Brussels, 17/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French Secretary of State for European Affairs, sketched out the French presidency's work programme for the second half of next year. During a conference at the European Policy Centre (EPC), Mr Jouyet set out four themes that are to fuel debates from 1 July 2008. These are:
(a) Growth, competitiveness and employment policy. France plans to contribute to continuation of the Lisbon strategy, strengthen potential growth in Europe and establish “more balanced dialogue between the budgetary and monetary aspects”, Mr Jouyet stressed, also urging for the integration of the financial markets or access to work for the more vulnerable sections of the population.
(b) Strengthened security and energy independency as well as the fight against climate change. Better organisation of the European energy market is needed with support for clean constructions or environmentally-friendly buildings, he said. This would include adequate taxation for this kind of construction.
(c) Europe of the future. This chapter concerns research, scientific projects, SMEs' capacity to develop, industrial projects such as Galileo (whose current problems, he felt, are not “insurmountable”), and above all Europe of the new generations. “We are at the heart of the Europe generation” which will bring with it a new European culture, said Mr Jouyet. Each young person, or student, in active life and in vocational training should have the advantage of at least six months abroad, a sort of Erasmus plus”, said Mr Jouyet.
(d) Europe's influence in the world. This relates to European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in the context of which France plans to pursue European strategy with Central Asia, and also lean towards the south. Evoking the idea of a Mediterranean Union, he said one should develop and give our Mediterranean neighbours the same dream, the same prospects that we ourselves had in Europe. Turkey could take part if it were interested in doing so, but “under no circumstances is it an alternative to dialogue and the very strong relations that must exist” between Ankara and the EU, he said. Nonetheless, it is necessary to have open reflection on the borders of Europe and “we shall consider with our partners whether, by the end of the year, the question is ready to be placed on the table”.
Questions that have not waited for the French presidency before being put on the table include the “discreet and responsible” dialogue between the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the finance ministers. Such dialogue, Mr Jouyet pointed out, “is in no way detrimental to the independence of the ECB and its statutes”. On the subject of exchange rates, France simply asks to keep to the Treaty, “no more no less”'. Calling for improved economic governance, Paris also hopes the scope of questions dealt with in the context of the Eurogroup will be extended to cover sustainability of public finance (pension funds, retirement, etc.), the productivity of the labour market and cost control, organisation of real estate market financing, etc. (ab)