Brussels, 21/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 21 February, the European Commission adopted its “annual political strategy”, which lists the initiatives to be presented in 2008 in order to meet the challenges in the priority action areas of prosperity, solidarity, security and external actions. José Manuel Barroso's Commission hopes to make its contribution to moving the EU forward on the road to growth and employment, which calls for additional efforts in order to “fight against climate change and satisfy current and future energy needs”, and also intends to “step up preparatory work” ahead of the complete re-examination of the EU's budget, which is scheduled for 2008-2009. There is no doubt “that 2008 will be an important year for the debate on the future of Europe”, the Commission points out, adding that a “constructive institutional agreement would be a positive signal ahead of the next European elections”.
Here are the priority actions for 2008 as decided upon by the Commission:
Prosperity: 1) Lisbon Strategy for growth and employment: at the end of 2007, the Commission is to present a strategic report on the first phase of the strategy, which may be accompanied by revised integrated guidelines, in order to make progress with the modernisation under way for the next decade. In 2008, the Commission will also assess the initial results of the additional efforts agreed to implement the Lisbon Strategy at regional level (thanks to new national programmes to be adopted by all of the member states of the EU in 2007, as part of the European cohesion policy and the rural development policy); 2) Energy and transport: in 2008, Commission will launch preparatory work on the creation of a European gas and electricity network and will propose measures to implement the EU's strategic plan for energy technologies (renewable energy sources, sustainable coal combustion techniques and nuclear waste management). It will also propose to review the EU's system of oil reserves. Further initiatives will be presented, such as an EU action plan on urban transport, a legislative proposal aiming to limit nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions produced by air transport and another proposal designed to reduce emissions from ships. It will also adopt a White Paper on the common European maritime space; 3) Migratory flows: the Commission will present two legislative proposals concerning the migration of the workforce (conditions for seasonal workers and paid placement students to enter and remain within a country), new actions in favour of a common policy for migration and measures to create a common European asylum policy between now and 2010. Lastly, the EU must do more to prevent illegal migration, fight against trafficking in human beings and protect its external borders. In 2008, the External Borders Management Agency (Frontex) will be reinforced further, and the member states will enjoy assistance in fighting illegal migration, thanks to a European monitoring system. The Commission also intends to launch an action programme concerning both migration and development, particularly in Africa; 4) Education and research: the creation of executive agencies in order to make the European Research Council (ERC) fully operational and preparatory actions (steering committee and selection of the first communities of knowledge and innovation) to make the European Institute of Technology (EIT) operational in 2009; 5) Single market: proposals, including legislative proposals, further to the conclusions of the re-examination of the single market, followed by the new strategy on the European patent, a strategy to allow businesses to use a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) covering all of their activities in the EU; 6) EMU: a strategic examination of the EMU after 10 years of its existence and proposals to improve the way it works; 7) Consumers: legislative initiatives to reinforce consumer protection (contractual rights and means of recourse for consumers); - Maritime policy and monitoring of the sea: development of initiatives designed to implement the EU maritime policy.
Solidarity: 1) Climate change and the environment: the Commission will try to obtain new commitments from the Union and other key players at a global level to reduce CO2 emissions after 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires. The EU will also make a significant contribution to the “Global Climate Policy Alliance”, which aims to increase the interest of the developing countries in climate change. The implementation of the legislation on the registration, evaluation and limited authorisation of chemical substances (REACH) will be a decisive test of Europe's ability to increase the competitiveness of European industry whilst improving the health and environment of European citizens. A communication will be presented on the Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security (GMES) system; 2) Agriculture and fisheries: the Commission will present proposals on the “health balance sheet” of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and intends to undertake a revision of the regulatory and control framework for the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). 2008 will be an important year for the implementation of reforms in the wine-making, fruit and vegetables and cotton sectors; 3) Social solidarity and equal opportunities: implementation of the European Social Fund and the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, proposals clarifying the application of Community law to social services (possibly accompanied by quality criteria for social services of general interest), initiatives aiming to modernise European employment law (flexicurity), initiatives to fight discrimination outside the employment market, an initiative aiming to promote the reconciliation of family life and home life; 4) Cohesion policy: a strategic review of the programmes under the cohesion policy covering the period 2000-2006; 5) European citizenship: proposals on consular protection for citizens of the EU, defending the rights of the child and launching a programme aiming to protect children using the Internet and new media (2009-2013); 6) Justice: the anti-drugs action plan of the EU (2009-2012), a plan on asylum policy, a legislative proposal on the field of wills and testaments, and a communication on banking seizures.
