From Schengen to Portugal

The future of the Schengen agreements and the opportunity to reintroduce border checks in the EU; the bailout for Portugal (after Greece’s and Ireland’s) and its implications for the EU; nuclear safety; the presence of the European Union on the global scenario; culture and education. These are among the issues addressed during the plenary session of the European Parliament that took place on May 9 to 12. The dream of Schuman, and of the EU today. Current international and political events set the pace of the session in Strasbourg (recurrent debates focused also on safety and the war on terror ensuing the murder of Osama Bin Laden). In his opening remarks EP President Jerzy Buzek highlighted the Festival of Europe of May 9. “Schuman – said the Polish politician – would be proud to see what Europe has achieved; he had envisaged the path of integration” of European countries “so as to jointly address common problems”. Buzek thus mentioned the celebrations for the Festival of Europe across the continent. In a statement Buzek underlined: “”This year it is 61 years since the beginning of probably the most ambitious political project in European history”. The president highlighted the political value of the Declaration delivered on May 9 1950 by Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, which occasioned, the following year, the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community, the first institution with concrete powers. “The Community of Coal and Steel was the beginning of cooperation, which only a few years before could not have been imagined. We have come a long way from the divided, destroyed and deprived Europe” after World War II to what is now “an area of freedom, security, justice and prosperity, where citizens travel, live and work freely”. “Reach our hand to our neighbours”. “We have all reasons to be proud of what Europe has achieved”, Buzek underlined. “We must not take the achievements of the EU for granted”. These achievements cannot be maintained “without further effort and commitment”. “Uniting Europe is a referendum of every day”, remarked the EP President. He added: “The EU needs to be an active, ambitious and cohesive force, which upholds the values on which it was built. We need to help our Eastern and Southern neighbours in their fight for human dignity, freedom and democracy. Today, we can do what Robert Schuman did in 1950: reach our hand to those who share our dreams, but who have not been on the winning side of history. The people of Belarus, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and so many other countries ask for our solidarity”. “We also need to show solidarity with the Member States within our Union that are facing high debt burdens and that are adopting courageous and responsible reforms”, the president concluded referring to Portugal, Greece and Ireland. Other items on the agenda. Migration policy (this item is the object of a special EU Internal Affairs Council on May 12) and bailout to countries experiencing financial difficulties are priority items in the EU seats. MEPs discussed with EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton, on the EU diplomatic service six months after the EU External Action Service was launched. Another critical knot is the situation in Syria, where popular upheavals are crushed by force. MEPs equally discussed nuclear safety measures: “Over the past weeks we have witnessed the commemorations for the 25th anniversary of the tragedy of Chernobyl, along with the dire efforts to stabilize the situation in Fukushima”. Lobbyists register plan; culture and education. The EP debated a proposed “register for lobbyists and other interest groups” in Brussels, drawn up by the Constitutional Affairs Committee. On May 12 the spotlight will be on culture and education in the EU with several draft resolutions, one of which is devoted to the “Youth on the Move” program; another will focus on early education; the third resolution addresses “the cultural dimension of EU27 external action; while the fourth draft resolution urges to “enhance the potential” of cultural and creative industry. MEPs will also suggest that the Commission and Parliament consider allowing a likely bid by Sarajevo to be named European Capital of Culture in 2014.