Brussels, 22/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - During the International Forum of the Bertelsmann Foundation in Berlin on 22 September, which was attended by several government leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for European integration to be consolidated and said she felt that, “until further order”, the Union should not make any more promises of membership beyond the Balkan countries for which it has already promised a European perspective.
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin suggested that a summit should be held early next year between the EU and its main oil and gas suppliers, and proposed the creation of the post of EU special representative for energy who would work in close cooperation with Javier Solana and Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and who would, among other things, organise this summit. Mr de Villepin cited Algeria, Norway and Russia but also the Caspian Sea countries such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan as neighbouring producer countries that should be invited. “With these countries close, we already have partnership agreements covering many aspects of our relations. At the time when energy holds a growing place in our exchanges, it is time to conclude specific agreements on this question. We need true European energy diplomacy”, Mr de Villepin stressed.
The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, restated the Commission's now familiar policy line which is to aim at a Europe of Results through concrete projects that have a direct impact on the daily lives of citizens: - completion of the internal market, legislative simplification and reduction of red tape, the setting in place of a common energy policy (“the coexistence of 25 mini energy markets is devoid of sense in a globalised world”), and joint immigration measures. On this last point, Mr Barroso said: “Twenty-five individual immigration policies do not make sense in a common space of free movement. That is one of the reasons why we need to activate the Treaty bridge clause - the passerelle - for justice and home affairs” (for going from unanimity to qualified majority - see related articles). Only this Europe of Results will pave the way for the institutional settlement that is needed, he said. “I expect the process to be taken further under the German presidency” during the first half of 2007, he said. The first step will be a “strong and ambitious” declaration of engagement of all three EU institutions on the 50th anniversary of the Rome Treaty. Mr Baroso also said that the EU's institutional strengthening was a precondition for any further enlargement after Bulgarian and Romanian accession. “It must be clear that after the accession of Bulgaria and Romania any further enlargement will depend on the institutional settlement. We need more efficient decision-making, more transparent institutions, more coherence in external relations”, Mr Baroso stressed. He went on to answer criticism on the role of the Commission in the institutional debate, considered to passive. “The Commission stands by its principles, the values and the substance of the Constitution. The Commission will play its role to achieve the institutional settlement that we need”, he said.