The Luxembourg Presidency and the European Commission welcome the sharing of identical priorities during the visit of the Commission in Luxembourg
Family photo on the occasion of the visit of the European Commission to the Luxembourg Presidency on 3 July 2015
Two days after the official start of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), the European Commission visited Luxembourg City on 3 July 2015 as part of its traditional visit to the Member State which holds the Presidency for the next six months. This was the opportunity for the College of Commissioners to hold discussions with the Luxembourg ministers in several working groups and for the Prime Minister Xavier Bettel i and the President of the Commission Jean-Claude Juncker i to discuss the priorities of the Presidency and current political events during a bilateral meeting.
The Presidency and the Commission welcome their identical priorities
In a joint press conference, the two men confirmed that the priorities of the Presidency and the Commission were identical, while the Luxembourg programme is based on the strategic agenda of the European Council, the ten priorities of the Juncker Commission and the latter's work programme. The Prime Minister outlined in this regard the seven priorities of the Presidency.
The Luxembourg Prime Minister stressed that the Presidency would also try, in collaboration with the Commission, the Member States and the European Parliament, "to make progress on current EU internal political events, as well as external ones". The focus will be on subjects where "there is an urgency, often humanitarian, where people's livelihood and life are at stake ", and which risk upsetting the agenda.
Xavier Bettel cited in particular Greece, a Member State "which has kept us intensely busy in recent weeks, and will continue to do so." According to the Prime Minister, the referendum scheduled for 5 July 2015 "will also have consequences". With respect to the United Kingdom, and the planned British referendum on EU membership, Xavier Bettel repeated that he considered it necessary to build bridges. "To build a bridge, there must be a place to build it on both sides of the shore", he reasoned, specifying that "the Luxembourg Presidency wants to keep Greece within the eurozone and the United Kingdom within the EU".
The theme of migration is another priority, said the Prime Minister, notably following the mission entrusted to interior ministers at the European Council in June 2015 on the relocation and distribution of 60,000 asylum seekers in the EU on a voluntary basis. "The Luxembourg Presidency is in the process of discussing with different Member States [and] I sincerely hope that solidarity is not merely a word, but that its effects will be seen in the texts and figures", he said. The terrorist group Islamic State, the situation in Syria, in Ukraine and security are other priorities.
For all of these cases, the collaboration between the Commission and the Presidency is considered vital, and has already began well ahead of the Presidency, said the Prime Minister who also praised the "regular contacts" with the institution.
"Luxembourg has always been a country that has built bridges", said Xavier Bettel
Xavier Bettel also drew attention to the title of the Luxembourg Presidency programme, "A union for citizens", indicating that the name was to make a Europe "closer to its citizen's expectations and more effective for companies and SMEs". In this context it will be "attentive to citizens, social partners and companies", he said. Responding to the press, the Prime Minister explained his thinking, indicating "that today, we have a situation where citizens do not understand Europe and how it works". For this, "we must put the citizens at the centre", especially by ensuring their involvement. Xavier Bettel considers that social issues are therefore a priority, because "we cannot make people understand that Europe is not just about money, but is also about guarantees for workers".
For the Prime Minis
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, and Xavier Bettel, Prime Minsiter of Luxembourg
© eu2015lu.eu / Charles Caratini
ter, the messages from the last European Council are not "those of a union that is moving in the same direction" hence the importance of seeking common positions. "We must make it understood that Europe is a project where citizens are the centre of attention" and "stop the belief that Europe is all about functionaries or aliens deciding for us in Brussels". "We are Europe, we must bring the citizens of Europe closer, and this is the major responsibility at the level of the policies themselves", he said.
"Luxembourg has always been a country that has built bridges between others", Xavier Bettel said and held that this was "one of the important times to do it". For him it is about building bridges between countries, and between social classes, while the social Triple A sought by Jean-Claude Juncker for the EU "is also a priority of our presidency". The Prime Minister aims to promote dialogue and welcomed in this regard the hosting of a conference on the TTIP on 17 November 2015 which will bring together the social partners in particular. "We must also build bridges in the various conflicts which may exist today at Europe's gateways. And rebuild bridges that existed yesterday within the EU and currently have rather fragile foundations", said Xavier Bettel.
"If the Greeks vote 'no' [in the referendum of 5 July], the Greek position will be considerably weakened", stated Jean-Claude Juncker
For his part, Jean-Claude Juncker felt that if all presidencies were difficult, this one would be particularly so, "given the magnitude of the problems before us". However, he spoke of "pleasure and relief" stressing that the will of the Luxembourg government was part of the ambitions of the European Commission, and that the priorities of the Presidency supported his. "I am confident that the Luxembourg Presidency will undertake this task with the elegance and effectiveness with which we are familiar", he said, stating that he had agreed on very regular contact with Xavier Bettel.
In response to questions from journalists who asked him about Greece, Jean-Claude Juncker indicated that the position of this Member State to negotiate with creditors would be "considerably weakened" if the referendum sees a 'no' vote. "If the Greeks vote 'no', the Greek position will be considerably weakened", he declared, noting that even in the case of a 'yes' vote, "we will face difficult negotiations". The President of the Commission also denied that discussions would continue behind the scenes with Greece.
On the same subject, Xavier Bettel confirmed the words of Jean-Claude Juncker, affirming that the referendum will have consequences since it must respect the choice of the Greek people: "a 'yes' will lead to negotiations which will not be easy while a 'no' will lead to negotiations which will be even harder, but it is up to the Greeks to make their choice". He also told the press that the relationships between the partners should be based on trust. "I spent two days with Mr Tsipras [the Greek Prime Minister] in Brussels, and there was no word about the referendum in meetings", he stressed, specifying that he had been informed by the media.
"A referendum is something where people must know what they are voting about, and understand the arguments in favour and against", continued Xavier Bettel, who believes that the time to organise the referendum is not ideal, as it should have allowed to argue about the positions and prepare a campaign. Furthermore, he refuses to get into a debate of for or against. "Here the question is the position of Greece in Europe, in the eurozone, the future of the euro currency, and also the future of Europe", declared the Luxembourg Prime Minister before concluding: "What is important, is restoring trust, and I would really like that between heads of State and government, we take the same line in our countries as in Brussels".
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