see Europe doing nothing” about a situation which brings to mind “Srebrenica, Rwanda or Darfur”, he said. With Gaddafi getting ready to take back Benghazi to commit a “massacre” there, what is Europe doing? Instead of imposing a no-fly zone or supporting the rebels, “it is sending an exploratory mission”. “We have learned nothing from the past (…). The international community has allowed Saudi Arabia to invade Bahrain to repress the opposition, but we refuse to intervene in Libya”. Verhofstadt, who remains unconditionally committed to Europe, said that it was no longer possible to “count on the EU, but on France, the UK and the USA” to intervene in Libya and help the democratic forces. Speaking for the Greens Group, Rebecca Harms gave her full support to Verhofstadt's words, also criticising the European Council for failing to plead clearly in favour of a no-fly zone. “The Arab world will not forget this European weakness and will not be able to forgive it”, she warned. Harms also raised the question (over which she has her doubts) as to whether the EU is genuinely checking whether its sanctions, particularly the embargo on supplies of weapons, are being respected by European companies. Lothar Bisky, the leader of the GUE/NGL Group, gave a more mixed response. The EU must win back the trust it has lost in the Arab world and ensure that the sanctions it has decided upon are properly and strictly applied. Visibly shaken, Van Rompuy answered the comments of the MEPs. “Just because I do not speak with emotion does not mean that I am not outraged by what is happening in Libya, but it is not fair to put the blame solely on the EU. It cannot act alone” to stop Gaddafi, because it requires a mandate from the UN Security Council, he said. It is still the intention to obtain this. “We are continuing to work towards international support to stop Gaddafi, we are working on this intensively”, said Van Rompuy. José Manuel Barroso clarified matters, pointing out that the security and defence policy, despite progress made thanks to the Lisbon Treaty, remains a largely national policy governed by the rule of unanimity. “Some of your criticism is unfair, it should be levelled not at the EU, but at certain governments. It is the powerlessness of certain governments, not that of the EU”, said Barroso, who also warned that this kind of criticism could unfairly “undermine” the EU.
Pact for the euro. In view of the S&D Group, the pact is still “insufficient”, said Swoboda. Firstly, because “the word 'growth' is not among the objectives referred to in the text”. Secondly, because the recommendation to create a link between salary developments and productivity was not the subject of prior consultation with the unions. Thirdly, because the decision to “reflect” on the introduction of a tax on financial transactions is “too weak”. Over at the ALDE Group, the view is that the “method” chosen is not the right one, because it gives the Council too much room and the Commission too little, said Verhofstadt, who added that he shared the “criticisms of Mr Trichet”, the president of the ECB, on the pact. Herman Van Rompuy obviously does not share this point of view. On 11 March, the eurozone leaders took an “important step” towards genuine economic governance and stabilisation of the euro. “They did good work, I am telling you”, he stressed.
Japan, nuclear energy. The debate of the presidents of the EP groups with Van Rompuy and Barroso also concerned the natural and nuclear disaster in Japan and, subsequently, the future of nuclear energy in Europe. The EP called for an “in-depth, unemotional debate” on the future of this “vital” energy source, said Daul. The S&D welcomed the announcement of “stress-tests” for nuclear power stations in Europe, but called for them to be obligatory, Swoboda announced. Verhofstadt (ALDE) and Rebecca Harms (Greens) argued that the disaster in Japan shows clearly that renewable energies are the way forward and should receive greater support. The situation in Japan and the consequences for Europe will also be on the agenda of the European Council of 24-25 March, Van Rompuy announced. (H.B./transl.fl)