A new thrust?

The co-occurrence of the G8 reunion in Hokkaido and the expected parliamentary address by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, shifted the attention from the various points on the agenda of the Euro-Parliament plenary meeting scheduled July 7-10. MEPs discussed the enforcement of Roma People’s rights, foreign politics and Europe’s gas market. Mr.Sarkozy’s six-semester EU Council presidency started July 1st, he is expected in Strasbourg on Thursday 10th to illustrate his Work Programme which will need to take into account Ireland’s “no” and Poland’s doubts regarding the Lisbon Treaty. Foreign politics agenda. The session opened on Monday with a statement delivered by President Hans-Gert Poettering, who said he invited Ingrid Betancourt, recently released after a long imprisonment in Colombia, to attend parliamentary sitting. “Democracy must not give in to terrorism”, the President declared. He enjoined all “terrorist organizations to put down their arms” and “renounce violence”. The report by German MEP André Brie regarding Europe’s commitment in Afghanistan was then introduced. MEPs agreed on the need to “step up the Union’s political influence” in the Asian Country which is hard put to recover from a latent conflict, ensuing from a “thirty-year period marked by Soviet occupation, fights between the various Mujaheddin factions and by the Taliban regime’s repressions”, while democracy, security and human rights are not being enforced. The report demands strengthening military presence in the Country and extending its commitment aimed at economic and civil recovery. The Assembly addressed the situation in Zimbabwe on the wake of the elections and in China on the eve of its Olympic games. Financial issues. A lively debate was centred on the European gas market, and the regulations, which, said Lithuanian MEP Arunas Degutis should improve “airfare transparency”, by supplying information on the taxes, duties and supplements charged to passengers. Olle Schmidt, Swedish representative, reported on the interest rates imposed by the European Central Bank: its President Jean-Claude Trichet, was invited to illustrate the reasons for the recent credit squeeze. Schmidt’s paper expressed “praise” for the way in which the ECB “managed the subprime crisis”. The report called for the setting up of an EU framework for “financial supervision”. As relates to present economic difficulties, MEPs warned to be cautions about “raising interest rates” to avoid “endangering growth”. Member States were urged to enact “structural reforms” which would “liberate financial energies”, favour investments and job market expansion.New enlargement? Slow speed ahead. The Parliament then addressed future enlargement of EU borders. The report drafted by German MEP Elmar Brok, underlined the Parliament’s “firm commitment” in respecting the requests of “all Countries with a candidate status to join the EU and those which have been promised membership in the long run”, notably the Western Balkan Countries and Turkey. Past enlargements were described as “successful” since they triggered economic growth, promoted social progress and “brought peace, stability and prosperity” in ex-Communist Countries. However, the EU’s “integration capacity” should be taken into account when considering membership applications in the future so as not to “impair its inner cohesion and its political objectives”. These statements are visibly linked to the current debate on institutional reforms and on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Institutions, economy, identity. Countries with a candidate status are asked full compliance with accession criteria, as defined in Copenhagen in 1993. However, EU’s integration capacity appears to set some limits. Indeed, this term no longer refers to the 27-Member States’ nation-building, since it also includes social and economic stabilization, “identity affirmation”, along with the “ability to act on the international scenario”, the “promotion of the rights and interests of European and Member States’ citizens” and the “development of an area of freedom, justice and security” for the full defence of the rights and freedoms which are part and parcel of the genetic heritage of the EU.