The small countries need a strong Europe. The events taking place at the moment (conflict in the Gaza Strip, halt in supplies of Russian gas to the EU through Ukraine) have probably shown the Czech authorities that their initial conception of the Council Presidency was inappropriate. They planned to work mainly on three already existing major issues: a) reform of financial markets, implementation of the economic recovery plan, preparation of the G20 Summit; b) progress towards setting up an internal energy market and in relations with non-EU supplier countries; c) the launch of the EU's “eastern partnership” with Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as proposed by the European Commission. And the motto they chose for these six months was, “Europe without barriers”. The ODS, the party to which the prime minister belongs, had argued against the idea of a “Powerful Europe”, backing a “Market Europe” along the same lines as EFTA (European Free Trade Association).
Leaving aside the small detail that EFTA has totally failed, to the extent that its main founding members (the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark) have left it to join the EU, events have forced both the new president of the European Council and the new president of the External Relations Council to note that Europe is already a political reality and that national stances adopted by the country which holds the presidency carry no weight. Appearing to ignore the political role of the EU would result in the most powerful member states acting with one another on a purely intergovernmental level, sidelining both the Commission and the high representative for the common foreign and security policy, and by-passing Community procedures.
Legal astuteness. Nicolas Sarkozy has just done as much, but has used legal astuteness to give his Middle East initiative a European twist: he acted as joint president of the Union for the Mediterranean (which has in the meantime suspended all its activities). If his initiative with the Egyptian joint president works, so much the better for everyone. In realising that, if the EU does not act as a union, the big countries will feel that they are entitled to cooperate among themselves, the CFSP and the ESDP will become bogged down and the small countries, far from having their voices heard and their individual stances recognised, will become invisible. Yet it is these same small countries that have most need of a strong, tight-knit Europe. Several of these countries have been especially affected by the uncertainty over gas supplies, but, on their own, they have no chance of having their calls heard. Only the EU is able to deal effectively with this situation and in the interests of all member states.
Word from Prague would seem to indicate that there has been a realisation of what it means to preside over the Council of the EU and cooperate with the Commission and Parliament, while waiting for the Lisbon Treaty to improve and enhance institutional operation as a whole.
From euro area to the Lisbon Treaty. Over and above the two matters imposed by events, the Presidency has to realise that not being part of the euro area means that it will not be involved in managing the single currency. When asked by Agency EUROPE about possible euro group meetings at heads of state and government level, Deputy Prime Minister Vondra said: “If they do take place, we will be involved as the Presidency, in order to ensure the continuity and consistency of the EU27 in economic and financial terms”. Both Messrs Sarkozy and Topolánek have said effectively the same thing (see our newsletter N° 9774); but this involvement can only be fleeting and will carry no real weight.
Another key point the Czech Presidency has to address swiftly relates to the Lisbon Treaty. The Czech Parliament is due to ratify the treaty next month. It is essential that it does, and that, thereafter, the president of the republic signs the act of ratification without delay, so that the member state which chairs the Council is no longer the only one (apart from the Irish) not to have ratified the treaty, essential to improve and further democratise the way the EU works. The view of the overwhelming majority in the European Parliament was succinctly expressed by Alain Lamassoure: “How the next stage of the European adventure develops depends on the Lisbon Treaty. Either the EU will have stronger leadership, or it will remain a complicated political group outside democratic control, condemned to face a stop-start life, depending on how good the six-monthly presidency is”.
The 25 member states which have completed the ratification process will not give up on this new treaty. Those who reject it will retain the rights that have been achieved, but they will remain on the edge of future progress. They will have the right not to be involved, but not the right to halt those countries which believe this treaty to be essential. (F.R./transl.rt)