Brussels, 12/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 11 October, Ségolène Royal, a candidate for the Socialist nomination for the presidential election in France in 2007, proposed “radical reform of European objectives” to “make citizens want Europe once again”. On the economic level, she wants to promote renewable energy, encourage research and develop transport (with some of the taxation on fuel going to a Europe's own budget to fund the trans-European transport network programmes). She also favours reform of the Stability Pact and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). “The CAP has to be directed towards quality, water protection, preservation of the land. Regionalisation of aid is one of the ways”. In social issues, she said the opt-out clause allowing a working week of up to 48 hours should be abolished. “We should also put in place social convergence criteria to measure the progress made on wages, employment, working conditions, gender equality, access to occupational training and health at work”. The EU should also give itself a budget sufficient to realise its ambitions. “Limiting the European budget to 1% of GDP … deprives Europe of the means to put in place the policies made necessary by the current challenges. The European budget should be significantly increased, with priority given to research and development. No issue should be excluded, neither CAP nor the British rebate,” she said. On the foreign policy level, she proposes immediately re-establishing European aid to the Palestinians and convening an international conference for peace in the Middle East.
As far as the European Constitution is concerned, Ms Royal is sceptical about the idea (put forward principally by Nicolas Sarkozy) of adopting a “mini-treaty” to be approved later by ratification within Member States' national parliaments. “I'm afraid our (French) citizens, who have just given their opinion, won't take to that idea, and it doesn't solve anything. We need time to discuss, to work together and to mature.” The ideal would be to launch a debate on what European objectives should be under German Presidency in 2007, continue the debate under Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies and launch a convention under French Presidency in the second half of 2008. This convention would be charged with drafting the text for the reform of the institutions, which would be put to the people, all on the same day, following the procedure that each country has chosen, she explained. As for the accession of Turkey to the EU, Ms Royal remains vague: “My opinion is the same as the French people's because it is the French people that has to decide”. (hb)