Versailles, 11/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - In Versailles Sunday morning, the Finance Ministers of the Fifteen, European Commission President Romano Prodi and different personalities from academia, economic and social circles - foremost of whom was Ms. Gro Harlem Brundtland - undertook a forward-looking exercise on what the European economy could look like in ten years time. To explain this initiative, Laurent Fabius observed that Finance Ministers had both to "settle immediate issues and share a common vision on future problems and how to broach them". According to the President of the EcoFin Council, the exercise allowed them "to identify a whole series of challenges and a common way of tackling them". He drew the following lessons: - Europe has the capacity to strengthen its potential regarding education, research and technologies; - globalisation, "this increasingly powerful freedom, is difficult to manage", reason why "it is a question of re-regulating to go further towards Europe" and to cushion the effects of globalisation on citizens; - the situation in relation to employment "is currently being totally reversed" in the sense that "the capacity to work, especially qualified, is an increasingly rare commodity", whence "the importance of education and training"; - liberalisation does not lead to the disappearance of the role that is that of the national and European public authorities.
"Do we have the enthusiasm to take up the political and economic challenges and the ability to sharpen the instruments" necessary to that effect? That is the question Romano Prodi raised at the press conference, adding: "In a Europe of 500 million inhabitants and some twenty or so countries, how to ensure that synergies are set up while preserving diversity? Will we be able to respond to these challenges while avoiding social exclusion?" According to him, the answers are rather affirmative, as: - "the institutions have already begun their work" and "the euro will be a driving factor in integration", notwithstanding that it should lead to the harmonisation of economic cycles; - the United States is doubtless ahead in information technologies, "but there are two locomotives"; - at EU level, "networking encourages the Commission to strive for the respect of diversity".
As for Ms. Gro Harlem Brundtland, she stressed Europe's remaining ability to influence global reflection, as the six values the Heads of State or Government opted for in New York were "close to those of the Europeans".
Concluding, Laurent Fabius explained that the feeling of all those who had spoken was that, as long as it makes use of its assets, Europe "has an ability of as greater development, greater even, than the United States". It no doubt also has handicaps (certain barriers continue to exist, too complicated rules prevail…); but there is a "fundamental optimism on Europe's ability to progress as long as it has the will", the chief executives of large businesses present having said: "We have confidence!".