This column will return to major issues of current affairs- the future of the Constitution and the forthcoming financial perspectives- as of next week, which will be a particularly delicate week for the future of the Union. At the end of this week, I would like to return to a comment made yesterday: speeding up positive results on dossiers which are still dragging on, for a long time, in a lot of cases, and which have suddenly drawn benefit from a favourable atmosphere, as though the community institutions more or less felt the need to prove to Joe Public that Europe is working, and that a great deal of what it does is positive for the citizens. I took as an example of this the fact that the last obstacles to the entry into force of new rules on tax on savings had finally been overcome. There are others; I have selected a couple.
The fight against terrorism, to reassure the Europeans. Security continues to top the list of the Europeans' priorities, together with employment, in opinion polls. But European action has long been hindered or delayed by differences of opinion (or even sheer mistrust) between the Member States on means of action, and between the institutions of the EU on respective competencies. This week, significant progress has been noted, thanks mainly to the European Parliament. Measures in this field are delicate and often controversial, because it's very difficult to strike a balance between security requirements and protecting individual rights. The Europeans will simply have to resign themselves: the degree of liberty which had been achieved has been eaten into by extra controls, be they the on aeroplanes, or in money transfers, or on the content of the identity papers, and this will continue to be the case. Previously there were no checks on abuses of freedom of expression, access to nationality for immigrants was easy in many Member States, and the British didn't even know what identity cards were. Today, the Netherlands and Denmark have admitted that their integration policies for people from outside the community have failed and the United Kingdom is bringing in identity cards. Obviously, these people did not change their mindset and views on liberty, tolerance and the respect for privacy overnight, but a few scales have fallen from their eyes and they are forced to protect themselves. It is a very positive thing that in Europe, organisations such as Amnesty International exist, and do their business without let or hindrance, ensuring that measures taken or planned do not go beyond what is strictly required and that they respect international rules; but the Europeans will have to resign themselves to living with controls and limits which didn't exist before; and they know what and whom they can thank for this.
The Parliament rejected a draft text tabled by four Member States (in this field, the Commission does not have an exclusive right of initiative), stating that this went beyond what was strictly needed for security, and it approved seven reports improving exchanges of information between the Member States (with a "best practice guide", to get rid of excuses for doing nothing), and reinforce Europol and Eurojust, provide for the protection of "critical infrastructure", etc. The most important text, because it is definitive and because it has a timetable for its application, is the third directive against money laundering, which aims to make the fight against the funding of terrorism more effective. The measures decided upon are somewhat of a nuisance to banks and lawyers, but all studies show that it is vital to dry up the sources of funding for terrorists.
Space, to inspire the Europeans to dream. It was Council President François Biltgen who commented on the results of ministerial work this week, stating that "in this period, where Europe no longer inspires dreams, space policy can and will get our citizens dreaming again ", and stressing the technological innovations that it will bring, and the positive impact they will have on the economy and the everyday life of the Europeans, and the jobs they will create. The consolidation of Galileo, the scope and significance of which are well known to our readers, will be assured by the forthcoming financial perspectives. The second guiding project (GMES, global monitoring of the environment and security) will be paid for by the 7th framework programme for research and development, as will long-term research on communication by satellite, whilst the ESA (European Space Agency) will focus its efforts on access to space and space exploration. Last month, the European Commission defined the guidelines for the European space policy in its White Paper (see our bulletin 8954). On the 7 June, the Council approved its broad outlines, stating that this policy must be "at the service of the interests of the citizens". There are still problems to be cleared up, but the objective is clear: to approve the "European space program", which will set this new EU policy in train, at the next ad hoc session of the Council, to be held in November. (F.R.)