Stockholm, 01/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - Working hand-in-hand with the European Commission, the Swedish Presidency is prepared to tackle the “enormous challenges” it will face over the next six months - most importantly the economic crisis and climate change - in order to “defend the interests of the whole European Union,” explained Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm on Wednesday 1 July 2009, after a meeting between the Swedish government and the College of European Commissioners to mark the start of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU for six months. At a joint press conference with the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, Reinfeldt said he wanted an open Europe that listened to its people and took care of their problems. He did not hide the fact that the EU's institutional problems were not a priority as far as he was concerned. He stated that ordinary people are not interested in such matters, never wondering when the Lisbon Treaty would come into force or who would be the next president of the European Commission or the European Parliament. He explained to a group of reporters in Stockholm on 30 June that what people were interested in was how the EU was planning to generate economic recovery and tackle climate change. The next day, at a press conference alongside Barroso, the Swedish prime minister repeated that this was not the right time for the EU to be navel-gazing and getting bogged down in institutional issues when EU leadership was required in a whole host of crises. The Swedish Presidency does believe, however, that institutional stability (in terms of a new European Commission and ratification and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty) will be essential to enable the EU to get down to serious work on technical issues and be the “engine” the rest of world was expecting it to be in preparing for the UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen in December and to generate economic recovery.
Call for rapid re-appointment of José Manuel Barroso. For this reason, Reinfeldt explained on Wednesday that he wants to see a fast vote later this month at the European Parliament to re-appoint José Manuel Barroso as the head of the new European Commission. Reinfeldt said he would do all he could to ensure the vote happened as fast as possible, adding that he would be meeting the heads of the EP's political parties in Stockholm on 6 July to talk dates. This was not contradicted by Barroso - quite the opposite in fact. He said it was for the EP to decide when to vote, but “we should have clarity as soon as possible on the leader of the next Commission,” explained Barroso: “That is what citizens expect from us.” He added that he hoped there would be a new president of the Commission in July “with full powers' to help the Swedish Presidency in important technical issues where the Commission has 'shared responsibility'”. “The sooner we have institutional clarity and stability, the better,” said Barroso. He said he was ready to enter immediate negotiations about his programme with all the EP's political parties. In response to reporters' questions about whether as a representative of neoliberalism, it was time for him to move aside, Barroso said he had never been a neoliberal. Rather than a liberal, he was a reforming centrist, he said, explaining that if he was a liberal, he would never have gained the support of the 27 EU heads of state and government, several of whom are socialists. Rather than thinking in ideological boxes, said Barroso, a coalition of all pro-Europeans was required.
“Sweden has inspired Europe”. José Manuel Barroso hailed Sweden's great contribution to the EU since it joined the club in 1995. “Sweden has inspired many of our European values on social justice, solidarity, human rights, accountability and transparency,” said Barroso, saying he was “very confident that the Swedish Presidency will do a great job.” He said the Swedish Presidency could not have chosen a better motto - Taking on the challenges. Talking about the economic downturn, the President of the Commission called for a “new European economy” based on “smart green growth” and for better regulation and greater openness on the financial markets. The Common Market should be “extended rather than weakened,” he added. On climate change, Barroso said the Swedish Presidency would be crucial in making a success of the Copenhagen conference. The European Commission and the Swedish Presidency are on the same wavelength: “We both want the highest possible ambition for Copenhagen, namely to limit the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius.” The funding of emissions reductions and solidarity with emerging economies would be the focus of the EU's negotiations and the EU would play a crucial role here, said Barroso. These issues are also top of the agenda of the various summits the EU would be holding in the next six months with the United States, China, Russia, Brazil, India, South Africa and Ukraine (all of which are great greenhouse gas emitters), explained Reinfeldt. (H.B./transl.fl)