Bruges, 04/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - In an address to the College of Europe in Bruges on 31 January on the future of Europe and social cohesion, the Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis called for the enlarged European Union to "evolve into a full-fledged Political Union", adding, "However, we should continue to apply the Community model and method of integration, although the latter must be renewed and reinvigorated. Decentralised federalism based on the Community model constitutes for us the answer to the challenges facing the European Union as it forges ahead with enlargement." Mr Simitis called for a "clear, simple and understandable" Constitution "to strengthen the economic union" (dealing with taxation and fiscal policy), adding "we must progressively develop ESDP into a collective defence system, starting with the extension of the so-called "Petersburg tasks", without undermining, however, the role of NATO in any way". He feels "the European project requires the transformation of the Union's institutional system into a democratically structures governmental system" where "the European Commission and the European Parliament must continue to occupy a central place".
Mr Simitis laid great emphasis on the Union constituting "a delicate system of solidarity and cohesion", and "economic and social cohesion must remain, therefore, one of the prime objectives of European integration". "A necessary condition to achieve real cohesion in the enlarged Union is to increase the budget for structural assistance, as was the case in the previous enlargements. "The EU's social and cohesion acquits are just as important as the economic and monetary acquits", asserted the Greek Prime Minister, adding that "cohesion must not lead to a "culture and spiral of dependency" but to a "culture of dynamic growth and convergence"".