Brussels, 03/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 1st January 2006, Austria took on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Following the agreement on the financial perspective reached during the night of 16 December, the Austrian Presidency's main ambition is to “give Europe a fresh start”, in the words of Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. “ Austria wishes to use its Presidency above all to bring Europe closer again to its people and to boost confidence in the European project”, said Mr Schüssel in a press release published on 1st January. “Europe should serve and protect us. That is why it is particularly important to me that we keep the idea of a shared, multi-faceted European Continent alive and support it in practical ways. Let us give Europe a fresh start!” On the 1st January, the current President of the European Council met with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Jansa, and Vice-President of the European Commission, Günter Verheugen, all of whom he accompanied to the traditional New Year's Day Concert which coincided with the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. Following an informal lunch with his guests, Mr Schüssel said that Austria and Germany wanted to work hand in hand to revive the EU. Austrian Foreign Minister, Ursula Plassnik, said in a press release marking the start of the Austrian Presidency, that “we want to work together to inject Europe with new vitality”. “Our common long-term goal must be to make Europe more comprehensible, more in keeping with the times and more tangible to our citizens.”
Beyond the numerous sectoral and technical files (to which EUROPE will return in the days to come), the Austrian Presidency has several important files to manage during the first six months of 2006, in particular finalising the European Council's political agreement on the 2006-2013 financial perspective and transform it into a legal text. The European Commission is shortly to present to the Council a working document which, referring to the European Council's political agreement, will serve as a basis for negotiation with the European Parliament on an inter-institutional agreement. The aim of the Austrian Presidency, stated in its work schedule, is to complete these inter-institutional negotiations “as early as possible in 2006”. In parallel, and based on another proposal from the Commission, expected at the end of January or start of February, the Presidency will do its utmost to advance the work of the legal transposition of this agreement into legislation effective from 1st January 2007, and will encourage debate on the future of Europe and try to breathe new life into the draft European Constitution, which has so far been ratified by 13 of the 25 Member States. “The period of reflection on the future of Europe is to be evaluated during these six months in order to find a way forward on the European Constitutional Treaty”, said Mr Schüssel in his 1st January press release. “One of the main priorities is to stimulate a wide-ranging dialogue in order to identify the issues if concern and policy areas where Union action is regarded as necessary to meet the future challenges of Europe”, states the Presidency's work schedule. In an interview published in the Süddeutsche Zeitung on 31 December 2005, Mr Schüssel rejects the prospect of bringing only “cosmetic changes” to the Constitution and calls for a deeper analysis of the causes of the French and Dutch “No” vote, while stressing that those who express scepticism are not necessarily “enemies of Europe”. In the same interview, Mr Schüssel says that he wants to emphasise the debate on European identity, in the hope of explaining that, since ancient times, Europe is a fascinating success story and that the identity of Europe lies in its diversity. Questioned on a multi-track Europe, Mr Schüssel said he was against “hard cores”, except as a temporary solution.
Mr Schüssel would also like to launch a debate on the division of powers between the EU and its member States and on how the principle of subsidiarity works. In this context, Mr Schüssel criticises the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which, he feels, has over the years been systematically extending its powers, even into areas where Community Law does not apply - he quotes the examples of the Court's judgments on women in the army and on the admission of foreign students to Austrian universities.
The European Council of June 2006 will take stock of the period of reflection, with the Austrian Presidency aiming to establish a clearer perspective for the future and find an agreement on how to proceed: deciding the final accession date for Bulgaria and Romania, continuing negotiations on the accession of Croatia and Turkey (perhaps even moving to the screening stage of accession negotiations in a few chapters at least) and launching a debate on the future enlargement strategy of the EU. The European future of the western Balkan states will certainly be at the centre of this debate, but there is also the question of the geographical limits of Europe; re-launching the revised Lisbon Strategy for employment, economic growth and the development of a European social model. In the area of external affairs, the Austrian Presidency will host an important summit with Latin America in Vienna in May.