Crisis defused

“Crisis defused; now it is time to face the challenge and create the Europe we and the world need”. JOSÉ LUIS ZAPATERO , Spanish Prime Minister, gave a speech on Wednesday 28th November at Brussels Parliament by which he had been invited as one of a number of debates on the future of the EU. The head of the Spanish Government outlined his “ideal” EU: “A Europe based on values, the moral code of which is composed of freedom, human rights, tolerance, equal treatment of men and women, and solidarity”. A MODERN EUROPE, OPEN TO THE WORLD. The president of the EU Assembly, HANS-GERT POETTERING , as he welcomed the speaker, recalled “the support given by Spain to the European Constitution, approved by the Spanish through a public referendum”, and the contribution made by Madrid to the approval of the new Reform Treaty. Zapatero began by stating that “Spain is Europe’s friend” and highlighted the role played by the EU in the “strengthening of democracy” and “its support to the economic development of our country”. Europe, he explained, “must become a paragon of progress and welfare”: “We can no longer postpone the opening and modernisation of our economies, responding to globalisation both internally and externally”. “Our success should be measured against our ability to continue growing, while ensuring solidarity and cohesion”. “Stable and dignified” employment must be promoted: the EU should be a “champion in terms of policies for social inclusion, equal opportunities, the protection of people’s health”. Other outstanding topics addressed by Zapatero included migration and relations with the Mediterranean countries. MORE PUBLIC WELFARE AND RIGHTS. José Luis Zapatero rejected instead the definition of the agreement reached in Lisbon by the 27 member states as a ‘mini-Treaty’: “In fact it is a big treaty and can be instrumental to set the EU back in motion”. The speaker – who spoke at length with the MEPs – then listed three priority tasks for the EU: “First and foremost, it must face the current challenges, starting from climate change, not least through scientific research and the promotion of new energy sources”. In this respect, he explained that “Spain is the only country which since 2006 has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, even with continuing economic development”. The second goal is “to achieve more, broader public welfare”. “Social policies – he stated – do not use up wealth: quite the opposite, they create new development opportunities”. This applies “to both the EU and the other countries outside the EU”. This is why “solidarity with the developing countries seems to be a sort of necessary care” for the twenty-seven member states. The third “task of the EU is to strengthen the cohabitation” of European peoples. “We have to fight against any form of racism and xenophobia – explained the Socialist politician -, we have to make sure cultural and religious diversity is respected. And then tolerance must be increased, and individual rights must be extended”. In another passage of his speech that solicited contrasting reactions from the MEPs, Zapatero claimed “that nowadays the Spanish have more rights”, with reference to the “great meaning of marriage between same-sex people”, a law that was enforced by the current government in Madrid. “IN CONTRAST WITH THE FOUNDING FATHERS”. “A speech more oriented to the past than to the future”, commented BRIAN CROWLEY , Irish MEP of the Europe of Nations group. With reference to Zapatero’s passages about individual rights “to be guaranteed”, he added: “Europe must respect differences” between states and peoples” and “cannot adapt to a ‘one-size-fits all’ model”. According to JAIME MAYOR OREJA , from the Spanish People’s Party, who seemed to be very critical of Zapatero, “the moral values of the Union must be respected and strengthened”. Positive reactions about the Prime Minister’s “Europeanism” came instead from the Socialist group leader, the German MARTIN SCHULZ , the British Liberal Democrat GRAHAM WATSON (“Europe needs politicians who have European vision”) and the French Left group leader FRANCIS WURTZ . The deputy president of the European Parliament, the Italian MARIO MAURO of the Italian People’s Party, said to SIR: “Distorting the legal status of marriage in its substance means imposing on society as a whole an irrational view of things, by imposing the dictatorship of relativism. Nothing could be more inauspicious to the attempts and efforts that are made every day to give strength to the integration process”. “A law that is openly in contrast with the values of our founding father – concluded Mauro – is by no means an achievement”.