Security and liberty: 1) free movement and external borders of the EU: implementation of the second-generation Schengen Information System (SIS II) (to make it easier for additional member states to join the Schengen zone), new measures in the field of managing the external borders of the EU (to reinforce the Agency for the management of the external borders of the EU, Frontex, tighten up the control network for the maritime borders and put in place a European monitoring system designed to help the member states to manage increasing flows of illegal immigrants), launch of a Visa Information System (VIS) to pave the way for a common visa policy; 2) crime and terrorism: implementation of a centralised database of digital fingerprints, launch of a policy to fight violent radicalisation, reinforced cooperation between the member states in the field of information and prosecutions in cases of cross-border organised crime; 3) Civil protection: reinforcement of the civil protection mechanism of the EU and creation of an integrated strategy for disaster prevention; 4) Health and safety: a recommendation on patient safety and the quality of healthcare services, check on conformity with EU standards in food safety, health care, animal welfare and plant health, the drafting of a legal framework for risk assessments with regard to genetically-modified foodstuffs and animal feed carried out by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), re-examination of the legal framework on pharmaceutical products, modernising the legislation on medical devices, an initiative on tele-medicine to manage chronic disease (health monitoring in the home), development of infrastructure to prepare for crises in the field of health and safety.
Europe, a world partner: 1) Enlargement: continuation of accession negotiations with Croatia and Turkey, management of the consequences of resolving the issue of a future status for Kosovo and its implications for relations with the countries of the region, implementation of the existing network of stabilisation and association agreements and developments in the stabilisation in association process with Serbia; 2) Neighbourhood and Russia: conclusion (or implementation) of the new agreement with Russia, progress towards the conclusion of a reinforced agreement with Ukraine, launch of negotiations for agreements to replace the existing Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (PCA) with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova and the intensification of relations with Algeria, Belarus, Libya and Syria (depending on developments in the political situation) and confirmation of continued EU contributions to the peace process in the Middle East and support for the Palestinian Authority; 3) Rest of the world: conclusion and implementation of Doha Round for development, launch of the implementation of economic partnership agreements and the 10th European Development Fund (EDF), reinforcement of cooperation with the ACP and other developing countries (energy and migration), follow-up of the results of the EU/United States Summit of 2007, progress in the conclusion of the agreements being negotiated with the strategic partners of the EU, China and India, and with other partners from Asia (ASEAN, South Korea) and Latin America (Andean Community, Central America), re-examination of relations with Brazil (in light of the association agreement and a free-trade agreement with Mercosur), conclusion or implementation of association agreements with the Andean Community and the Central American Community and continuance of the EU's commitment in Afghanistan and its contribution to stability in the Persian Gulf, with emphasis laid on Iran and Iraq.
The Commission has also put forward certain budgetary estimations for 2008. It plans to increase the sum total from heading 1a (growth) given over to key programmes for the Lisbon Strategy (research, education, training, the TETN trans-European transport networks) from €9.4 billion (in 2007) to 9.7 billion. With the exception of programmes on the trans-European transport network, all of the corresponding legal bases have been adopted. In the field of transport, the Commission is proposing to increase the financial resources allocated to the European Railway Agency, the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Galileo surveillance authority by €9.2 million (in total) in 2008. In the field of security, the Commission hopes to allocate an additional €2.5 million to the Eurojust “Single area of civil and criminal justice” and, above all, increase the financial resources allocated to the Agency Frontex by €10.9 million. Lastly, the Commission plans to earmark €50 million between 2008 and 2010, including €10 million in 2008, for EU actions with the developing countries as part of the “Global Climate Policy Alliance”. (lc)