Stockholm, 23/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - Social dialogue and the "democratic debate on the major stakes of the Lisbon programme are not accessory, but a condition for the "success of the Lisbon strategy, and it is therefore essential to improve the visibility of work", said Nicole Fontaine, European Parliament President. She was speaking on Friday morning before the EU Heads of State and Government and the European Commission at the opening of the European Council in Stockholm. For this reason, Ms Fontaine proposes that the European Commission's Synthesis Report on the Lisbon Strategy should "in good democratic reasoning, be submitted to the Parliament beforehand so that it may give its contribution, after having discussed it with the representatives of the civil society". Furthermore, she suggests that, before each spring European Council (devoted to the follow-up of Lisbon), the Parliament of the countries holding the EU Council Presidency should organise a "broad parliamentary forum on the Union's economic and social policy". In order to improve this "visibility", it would also be necessary, says Ms Fontaine, to group the different reports by the European Commission - Broad Economic Policy Guidelines, the functioning of the Internal Market, guidelines for employment - in an annual report on the economic and social situation of the EU intended for the spring European Council.
Speaking before the Heads of State and Government, Ms Fontaine evoked the "communication deficit" on changeover to the euro, mainly concerning small and medium-sized enterprises and "above all" the "enormous mass of the population that is already mature or old". During her press conference, the EP President pointed out she would herself be getting down to work by engaging "action on the ground" with certain particularly vulnerable categories. "I shall be doing so from today in Stockholm and from Monday on in France and Italy", she announced.
In here speech, Ms Fontaine restated, with regard to the Lamfalussy report, the request by the European Parliament to have the "call-back" right in order to avoid apparently technical matters (coming under committees of experts) from being, in reality, of a legislative kind (coming under codecision). Answering questions put by the press on this, Ms Fontaine said she was disappointed by the results of the Ecofin Council which allow greater involvement by the Commission but no progress regarding the role of the Parliament. She plans to consult the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on the possible organisation of a consultation meeting between the three institutions.
Ms Fontaine is invited by Albanian Parliament - Russia: the Fifteen
must question President Putin on subject of Chechnya
In her speech at the beginning of the Summit, Ms Fontaine welcomed the "effort of coordination" between the European Union and NATO regarding the escalation of violence in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. She mainly paid tribute to Javier Solana. Speaking before the press, she pointed out that she had discussed the matter with the Heads of State and Government, and said "we noted that the EU and Member State reaction capacity seemed better than during other conflicts, but this should be accompanied by intense diplomatic and political actions". Ms Fontaine pointed out that she had accepted the invitation made by the Albanian National Assembly to go to Tirana, and that she will then go on to Macedonia.
Speaking before the Heads of State and Government, Ms Fontaine hoped normalised relations would develop between the EU and Russia but denounced the violations of fundamental rights "perpetrated by units on the ground" in Chechnya. She said she did not doubt that the European Council would reiterate to President Putin, in Stockholm, its "pressing invitation" to put an end to these violations. During his press conference, she affirmed that the European Union "is entitled to recall that a military solution is not the right approach". She said she took the liberty of calling on Heads of State and Government to request at least that the "international press and the humanitarian organisation in the field should be able to carry out their work".