Verslag van gesprek tussen EU-president Van Rompuy en de Finse Minister-president Katainen (en)

Hyvaa paivaa (Good afternoon).

Today I had a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Katainen. We focused on two issues:

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  the follow up to the package of measures agreed by the Heads of State and Government of the Euro area on July 21;
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  andthe overall economic situation in the Euro area.

The two issues are intrinsically linked. But first of all let me say how happy I am to be in Finland, a country that, since it joined in 1995, has contributed so much to the EU. It has also benefitted considerably from belonging to an internal market of 500 million consumers. In the globalised world of today there are only small countries. Individually, we have no influence. But together, as a Union, we can really make a difference. This is true for Finland as for Belgium, for example. But of course, being part of the Union carries responsibilities.

Finland is an excellent example of a country that was able to overcome tough challenges following a major financial crisis in the early 1990's through responsible economic policies on the fiscal and structural sides and drawing fully the lessons of this crisis.Let me turn to the first issue the Prime Minister and I have discussed today: the follow up to the July package.On the 21st of July we agreed together on a strong and bold set of measures to fight this crisis. We agreed on a new programme for Greece with strong conditionality and the contribution of private creditors, and we agreed to reinforce our crisis tools (the EFSF i and ESM i) to fight contagion and ensure overall financial stability.

We need now to implement this package as a matter of priority: all the measures, nothing but the measures. The credibility of the euro area, and of each of its member states, is at stake. It is important to keep this in mind when debating domestic issues linked to the decisions that have been taken at the European level.This is the case when debating the issue of collateral for the loans to Greece as agreed in the Eurozone Summit of the 21 July.

We are committed to finding a solution to this matter agreed by all the Member States of the Eurozone. A solution that addresses Finland concerns but which does not undermine the wider purpose of reinforcing confidence and financial stability in Europe. Good progress is being made and I'm confident we will find an agreement soon. Of course, we expect Greece also to deliver on all its commitments as to the strict implementation of the reforms agreed with the EU.

This brings me to the second topic of our discussions: the overall economic situation in the EU. Economic recovery in the EU and the euro area appears to be losing momentum, in line with weaker economic prospects in most other advanced economies. We are determined to ensure that financial stability is strengthened. And this is why the rapid implementation of the July package is so important. We need also to implement structural reforms at national and the EU level, for example through the single market and the digital agenda. This is key for growth and jobs.

Finally we also discussed how to improve the functioning and the governance of the euro area, to increase fiscal discipline and economic integration. The 6 pack which I hope will be soon adopted by the Parliament will be an important step. But we need to go beyond.

Kiitos (thank you)