Brussels, 14/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - EU heads of state and government meeting in European Council on Friday 14 December, decided on the creation of an independent reflection group, to consider Europe over the next two decades. The group will have nine members and will be chaired by former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzales, who will be assisted by two deputy chairpersons: former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the former head of Nokia, Finn Jorma Ollila.
The group will “help the Union anticipate and meet challenges more effectively in the longer term”. To this end, it will “identify the key issues and developments which the Union is likely to face” and “analyse” the possible options. The European Council conclusions (which will be published in full in our special edition of 16 December) set out the main “challenges”: strengthening and updating the European model reconciling economic success and social solidarity, the rule of law, sustainable development, world stability, migration, energy and climate protection, tackling world insecurity, international crime and terrorism.
The mandate of the working group is very restrictive: reflection must remain within the institutional framework of the Lisbon Treaty, they must not impinge on the forthcoming EU financial perspective (2014-2020) and their aim must not be to analyse and review EU policies. However, the mandate is sufficiently vague to satisfy all member states, including France which, at a time when Nicolas Sarkozy had launched his idea for a “committee of the wise”, was thinking about a debate on Turkey (which, Paris says, should not be in Europe) and the EU's external borders. France even made the setting up of this group a condition for the continuation of Ankara's accession negotiations. The mandate finally arrived at does not speak about the EU's external borders, nor about Turkey, but notes, nevertheless, that the group will “take into account likely developments within and outside Europe”, leaving the door open for a wider debate if its members so wish. On Friday, Sarkozy said once again that, in his opinion, the group would also, “of course”, speak about the EU's borders.
Selection of the six remaining members of the group would be made by the March 2008 European Council, from a list of names put forward by Felipe Gonzales. The names of several possible candidates were mentioned around the Council. In particular, there were those of former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, the head of the European Trade Union Confederation John Monks, former EP President Pat Cox, and even that of Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff. The group will get down to work in the second half of 2008 (to avoid any interference with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty) and will present its final report to the European Council of June 2010. (H.B.)