Vienna, 09/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - Speaking at a joint press conference in Vienna on 9 January with Chancellor Schussel, Jose Manuel Barroso said that 'very, very soon' after the European Parliament's first reading of the draft Services Directive (the EP is scheduled to vote on the Gebhardt Report on 15 February), the European Commission will unveil a 'revised proposal', as requested by the December 2005 European Council. Barroso said the Commission, along with the European Parliament and the Council, hoped to come up with a balanced solution. He kept coming back to the word 'balanced', explaining that the European Commission wants an ambitious proposal that provides value-added but which must also take into account the concerns of certain sectors and of certain Member States “more than others”. If no formal decision is taken, Mr Barroso said he hopes that, during the half year of Austrian Presidency, it will be possible to at least come to a “political solution”.
Wolfgang Schüssel followed closely on the heels of the president of the European Commission, expressing complete agreement that, in this issue, “balance is the magic word” as there is considerable concern and, in some sectors, divergent interests. In Austria, “we have a very important tradition, Austrian social partnership”, he stressed, announcing that he would ”bring the social partners into the process so that they may be part of the solution”. He hopes the Austrian EU Council Presidency may be able to present such a solution, he added.