What are the prospects of a deal being struck this week on the energy and climate package, the third part of the triptych that the European Council will be deciding upon? It is just as important to the French Presidency as the other two parts (economic recovery and the Lisbon Treaty - see my column in the previous two newsletters) and it has even indicated that it might convene a new European Council on 30 December 2008, if necessary. This is probably a way of upping the political pressure rather than a tangible plan but Nicolas Sarkozy would certainly not shy away from convening a special meeting after Christmas. There has been clear progress in the preparatory talks in the last few days, calming the fears of the two groups of countries not won over by the package, namely countries in central and eastern Europe (led by Poland) which depend on coal for much of their energy supply, or which suffer from energy isolation; and countries worried that they would have to abandon a significant section of their industry (led by Italy).
Nicolas Sarkozy has personally met with leaders of the countries of eastern Europe, and the chair of the Environment Council, Jean-Louis Borloo, has held talks with Italy's environment minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo. The European Parliament is playing a full role here. The fundamental aims of the energy and climate package have not been abandoned and Italy has reaffirmed its support in principle for a strong European policy, although it wants to prevent an exodus of industries from Italy. The president of the European Commission says enormous progress has been made but some areas of difficulty remain. In yesterday's newsletter (issue 9799), we outlined this in a clear and detailed manner. I would add a few general comments of my own to the summary in yesterday's newsletter, which I recommend to any readers who might have missed it.
Towards a new growth model? The danger to be avoided is that the Economic Recovery Plan appears to contradict some of the climate change challenge; it should be demonstrated that the two complement each other. Doublespeak should be outlawed - the type of comments slamming the scandal of allegedly failing to do enough to ensure economic recovery while at the same time getting on one's high horse to criticise gaps in environmental targets in debates on the climate and energy package. The European Parliament sometimes slides into this type of demagogic doublespeak on some issues, and non-governmental organisations have been known to wallow in it when criticising the scale of the gap between EU words and deeds on environmental issues and arguing that the current European Council is the last chance for Europe to save its credibility in the world. Europe is, in fact, leading the way in these domains and is trying to get the United States, China, Russia, India and Brazil to share its ambitions.
A genuine cultural revolution. The European Council and the Commission should refrain from adding to this chorus playing to the gallery because in their different ways (each with its own responsibilities and powers) they share the objective of ensuring progress in both areas at the same time: both economic recovery and environmental protection. Wise experts and several studies confirm that both objectives are essential for the future of humanity and mother Nature, and they can work hand-in-hand with each other to the benefit of both. The future lies in industrial activity that is environmentally-aware and tries to be environmentally-friendly. Europe has to have the ambition of leading the world here, which will require a genuine cultural revolution over what growth itself means and how growth is measured. Using the current calculation methods, reducing energy consumption leads to a decline in the economy, statistically-speaking, in the same way that eliminating a disease that used to fill hospitals bed is interpreted in the statistics as a reduction in healthcare activity, and a reduction in the number of road accidents is interpreted as a fall in business for car repair garages.
We also have to seize the demographic problem by the horns. Several studies have shown that exponential growth in the human population is destroying balance on the planet and hounding flora and fauna into ever smaller spaces. Human excess is endangering even air and water supplies. These arguments are perhaps slightly exaggerated but we have to have the courage to take them on board. Should we human beings stop behaving like the king of the jungle, and start seeing ourselves instead as one protagonist among many?
Clear ambitions. These comments are moving away from the objectives of the European Council summit that is getting underway. Yesterday's bulletin reported on the latest developments vis-a-vis Ireland, the possibility of postponing the entry into force of both the Lisbon Treaty and the new European Commission, and developments on the economic recovery front. The French Presidency has the clear ambition of reaching agreement on all three big issues on the table. We wish Europe good luck!
(F.R.)