Brussels, 27/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - In the debate that has begun on Europe's future, much is spoken about institutions, but "we should foremost speak in terms of political programmes" to see just "which institutions we actually need", said Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker at a dinner-debate organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, in Brussels on Tuesday, on "Europe's Future Political Tasks". Mr. Juncker nevertheless briefly turned to institutional issues, considering that the President of the Commission should be elected by the EP (which does not mean that it has to be an MEP) and noting: "I don't know whether there should be two chambers. I have the impression that those who want them have problems with the EP. We must first decide what we want for the European Parliament". Regarding ESDP, Juncker praised the work undertaken by Javier Solana, while remarking: "I'd prefer him to be in the Commission". Furthermore, he hoped that the "unfortunate debate" between the "large" and the "small" (countries) would cease, stating, with his well-known self irony: "the small ones 'really' know that they are small", and they don't need it repeating all the time. Like the large ones don't need to be told that they are large; after all, a beautiful woman doesn't say she's beautiful all the time", "it's there to be seen".
As for the problems stemming from Ireland's rejection of the Nice Treaty, Mr. Juncker said that they had to examine what the Irish had wanted to express: "I still haven't fully worked it out", he admitted, while noting that this vote had been another manifestation of the "chasm" that existed between citizens and politics (politics in general rather than European politics, he said, while acknowledging that there needed to be "more European education"). Countries which have succeeded in starting up Economic and Monetary Union have nevertheless proven that they are capable of "great success", Juncker added. Remarking in passing that he himself and Wim Kok were the sole "Maastricht survivors", the only participants in the Summit that launched EMU. Now that we have the internal market and the euro, we must take social policy seriously, Juncker exclaimed, adding: "socially-speaking, we need a "minimum plinth that may not be downwardly reviewed".