Europese top wordt woensdag voortgezet (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Pools voorzitterschap Europese Unie 2e helft 2011 i, gepubliceerd op zondag 23 oktober 2011.

Upgrading economic governance in the euro area was the main theme of Sunday’s European Council. Poland’s Prime Minister has announced a further European Council, to take place on Wednesday.

‘We are slowly approaching the consensus that integration of the euro area is not an alternative to the integration of the twenty-seven, but rather that these are processes that reinforce each other,’ Donald Tusk i told a news conference after the close of the Summit, when asked whether a two-speed Europe was emerging. ‘Today’s discussion has shown that the awareness of EU leaders is growing stronger that these two great political needs — bolstering economic governance (…) and integration of the entire EU — are reconcilable,’ he added.

Tusk continued, ‘The other major event was agreement on starting discussions on changes to the treaty, at least as regards the economic and financial problems of the euro area. It was decided that possible new treaty regulations will be discussed during the December summit on the basis of a proposal submitted by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy i.’

Sources of economic growth were also raised at the European Council. The Polish Presidency and the European Commission have submitted convergent proposed measures including the proper use of cohesion funds, deepening market integration (the Single Market Act legislative packet) by the end of 2012, investment in Human Capital, finalisation of work on an EU patent, bolstering the digital market and the development of transport infrastructure.

Apart from topics directly linked to the European crisis, other matters also found their way onto the Summit’s agenda. The European Council has agreed a common EU position for the Climate Conference in Durban. It was also decided to strive for the swift finalisation of trade negotiations with India, Canada, Singapore and Ukraine.

Also discussed at the Summit was enlarging the Schengen area to include Romania and Bulgaria. At the EU JHA Council the Polish Presidency’s compromise proposal involving the two-stage admission of these two states was blocked by two countries. It was decided that the matter would be raised at the EU’s December Summit if it is not resolved before then.