Brussels, 14/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - Even though the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, entered politics in the 1970s, 2015 will remain the “worst year” of his career, in his own words. He has many hopes for the future, that it is in a possible reunification of Cyprus, as a symbol of the ability of politics to overcome long-standing gulfs, but he sees a ray of hope for the year 2016 to boost Europe's fortunes.
Schulz held a press conference at the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday 14 October, to take stock of the year ended and to list the challenges on the horizon for the EU. There have “never” been so many challenges, both inside the Union and outside it, he stressed. Is this a reason to call the European project into question? Certainly not, he said, as the EU is an influence for the good of civilisation, comparable to the “Enlightenment of the 18th century”.
His list of problems and challenges is almost as long as the list of solutions already identified. And indeed, the EU has solutions, for everything from the refugee crisis and terrorism to Banking Union and taxation, but what it is mainly struggling to do is to set these in place, he said. He stated that the refugee crisis is a crisis of solidarity, which means that the division mechanism should be used. The terrorist threat may also be stemmed, as long as the national authorities use the cooperation tools available to them. Risks related to the financial crisis can also be reduced for the citizens. To do so, the EU must continue to build a solid Banking Union. Lastly, anybody practising tax evasion should fear the “activism” of the European Commission, on which Schulz congratulated the institution, referring in particular to the recent Belgian case (see EUROPE 11465).
Although this list can be added to with challenges on the international scene (Russia, Syria, Iran/Saudi Arabia, to name but a few), not forgetting the dispute over whether the Polish government is keeping to the standards underpinning the rule of law (see EUROPE 11467), Schulz paid particular attention to developments in negotiations for the reunification of the island of Cyprus. A “historic” outcome is indeed possible in 2016, he said. This would be a “symbol of international importance”, an emblematic example that the deepest divides can be overcome, even in “areas of exceptional turbulence”.
Schulz concluded by expressing his hopes that 2015 would not be overtaken by 2016 in the hall of fame of the worst years of his career, but would instead find a place deep in his recollection, as no more than just a bad memory. (Original version in French by Jan Kordys)