Brussels, 15/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday in Brussels, the Portuguese minister for foreign affairs, Luis Amado (who will be chairing the Council of the European Union during the second half of this year) affirmed: “We need a new treaty and we need it fast”. During a presentation of the Portuguese presidency of the EU's priorities, organised by the Friends of Europe, Amado explained that the basis of the new treaty “should not be reinvented” thanks to the draft Constitutional Treaty, which gained a “very strong consensus” in member states, even if had been rejected by two of the former. Portugal is hoping that during the European Council of 21-22 June, the German presidency will succeed in building the foundations of an agreement on the text of the future treaty, as well as on an “exact and clear mandate” for the intergovernmental conference (IGC), which is expected to negotiate and adopt the treaty. The objective is to have a final agreement before the end of the year, and the minister explained that if this is the case, “I propose that we will work quickly to respond to this mandate”. For the instant, negotiations are “complicated and tough”, particularly because they have entered a “crucial phase” with the “sherpas” meeting of the 27 member states on 15 May in Berlin, and the beginning of bilateral consultations at a heads of state and government level (Chancellor Angela Merkel will be meeting the new president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, on Wednesday 16 May in Berlin).
In the context of the future treaty, the Portuguese presidency is expecting to give special emphasis to the EU's external relations, particularly the strengthening of Euro-Mediterranean relations.
Challenges and threats resulting from the EU's southern neighbourhood are “considerable” (poverty, migratory pressures, Islamic radicalisation, etc), which requires the EU to adapt and respond to this “new strategic environment” through policy and renewed instruments, affirmed Mr Amado. To stabilise the Union's southern borders Amado explained: “We need the same strategic vision and political commitment that we had in Eastern Europe at the time of the end of the Cold War”. This does not mean turning away from Eastern and Central Europe, where the EU's job is one of “consolidating” the stabilisation work already accomplished, particularly through the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the stabilisation and association process with the western Balkan countries. The Portuguese minister said that relations with Russia are also expected to be further enhanced, despite current tensions. (hb)