The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, speaking on Monday 28 September, at a Bruegel think tank event, proposed that European strategic autonomy should be built on three pillars: - ensuring environmental, social and economic stability; - disseminating European standards internationally; - and promoting European values.
“We remember Paul-Henri Spaak's saying: 'There are only two types of states in Europe: the small ones... and those that don't know they are yet'. This has promoted me to coin a new saying: 'Europe is big, but it does not know it yet'”, said Mr Michel, regretting the “unfortunate” tendency of the Union towards “self-flagellation”.
So for him, faced with an “arc of instability” (from Russia to the United States via China, the Middle East and the United Kingdom), the European Union must gain confidence in itself and assert its autonomy by first and foremost guaranteeing environmental, economic and social stability.
The Union must ensure a stable environment for investment not only inside the Single Market but also with “the rest of the world”. Provided, however, that fair market conditions and reciprocity are guaranteed. “Access to our large market cannot be sold off” whether for those leaving the Union or moving closer to it, Mr Michel stressed.
For the President of the European Council, the economic security of the Union depends on the supply of critical resources, through the development of “critical” economic activities such as microprocessors. And stability will also be achieved through migration policy. An issue that will “keep us very busy”, he said, referring to the 'Asylum and Migration Pact' recently presented by the European Commission (see EUROPE 12566/1).
Another area of work, according to the President, is the dissemination of European standards around the world, be it product safety standards (toys, for example), in the digital world (with the General Data Protection Regulation), or - most importantly - in the fight against climate change.
“Climate is the new strategic field where Europe can win the standards battle”, Mr Michel said.
Finally, more than standards, the President considers that the Union must promote its values “to make the world more peaceful, more humane and more equitable”. And within this framework, to defend more “equitable” trade rules and fairer taxation.
Mr Michel thus defended existing European diplomacy, believing that unanimity was a necessary evil to “weld the member states together”.
This speech is highly topical. This Thursday, the Heads of State and Government will meet to determine their position on the events in Belarus and Turkey's aggressive policy in the Mediterranean (see EUROPE 12554/16 and EUROPE 12567/15). (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)