Brussels, 08/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - When presenting, on 8 June, the priorities and challenges of the French EU Council Presidency during a breakfast debate organised by the European Policy Centre, French Permanent Representative Pierre Vimont stressed the limits of the margins of manoeuvre for each Presidency and the number of obligations arising from the previous Presidencies. For the French Presidency it will mainly be a matter of coming to conclusions on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and European Security and Defence Policy, and to make enlargement negotiations move forward. It will also be a matter of further action to the Tampere and Lisbon summits (European Social Agenda, research, Information Society), recalled Mr Vimont, who, moreover, cited "obvious regional priorities" in external relations, namely: - Asia: regarding the third summit of ASEM, scheduled to take place in Seoul, he noted one often has the feeling that, after having launched good initiatives, procedures like this become bogged down in red tape. One should therefore try to be more practical, perhaps by establishing a "road map"; - the Mediterranean: a Euro-Mediterranean summit should follow the ministerial Barcelona 4 in November in Marseilles, he recalled; - the countries of former Yugoslavia: the proposal of a summit floated by Jacques Chirac is "being set in place", said the Ambassador, specifying that the aim is to show the countries of the region that "Europe keeps its word" when it notes, in the field, the "developments hoped for". The French leaders also made an effort, when presenting the Presidency programme, to place emphasis on subjects closer to the citizens, recalled Mr Vimont, citing public health, food safety, GMOs, transport safety (mainly after the sinking of the Erika), culture (new MEDIA programme), education (beyond Erasmus, it will be a matter of facilitating student mobility and beginning "perhaps a beginning of coordination" in diplomas) and also sport. On the subject of EMU, Mr Vimont said it will be necessary to see "how to strengthen Euro 11 and tomorrow Euro 12" and show, without bringing the independence of the European Central Bank into question, that "there is a pilot in the plane" and that, with the European Commission, the euro countries are "present, to make the single currency move forward".
As far as the leading theme of this Presidency's action is concerned, Mr Vimont said it will be necessary to reflect on the question of consistency, the "lack of unity in the Community instrument" in a Europe which has seen its scope of intervention increase all the time: the "Community system is seeking new balance", and the problem affects all the institutions, he said, noting that one can see this, for example, in Mr Patten's document on external relations (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.6). The debate is a fascinating one, as it raises the fundamental question of knowing whether the priorities in external relations are appropriate, said Mr Vimont. A challenge for the French Presidency, in his view, will consist in organising "interesting political debates", perhaps through a "new working method", so that the foreign ministers may really play their role and come to the Council. In response to a question on the follow-up to the Lisbon Summit, Mr Vimont remarked that this summit, which was a "great success", had been largely prepared outside the Community framework and that the French Presidency will endeavour to ensure follow-up within this framework so that the Community system fully takes its place (he mainly spoke of the role of the European Commission). Furthermore, among the term's priorities, Mr Vimont cited:
- The IGC. It would be wrong to think that a new Presidency can, on the basis of the dossier it has inherited, completely change its course, warned Mr Vimont, while stressing, on the subject of the debate on the future of Europe rekindled by Joschka Fischer's speech, that it will be necessary for the Intergovernmental Conference to reach, if possible in Nice, conclusions for the short term "but with an open mind for the long term" (the French reaction to this speech, unlike what has been said, was "quite positive", he remarked). France and Germany are seeking to define a certain number of common positions on the IGC, but above all on the question of vote-weighting in Council, if there is no agreement, he added in answer to questions. (We recall that Pierrre Vimont had told the EP constitutional committee that the French Presidency was no doubt going to take initiatives in order to step up work by the IGC at ministerial level: see EUROPE of 19 April, p.3).
- The Charter of Fundamental Rights. The Convention is "working well and fast" on this text which should contribute to "reconciling citizens" with Europe, said Mr Vimont, recalling that a draft Charter should be presented to the Biarritz summit on 13 and 14 October, before being adopted by the summit on 8 and 9 December in Nice. But divergence mainly exists concerning the economic and social rights (France, which is very attached to this, fears that the content of the Charter on this subject is a "somewhat meagre" and on the inclusion or otherwise of the Charter in the Treaty, he acknowledged, asking whether the problem could not be left to one side for now to be taken up again later during a debate on European constitution.
- European Security and Defence Policy. Under French Presidency, "painful questions will be asked", and above all that of how, in the context of the existing national resources, the Member States will be able to make the forces available to be allocated to future EU missions. At the same time, said Mr Vimont, reflection is in progress, in liaison with the Commission, on the subject of the support that the European arms industry could give this project.
- Enlargement. Mr Vimont said, regarding the Helsinki Group, i.e. the applicant countries with which between 5 and 8 chapters on average have been opened to negotiation, that it would be a good thing if "the stake could be doubled, or increased even more". As far as the applicant countries which have 10 to 15 chapters out of 30 still open are concerned, the Luxembourg Group will try to go as far as possible and to define the major outstanding problems so that the Swedish Presidency may enter a new phase which "will begin to be decisive". It is only once the work has been accomplished that it will be possible to "define a date together" for the first accessions, said Mr Vimont.
Austria: French position has not changed, notes Mr Vimont
In answer to questions on the sanctions imposed by the Fourteen against Austria, Mr Vimont recalled that these sanctions are bilateral and that "permanent exchanges" on this subject are taking place between capitals but that the Portuguese Presidency "has not contemplated speaking of this within the Community framework". "My personal feeling is that it is quite likely the current situation will go on for some time yet", he added, noting that the French position has not changed. At the Community level, the French Presidency will behave "exactly like the Portuguese Presidency", and there will therefore be "no discrimination" against Austria within Community bodies, he assured.