Brussels, 27/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 27 May, the European leaders launched consultations on the priorities of the EU for the next five years (and on the appointments to the top jobs in the institutions, see other article), the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, announced, after the informal dinner.
Following European elections which saw a rise in Europhobes, Mr Van Rompuy announced that he had been given a mandate by the heads of state or government of the EU to "lead these consultations" with the European Parliament groups and with the leaders themselves. Mr Van Rompuy referred to a "positive and future-oriented agenda of growth, competitiveness and jobs". The specific areas mentioned by Mr Van Rompuy include: - a well-functioning and more developed economic and monetary union, while preserving the unity of the EU; - a strong response to the climate change challenge and a determined push towards an energy union (including lessening energy dependency); - consolidating the area of freedom, security and justice; - preserving key freedoms whilst ensuring security and fighting irregular migration, crime and fraud; - strengthening the EU's external action.
Going some way towards what France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark are calling for, Mr Van Rompuy stressed the need for a "common understanding", at EU level, of what should best be done at European level and what at national level, "in line with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality set out in the treaties". The reflection process will continue over the next weeks and the strategic agenda will be discussed in June. Mr Van Rompuy, who has already received contributions from six countries, will table a document on the 'strategic agenda' to the next European Council.
Upon his arrival at the European Council on Tuesday, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, called for a reform of the EU. "It has got too big, too bossy, too interfering", he said. Under pressure following the victory of the Europhobic party UKIP, which is calling for the United Kingdom to come out of the EU, Mr Cameron called for EU intervention to be limited to "where it is needed". The President of the Italian Council, Matteo Renzi, pointed out that his party had won "the largest number of votes of any party in Europe in absolute terms: more than 11 million votes". "The Italians have fought nationalism, but they have also asked me to change Europe. If we want to save Europe, then we must change Europe", he said. "The next few weeks will tell us whether this discussion produces positive effects", Mr Renzi added. He said that he was "much more interested in talking about how we can spend European money effectively to create jobs than simply in discussions about a position or function".
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said: "Europe needs to work and to give answers to the questions which the people are interested in". "Working together with the Parliament, we must lay the foundations" of the working programme, Dr Merkel added. "In-depth work is needed between the three institutions for the next five years. Will we be competitive? Will we create jobs? We are firmly committed to meeting these challenges", she concluded.
The French President, François Hollande, said that he wanted Europe to "be an answer to the questions some populations are asking themselves". What is our identity, what is our sovereignty, what is our future? "After all that we have done to stabilise the euro, after all these years of austerity for many countries, the next stage is growth, it is jobs, it is investment", said Mr Hollande. He also referred to new technologies, industry (including digital) and the energy transition (capacity to be less externally dependent, to be able to save energy, diversify sources and respond to the need to fight climate change). He also spoke of border protection in the framework of global immigration policy. The aim is not to call Schengen into question, but the "rules need to be far clearer". The European defence policy is another priority for France.
Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, laid emphasis on growth and employment. "We need to make progress in terms of energy interconnection, immigration. Inflation is very low but there isn't the growth to create jobs". He is in favour of a financial institutions policy which is "a little more expansive in order to take another step in the recovery and come out of the crisis which has caused the damage". Europe is an area of peace and progress, the Spanish leader concluded.
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, argued that the European economy needs to be stimulated. "The signs are not negative, but we must not believe that we have come out of crisis", he warned. "There have to be changes at EU level as well and we must implement them over the next five years", he stressed. (LC/MB/AN/EH/EL/IL)