The energy that unites

The leaders of the European Union have accustomed public opinion to smiles all round. The summit held in Brussels on 8-9 March was no exception. Many issues were on the agenda: the energy question, progress of the Lisbon Strategy, “better regulation”, external policy, and preparations for the extraordinary summit in Berlin on 25 March to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Community. The encouraging results obtained, especially in terms of energy, climate change, and environmental protection, were hailed by all the leaders, while the practical difficulties that are admittedly posed in turning pledges into action were minimised. As far as the Constitutional Treaty was concerned, however, only a worrying silence was registered. TOWARDS A “GREEN EUROPE”. “Europe has a role as pioneer” to play in reducing pollution and in environmental defence. “On this we all agree. And we want to convince our major world partners – meaning USA, China, Russia and India – to pursue equally ambitious objectives”, said ANGELA MERKEL , German Chancellor and current President of the EU Council, the real protagonist of this summit. Merkel summed up the results of the “diplomatic marathon” in Brussels. The 23-page final document confirms all the predictions made on the eve of the summit. It also underlines that the pledges for the environment will be binding on member states: 20% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020, “to prevent any further increase of the temperature of the planet that is two degrees C° higher than that of the pre-industrial era”; “20% increase of energy efficiency” during the same period; 10% shift from fossil fuels to biofuels; and a commitment “to use renewable sources for 20% of total energy requirements”, in comparison with the current 7%. DIFFICULT PROCESS. “We have given a mandate – said Merkel – to the Commission to draw up proposals regarding energy savings in private homes, in street lighting and in the workplace. The aim is to directly involve citizens in environmental defence. The technologies already exist: all we need do is apply them”. The German Chancellor however does not conceal the difficulties that lie ahead: “We must now turn our hand to the implementation of these decisions. Difficult steps await us. But it was important to make a start”. “There’s a lot of work to be done, and various obstacles, especially legislative, to overcome”, comments JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO , President of the Commission. Though he is satisfied with the outcome of the summit, he too insists on the “difficult process” that awaits the European Union in the months ahead. INVESTIMENTS AND “NUCLEAR QUESTION”. “We have established – explains the head of the Executive – that the EU will have overall to reduce by 20% its carbon dioxide emissions by 2020. But now our task is that of specifying what will be the contribution of each member state towards this target. Some countries have gone down this road for a long time, others have not. The same goes for recourse to renewable energies. Tough negotiations lie ahead; they will have to take into account the situation of each country today, of the energy mix each has so far practiced and the real possibility for each to contribute to the final result. I think – said Barroso – integration is also to be achieved by going down this road”. The first operational proposals will be made by the Commission “in the third quarter of 2007”, he added. As for the costs entailed in tackling the “ecological challenge” of the EU, Merkel did not put a figure on it, even though she recognizes the need “for significant investments”. The final document of the summit specifies that “specific national targets will be formulated with the full involvement of member countries”, and with a view to “a fair and appropriate distribution” of the commitments signed up to. It will be left to each member state to “decide whether or not to have recourse to nuclear energy”, while guaranteeing the security of nuclear plants and the safest possible treatment of wastes. THE BERLIN DECLARATION. Other issues were tackled at the summit, albeit in a minor key: including the Lisbon Strategy (national measures to increase competitiveness, employment and social cohesion), the European Constitution and the Berlin Declaration. Angela Merkel insisted that the latter two issues should not be confused. “The Constitutional Treaty will be at the centre of the European Council in June”, she explained, “but right now I wish to confirm the objective of establishing a shared process that may lead to the entry into force of the Constitution before the European elections in 2009”. Many European leaders are agreed on this point, though they also stressed the difficulties of overcoming the French and Dutch rejection, and the reservations of the British and other states to the current constitutional text. As for the Berlin Declaration, which will be adopted on 25 March, a text in five chapters is now being drafted: Results; European Cooperation; Values; Priorities; Shared Commitments. It seems by now certain that no reference to “Christian roots will be made in the chapter on values, merely a vague appeal to the “diversity of cultures and religions” present in the old continent.