Toespraak voorzitter Europese Raad bij COSAC, 15 oktober 2007 (en)
Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of
Parliaments of the European Union
Speech by the Prime Minister
15 October 2007, 11.15a.m.
Mr President of COSAC,
Members
It is an honour for me to address this 38th Conference of Community and
European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC).
The European Union has responded to the repeated accusations of democratic
deficit by taking steps to develop an appropriate democratic system in which
European and national institutions are working together so that they become
players of democracy at various levels and promote the development of a truly
European public sphere.
We must recognise that the development of European democracy and the
gradual emergence of European public opinion have only been possible thanks
to the maturing of European parliamentarianism. A parliamentarianism that
does not want to centralise power, but one that is the result of interaction
between our National Parliaments and the European Parliament. It is only with
these dynamics that we can create a truly European public sphere.
It is because many of the matters that we deal with today at European level are
matters on which the National Parliaments have developed unique experiences
and skills that the national Parliaments play a key role in upholding the
democratic legitimacy of the EU and in making it effective.
Thanks to COSAC, we have broadened and strengthened our public European
sphere. Through debate, through the exchange of experiences, through the
presentation of proposals that also take our national context into account.
But the chapter is not yet closed, far from it. That is why the Reforming Treaty
recognises the additional role of national Parliaments in the European decision
process. That is why we ask them to alert us when there are decisions which
are better taken at the national level due to their specificity.
Reform of the Treaties: urgent priority
The Portuguese Presidency designated the reform of the Treaties a top priority.
It is urgent to resolve this question. We began the Presidency with a clear
mandate for negotiations and we have resolutely stuck to this mandate. We
want to have a Treaty by the end of this Presidency. A Treaty that will allow us
to respond more effectively and rapidly to the challenges facing Europe in the
21st century. A Treaty that also brings more coherence and an ability to respond
when acting at the external level.
We opened the IGC at the end of July and presented the final draft Treaty on
3rd October which we expect the Heads of State and Government to adopt next
Friday here in Lisbon.
The National Parliaments were able to accompany the work of this IGC through
the briefings organised for their representatives at COSAC.
The new Treaty upholds the boosting of the subsidiarity principle by increasing
National Parliaments' control, thereby enabling us to respond more effectively to
our citizens' expectations.
We now have a "yellow card" to control the subsidiarity principle for community
initiatives and an "orange card" that further boosts the power of National
Parliaments, by conferring the Council and the European Parliament with
greater powers to reject legislative initiatives.
Mr President,
Members,
But the reform of the Treaties is not the only item on the agenda of our
Presidency.
The Portuguese Presidency has contributed actively to the Lisbon Strategy and
in particular to the preparation of the new cycle.
This agenda must increasingly be seen as the European response to the
challenges of globalisation, enabling us to make concrete progress in the areas
closest to our citizens' expectations:
More skills (better education and training) for more and better jobs;
Research, innovation and increased competitiveness in our companies;
Energy and climate change;
Response to the new social realities, including immigration.
As immigration is increasingly becoming a central question in our societies, we
believe it should be given new impetus, in other words a comprehensive policy
based on three essential pillars: legal immigration and the regulation of
migratory flows; the integration of immigrants in host societies and cooperation
for the development of the countries of origin.
At the internal level, I would also like to highlight the symbolic importance of the
opening of land and sea borders with the Member States of the most recent
enlargement. At the end of this year, and thanks to the Portuguese initiative
SISone4ALL, another stage of the EU's enlargement to the east will be
complete: free movement for the citizens of these countries. Freedom with
security: one of the greatest gains of the European project.
Mr President,
Members,
But we are not only focusing on an internal agenda. We have also set an
ambitious agenda from the external perspective. Because global challenges
require global and coordinated responses. Because the EU is increasingly
called on to become more involved on the international front. Because 88% of
our citizens expect the Union to play a more active role in responding to global
threats.
At the start of this Presidency in July, we organised the first EU-Brazil Summit,
a first step towards the institutionalisation of a strategic partnership with this key
player on the global stage.
We also wanted this Summit to bring greater coherence to the EU external
policy with the emerging economies (BRICs), with whom we will hold Summits
during our Presidency, striving together to give global responses to global
challenges.
In this context, I would like to refer to our work on combating climate change.
Our goal is for Europe to take coordinated action and to gather the other
essential partners in the preparation of the Bali Summit which will launch the
foundations for the post Kyoto regime.
The European Union's relations with the Mediterranean, the region linking the
so-called western world with the Islamic world, need new momentum. Europe
plays a unique role in the dialogue of civilisations and its history and its culture
should be used for a better mutual understanding and a dialogue that fosters
peace and progress.
This is priority was given to the Middle East Peace Process which gathered new
pace with the Quartet meeting in Lisbon. We must now guarantee the success
of the November Conference so that we can at last talk of peace in the Middle
East.
Finally, but of equal importance to the Portuguese Presidency: the EU-Africa
Summit. For the first time for seven years African and European leaders will
meet in Lisbon to adopt a Joint Strategy and Action Plan so that relations
between the two continents can be stamped with a new mark, relations looking
to the future, to common projects and common challenges.
Mr President
Members
If Tocqueville had written "Democracy in Europe" and not "Democracy in
America", today we would be able to add a new chapter. It would not be the end
of the story but it would be a chapter which is following the right path.
But no chapters can be written about democracy without the participation of
National Parliaments. And we count on the contribution of all the European
Parliaments for this new chapter.
Thank you very much.