After the double rejection of the European Constitution by France and the Netherlands, the president of the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, has chosen a double strategy in an effort to put European construction, now seriously damaged, back on track and to send a message of confidence not only to the people of Europe but to the world outside Europe, which is now somewhat doubtful. Juncker's statements to the press on Wednesday pointed to the course to follow (see following pages). Also, in response to questions put to him and in continued discussion with a small group of journalists, he specified and above all explained the direction to take, without however being overly optimistic, as, if all Member States lack awareness and do not leap forward in their pride of being European, Europe could plunge into lifelessness. It is necessary to “prove to the outside world that Europe works, that Europe is on track and that it knows how to take decisions”, the president said in the official declaration, going on to state that “outside Europe, there is doubt, and this reduces the weight of the EU in the world and confidence in its currency”.
“Great obligation” to adopt financial perspectives. The aim of adopting the financial perspectives for 2007-2013 was already on the presidency's programme for this month. In the light of recent events, this aim has become a “great obligation”, Mr Juncker said. It is with this in mind that he is meeting all the Heads of Government, one after the other, an exercise that is not for pleasure and which has enabled him to note that national positions still show “excess, either at the top, or at the bottom”, which, to put it clearly, means that some governments are seeking to use the current difficult situation to reduce Union spending, while others wish to increase spending as a response to scepticism. Whatever reasons there may be, the decision must be unanimous and nothing will be possible if we all stick to our positions or threaten to use our right of veto.
The ardent obligation to reach an almost immediate agreement on the financial perspectives represents the first chapter in the anti-crisis strategy.
Change the European message. The failure of the last two referendums must not lead to criticism of this form of popular consultation. On the contrary, Mr Juncker says, “referendums are still needed as it has been proven that there is true debate on Europe by citizens and that they are turning out for the vote”. Nonetheless, it has also been shown that neither the voting nor the debates are really on the content of the Constitution but on Europe in general, without taking into account the improvements that are contained in the Constitution, and that the motivations for voting “no” differ greatly sometimes to the point of being contradictory. Such is the meaning of the key phrases of the president's official statement: “The Netherlands voted no after France but they did not vote like France (…). Europe is not liked as it is and therefore it is rejected as it is proposed in the constitutional treaty”.
It is therefore necessary to accept the debate not on the text of the Constitution but on the unity of Europe in itself. On the fringe of the official press conference, Jean-Claude Juncker explained: “We believed that the advantages and merits of Europe were so obvious that it was not even necessary to cite them”. Facts prove that this was an illusion. People forget and the new generations are ignorant of the facts. It is therefore necessary to explain reality to them. Unity of Europe means peace and stability, and two weeks of war cost ten years of the Community budget. Single currency protects us against global financial and monetary crises, which hitherto hit the isolated European countries full on. They continue to cause disasters here and there in the world but just slide over Europe without harming it. We could go on adding to the list of Europe's achievements. I shall soon give more comments by Jean-Claude Juncker which clarify his thoughts of the pathetic tone that the political debate on Europe has taken at times.
Conditions far from met. Mr Juncker's strategy is therefore in two essential parts: almost immediate approval of the financial perspectives 2007-2013 giving the EU ambition and a programme, and redirection of the European message with a view to ratification of the Constitution still to come from other countries. The success of this strategy, however, presupposes conditions that are far from being met, especially rekindling of the notion of solidarity, which, I feel, is very seriously damaged by recent developments. Many signs seem to point to the fact that the word “solidarity” has disappeared from the European vocabulary.
(F.R.)