Not only the Constitution” “” “

The Summit of Heads of State and of Government that ends the Greek Presidency of the Union is to be held in Salonica (Greece) on 20 and 21 June. The fundamental point on the Agenda consists in the official presentation of the draft Constitution drawn up by the Convention on the future of Europe: but other unresolved problems also exist. Here’s what Eleni Iniotaki , economist, head of European relations of the Communes of Crete and expert in social policies and local development, has to say on the matter. . Does the Salonica summit not risk being monopolized by the presentation of the future Constitution of the European Union? “It is inevitably the issue of greatest interest, given that Europe is in the process of endowing itself with a Constitution for the first time in its history. The citizenship of Europe is the great result. Politically, it will be important to observe the attitude of the Governments to the proposals of the Convention in the light of the forthcoming IGC (Intergovernmental Conference) in October. For in the course of the IGC it will the governments themselves that will conduct the final negotiation that will give a definitive form to Giscard’s draft. It’s also true, however, that too much emphasis on the Constitution could overshadow a whole series of problems that are more urgent and actual for the citizen at the present time, also in view of the fact that the Constitution will only enter into force in six years’ time”. To what problems do you refer? “They range from international peace to the need to curb clandestine immigration which often worsens the plight of those who are forced to abandon their own country in the hope of a better future; from enlargement to the indispensable reforms in the agricultural sector to ensure the quality of products, safeguard the land, protect the income of farmers less strong on the global marketplace, and guarantee rural development; from the reinforcement of technological development to the individual, familial and also religious values that the Conventions seems to have undervalued but that are very much present in the spirit of the overwhelming majority of citizens. Yet other problems are the Stability Pact, energy market, pollution and the forthcoming negotiations within the World Trade Organization, vital for European competitiveness. The greatest political ambition of the EU, “the Lisbon Strategy”, unfortunately continues to mark time. (This “strategy”, adopted by the EU at the summit of heads of state and of government held in the Portuguese capital in 2000, is aimed at ensuring that Europe becomes, within ten years, “the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world, based on knowledge, capable of sustainable development with ever more and ever better jobs and greater social cohesion”, editor’s note). Will the Salonica Summit be able to recover part of the lost ground? “Whoever says that the delay in achieving the objectives fixed at Lisbon is of little account, is lying. It’s true that the Commission and the social partners are committing themselves to the Lisbon process, far more so than governments. What is lacking, however, is the creation of a suitable environment to create permanent and high quality jobs, to ensure that those who complete their university education are able to find work in the sector for which they are skilled, to permit those who want to take vocational courses to be employed and not exploited, to put an end to clandestine labour, to integrate immigrants, favour research, alleviate labour costs, and promote entrepreneurship and investments”. At Salonica the heads of state and of government of the Twenty-Five will be faced by the responsibility of committing their own countries to the realization of the Lisbon Strategy”.