Strasbourg, 24/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Presenting the conclusions of the informal European Council of Ghent of 19 October to the European Parliament on Wednesday, the Presidents of the European Council, Guy Verhofstadt and European Commission, Romano Prodi both stressed the increased role the European Union will be called on to play on the international stage following the events of 11 September. The Belgian Prime Minister spoke here of a "new world order", and Prodi of "new world situation". Concerning the fight against terrorism, the dominant subject of the Summit, Verhofstadt placed emphasis on the political aspects and Prodi on the economic aspects, recalling his dual message to the Heads of State and Government: - the European economy's capacity for resistance (a message, if not "optimistic, serene"); - the need to be ready to intervene in the changed situation.
Guy Verhofstadt began by stating that "the impression of a board" raised by the Chirac-Blair-Schroeder summit was "unjustified". It was a question of "dialogue on technical military issues", he said, as he had done in Ghent, adding: "I accepted these explanations to prevent the summit being dominated by the subject, and I told the Heads of State and Government that it was the Fifteen who decided the EU's priorities". In addition, he raised: - the future of Europe: applauded by MEPs, he noted, regarding the future Convention, that "no question must be taboo, no door must remained closed"; - enlargement: Mr. Prodi presented us with a "positive report" on negotiations, and there "is no reason to fear that the planned schedule should not be respected", he said, adding that, in Laeken, he intended "sending out an additional message" on the subject (and that on Tuesday, he had invited the Polish Prime Minister "to further step-up efforts to ensure that Poland will reclaim its place in negotiations"; - globalisation: here too applauded by MEPs, Verhofstadt noted that, "in Ghent, the streets were calm, and yet it is more than a rebel city; I should know, I live there". "I want to pursue the dialogue with the anti-globalisation movements", he promised, considering that they had to oppose both blind globalisation and blind anti-globalisation, and seek a "framed, ethical globalisation", and announcing "a day of discussions on this subject" in Ghent on 30 October.
As for Romano Prodi, regarding the European presence on the world stage, he wanted to stress "the excellent work along these lines by the Belgian Presidency, always careful to back the common and shared goals of the European Union with courage and intelligence", while regretting that "we are still far from a genuine common foreign and security policy, yet something we need so much". To those who say that the recent events have been marked by an "absence of Europe", however, he replied: "no, even if we have to make a distinction". He went on that Europe reacted adequately "wherever integration is possible and real", whereas the real problems of the effectiveness of the Union action are in "the less integrated areas, where the Community method is almost lacking". This "must stimulate us to prepare with even greater determination the Union's next major political rendez-vous", Prodi hammered home, placing emphasis (without alluding to his irritation at the Chirac-Blair-Schroeder summit in Ghent) on the "unity of action", considering that "separate action by some reflects neither the common interest, nor the interests of individual countries, be they large or small". He then added: "In Ghent, I took note of the fact that no Member State wanted to go in that direction. But the Commission remains vigilant, in the interest of all". At institutional level, Mr. Prodi noted with satisfaction that the Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs had discussed at length the "implications of the common foreign and security policy for the workings of the institutions, and especially the Council", and hoped that the European Parliament would adopt "in full" the Poos Report on the reform of the Council (which was to be discussed Wednesday afternoon) and that the Council would render "operational as soon as possible" the recommendations made in that report.
Terrorism: EP calls on JHA Council to decide quickly
Good intentions must be followed by actions: this is what the President of the EPP/ED Group, Mr. Poettering said, while urging the JHA Council to take concrete decisions on combating terrorism at its 6 and 7 December session. Like most MEPs, Mr. Poettering placed emphasis on the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the resumption of the Peace Process in the Middle East, opinion shared by the President of the Socialist Group, Mr. Baron, who also pleaded for the reconstruction of the whole region around Afghanistan - and who said that decisions following large EU meetings had to be announced "together" by the Presidents of the Council and Commission.
My co-operation with Mr. Prodi is excellent, replied Verhofstadt, adding: "moreover, we have decided to come to the next press conference on a tandem, to avoid any misunderstanding". Congratulating the Commission for the "incredible" speed of its proposals on freezing terrorist assets, the President of the Liberal Group, Mr. Cox hoped for the same "alacrity" on the part of the Council. As for the Convention, he raised the question (as yet unresolved) of Turkey's participation as observer. For humanitarian aid to reach its target, the bombings will have to be suspended, the Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group, Mr. Lannoye, shouted out, also warning: the definition of terrorism has not to include anti-establishment behaviour that is legitimate. The "pre-Summit" of the three large countries in Ghent was also the brunt of his criticism: this way of acting, he said, demonstrates that some grant priority to military co-operation with the United States. This three-way summit was criticised by other MEPs too, notably two German Christian-democrats: thus, Mr. Brok stressed that all States were equal, and that the smallest had not to have the impression of being led by the larger, and Mr. Nassauer spoke of "vulgar mistake". This sketch of a Board is very far from the federalist model, the President of the Europe of Democracies and Divergences Group, Mr. Bonde, said ironically. The "targeted" response to terrorism has changed into a real war, Mr. Wurtz, President of the United Left/Nordic Green Left, observed bitterly, for whom solidarity with the United States does not mean unconditional support for the choices of Washington. For the Union for a European of Nations Group, Mr. Collins placed emphasis on the role of the UN in combating terrorism and the need to conduct this fight on different fronts.
Since 11 September, the political meaning of the three pillars created by Maastricht has been placed into question, according to British Liberal Duff. Dutch Socialist van den Berg, for his part, suggested the holding of a conference bringing together all the forces present in Afghanistan, to form a government, possibly in exile, to begin with. British Conservative McMillan-Scott placed emphasis on the role the former King of Afghanistan could play in this phase, recalling that, in 1964, he had introduced free elections, a free press and women's participation in political life. We need to know more about Afghanistan, added the Austrian FPO member, Kroneberger, suggesting the formation in the European Parliament of a group to draw up documentation on the situation in the country over the past thirty years. Several members hoped for European initiatives to tackle the economic consequences of 11 September: Mr. Trentin (Democratici di sinistra) called on the Eurogroup to study the conditions for a recovery and examine the possibility of a long-term agreement with oil producing countries to ensure price stability and deliveries, with Ms. Randzio-Plath (German, Social-Democrat) pleading in favour of an active investment policy, and Mr. Tajani (Forza Italia) considering that the economy and companies needed helping, especially airlines, to avoid mass redundancies.
Responding, Mr. Verhofstadt turned to: - combating terrorism. If the JHA Council does not take the necessary decisions on 6 and 7 December, it will be the Heads of State and Government who will do so in Laeken: but I suppose that ministers will not want "that to be done to them", and will want to decide themselves, he said; - future of the Union. If the Convention does not reach a consensus, the options to emerge from it will not be neutral options, and we shall have to know what the minority positions are.
The Convention is a "breath of fresh air" in the life of the institutions, declared Mr. Prodi, placing emphasis on the value of the Community method. As for aid to Afghan refugees, he recalled that the money was there, but that the difficulty lay in the material distribution of the aid. Economically-speaking, emphasis needs placing on the decisions of Lisbon, which, he said, had been greatly delayed even before 11 September.