Brussels, 22/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - Chancellor Gerhard Schröder pointed out on Wednesday a certain flexibility on the part of Germany in the Intergovernmental Conference on institutional reform so that an overall compromise may be reached in Nice. He categorically ruled out, however, the possibility that Germany might, at this stage, renounce unanimity regarding asylum policy and immigration. After a talk in Brussels with Romano Prodi, Mr Schröder insisted before the press on the vital importance of coming to a satisfactory agreement in Nice. "We hope everything possible will be done to achieve this goal", he said. Regarding the extension of qualified majority vote, Mr Schröder appealed to all Member States: "We must all make a move", he said, confirming that Germany will "certainly not" give up unanimity for asylum and immigration, as "there is not yet a European law on asylum and immigration". "If there were such a law for Europe, and if it were applied in all Member States, there would be no problem for us to submit to qualified majority vote", said Mr Schröder. The EU should therefore first come to an unanimous agreement on asylum and immigration. Only then will it be possible to speak of qualified majority vote.
Regarding vote weighting in Council, "we need a general principle", which could be accepted by everyone, said Mr Schröder. For Germany, the principle of double majority is acceptable, "but we can also live with simple reweighting", he repeated. Mr Schröder insisted that this is not a Franco-German problem ("if it were, it would already be resolved"). "The question, for Germany, remains open: double majority or simple reweighting. The search for a compromise will not come up against opposition from Germany".
Regarding the future composition of the Commission, Germany still shows itself "open" regarding the French Presidency's proposal on a rotating system in a restricted Commission. But, admitted the German Chancellor, the "opposition of the small Member States is considerable and cannot be ignored".
Mr Schröder also restated the German request that the Heads of State and Government, at the Nice Summit, should fix a date for beginning the next IGC in order to achieve reform for the post-Nice period". The date of 2004, he believes, is the "most reasonable", mainly given the timetable of elections in the different Member States.
Generally speaking, the Chancellor stressed that Germany hopes to continue to be the "driving force for European integration", which mainly means "we are interested in having a strong Commission". "The Commission may rest assured of our cooperation and support, everywhere where it defends and defines the interests of the Union", but, stressed Mr Schröder, the Commission and the Member States should reflect together on the need to consolidate the "self-restraint" principle. "We must not regulate everything that can be regulated", as this would create "problems of legitimacy" with the public opinion, said the Chancellor.
Mr Schröder and Mr Prodi also discussed bilateral issues and mainly a number of pending competition issues. As far as the problem of general interest services is concerned, the Commission seems to have "a great deal of understanding" for Germany's wish to maintain structures, "that are already several hundreds of years old", concerning savings banks, communal services, etc., which are today facing "relatively young" European competition rules. The need to reconcile these old structures with these European rules demands "a great deal of sensitivity" on all sides, said Mr Schröder, who has the impression it could work. The Chancellor also said he had urged for a certain "flexibility" concerning reduced production capacities in certain shipyards of eastern Germany (in his view, this ought to be possible without harming anyone in Europe).
Answering questions on the outlook for EU enlargement, Mr Schröder reiterated the importance that Germany attaches to this "historic" exercise, but stressed it is too early to want to fix a buffer date for the end of negotiations or for the first accessions. Commissioner Verheugen, said the Chancellor, shares this point of view. There will therefore be no buffer date in the conclusions of the Nice Summit, said the Chancellor. The only date to appear will be that of 1 January 2003, when the EU hopes to be ready to take in new members.
Mr Schröder said he was in favour of the ban on bone meal in animal feed used for stock farming of animals that would naturally eat vegetable protein. Quite independently of the fact that the practical and economic consequences of such a decision may be difficult to control, the concern for the population's health must take precedence over everything else, said the German chancellor.