Brussels, 03/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - Luxemburg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has warned against the temptation of trying to link, over the course of 2008-2009, talks on the new EU Treaty with the review of the 2007-2013 financial perspective and the EU's future enlargement strategy. The possibility of dealing with these three issues simultaneously in the form of a large negotiating package has been raised recently in the press and, so it would seem, in some political circles. Having the new Treaty in force in June 2009, at the time of the next European elections, was something to be welcomed, of course, “but I believe that it is somewhat unlikely to have a satisfactory outcome by then, because we cannot say we are agreed on any treaty before 2009,” said Mr Juncker in a speech, given on 30 October at the opening of the 2006-07 academic year of the Bruges College of Europe. “It would be frankly impossible to have it if we continue to link the constitutional treaty or the great treaty, the necessary review of the financial perspective and the totality of the problems which accompany enlargement”. Wishing to resolve all these problems at the same time could lead to total failure, he insisted. “If we try to do everything at the same time, we are taking a huge risk of not being able to reach agreement, let it be on only one of these three issues (treaty, budget, enlargement). Mr Juncker also criticised those Member States which, following the French and Dutch rejection of the Constitution, decided to suspend the ratification process. “I don't want to make any ill-considered criticisms of some of my colleagues, but it is nonetheless unacceptable that 27 of us sign a treaty, which, in a few weeks' time, 18 will have ratified, while the others say: we're waiting to see.” “We have to remember that this is a community based on la w and that a signature represents something. If 7 governments sign a text, they have to put the text they signed forward for ratification,” he said. Europe needed the Constitution which had to remain the reference for forthcoming talks. “It must be clear that the level of ambition of another treaty which could replace the one which has just been ratified by soon to be 18 countries but which has been rejected by two sovereign states will not align itself with those who said no or those who have said nothing at all.” The countries which have already ratified have “almost a moral duty” to ensure that the main substance of the Constitution is retained in the future treaty, he opined. The future of Europe had to become a subject for political debate in all Member States, particularly in those which said no to the Constitution, stressed Mr Juncker, who would like to see Benelux once again able to bring forward strong proposals on European integration. “After the elections in the Netherlands (in spring 2007: Ed.), we in Benelux will have to pull ourselves together so that we can again become the force bringing forward proposals that the three Benelux countries have always been throughout the history of European integration, while hoping that Benelux will not lose its way in trying to do so - something we will probably manage to do.”
Mr Juncker also argued for the relaunch of the project to make Europe an area of freedom, security and justice. “The Europe of citizens that we talk a lot about is there.” Yet, from the Tampere Summit in 1999, we could note a weakening in the EU's legal ambition, advancing slowly “without knowing the overall and final objective of its policy in this area. Mr Juncker proposed setting up a group of the Wise, chaired by Robert Badinter, to consider this final objective. (hb)