"Only by delivering real results can we make the citizens trust Europe once again and lay the grounds for an institutional solution" to the deadlock in which the EU has been mired for one year. The EU Commission, headed by José Manuel Barroso, had been waiting for the end of the first cycle of forums on the "Future of Europe" to present its "citizens’ political agenda", "as a contribution of the Executive Committee to the June summit" and as an "answer to the messages raised by Plan D and by the national debates that took place during the break for reflection", which had been decided after France and Holland had voted against the Constitution. Assisted by deputy president Margot Wallström, Barroso explained, in the pressroom of Berlaymont: "This ambitious agenda demands the joint action of the member states, which often do not work hard enough for Europe, and of the EU institutions, as well as a fresh commitment to the integration process". The document outlines twelve "initiatives to deliver real results all over the continent". Such ideas aim in particular at: "reappraising the single market from a long-term perspective; strengthening solidarity; developing a number of initiatives to improve information and the transparency of the institutions", by enforcing a "Charter of Rights" for all EU citizens. (to be continued)
