Brussels, 08/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, François Bayrou, who is third in the running for the next presidential election in France, not far behind Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal, presented his views on reactivating Europe. Invited by the Friends of Europe Association and the Robert Schuman Foundation, Mr Bayrou reaffirmed that he shared the dream of the founding fathers of Europe - that the separate countries only have apparent sovereignty and that the European project is a necessity. He divided his views into three:
1. The French “no-vote” to the Constitutional Treaty was not a rejection of Europe but a sort of protest against the fact that Europe has not answered the essential questions: Who aspires to EU membership? What are we to do together? Is the goal simply intergovernmental cooperation or to be a political player able to influence the future of the world?
2. To “restore the political link” between the states that have ratified the constitutional draft and those that have not done so, one must negotiate a new text that is short, readable and understandable for all, defining the principles, institutions, competences and procedures. An Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) would be entrusted with this task, in association with national and European parliamentarians (that Mr Bayrou has defined as an “IGC+”). In France, ratification should be by referendum as “only the people can put back together what the people have undone”. This is a political and moral requirement, he says.
3. It will then be up to the strengthened institutions to define the guidelines and the content of the policies of Europe, there being six priority areas of work: a) economic policy, harmonisation of budgetary policies, tax harmonisation; b) climate change and safeguarding of biodiversity; c) common energy policy; d) research policy; e) immigration policy and co-development with the least advantaged countries; and f) diplomatic and defence capacity.
Mr Bayrou does not believe that all member states will be willing to take part in all objectives and, in his view, there is only one road to go down: - that which leads to articulation between a wider Europe (Europe of trade, common rules and democracy), and a denser Europe formed within the former by those that have more demands and more ambitions. (fr)