Präsentation Botschafter Längle der Prioritäten des österreichischen EU-Vorsitzes, 25.1.2006

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Priorities of the Austrian EU-Presidency 2006

Committee on European Union Affairs and Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate (Senat RP),
25 January 2006


Szanowny Panie Przewodniczący,
Panie i Panowie Senatorowie,
Szanowna Pani Minister,
Szanowni Państwo,


Chciałbym serdecznie podziękować za zaproszenie do zaprezentowania Panstwu priorytetów austriackiej prezydencji Unii Europejskiej.

On 1 January 2006, Austria has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months.

Holding the EU Presidency is a service for Europe. As Presidency, Austria will work in a spirit of trust and close cooperation with all its European partners – the member states as well as the European institutions.

The general objectives of the Austrian presidency are to:

• create jobs and growth in Europe.
• secure and develop the specifically European way of life.
• rebuild confidence in the European project among EU citizens.
• further establish Europe as a strong and reliable partner in the world.


Time restraints only permit me to mention the most important priorities of the Austrian presidency:


Financial Perspectives

In order to carry out its various tasks to serve the citizens, the European Union needs adequate financial resources. Therefore, the Austrian Presidency is very pleased with the political agreement on the financial perspectives for the period 2007-2013 reached at the European Council on 16 December 2005 under the British presidency.

It is, however, now the task of the Austrian Presidency to conduct and to conclude the negotiations with the European Parliament and the European Commission on the so-called “Inter-institutional Agreement” which will have to be consistent with the relevant conclusions of the December 2005 European Council. In parallel with this, work will also continue on more than 40 legislative acts (i.a. the very important regulations on the cohesion and structural funds and the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Development).

The Austrian Presidency’s objective is the rapid creation of the financial basis for the next seven years so that all legislative acts can enter into force by January 1st 2007.


The Future of Europe

The European Union has successfully completed the greatest enlargement in its history. The ten new Member States have found their natural place within our large peace community. Nowadays, the EU has unparalleled, positive inner diversity. However, it is faced with the question of how best to utilise this tremendous potential.

On 29 October 2004, the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was signed in Rome. To date, parliaments in 13 EU Member States as well as in two of these member states, Spain and Luxemburg, the population by referendum have ratified the Constitutional Treaty. Voters in France and the Netherlands, however, rejected ratification in their referenda.

Against this background, the Heads of State and Government agreed in June 2005 on a reflection phase, to be used for intensive public debate within the EU Member States. The Austrian EU Presidency is endeavouring to give more space again to citizens’ concerns about preserving the European social model against the backdrop of globalisation. Under the Austrian Presidency, it will be time to take stock of the debate on the future of Europe and of the Constitution and to take decisions on how to proceed in future.

On the initiative of Federal Chancellor Schüssel, at an international conference taking place in Salzburg from January 26th to 28th entitled the “Sound of Europe” European identity and European values will be discussed. Around 200 eminent persons from the political, scientific, arts and media spheres, i.a. from Poland, will be taking part.

Bringing the Union closer to its citizens means also finding ways of legislating in Europe at the closest possible level to the people. A conference in St. Pölten (Lower Austria) will therefore deal with the topic of subsidiarity. One of the topics discussed at this conference will be a stronger role for national parliaments in European integration.


Enlargement

Treaties of Accession were signed with Romania and Bulgaria in Luxembourg on 25 April 2005. Both countries are now preparing for their EU membership and have to fulfil a number of conditions in this respect. Their preparations for accession are being continuously and closely monitored by the European Commission. Should the Commission conclude that either of the two countries does not fulfil the conditions for EU accession on 1 January 2007, it can recommend that entry be deferred for one year. The Council of Ministers has the final say and will have to take an appropriate decision in June.

Accession negotiations with Croatia and Turkey were opened on 3 October 2005 in Luxembourg. The “screening process” began for both candidates in October. This involves the European Commission going through the entire existing legislation of the Union (“acquis communautaire”) with the candidates to identify possible problems in all 35 negotiating chapters for the subsequent accession negotiations. The first reports on the screening process will be presented during the Austrian Presidency. The Council of Ministers will use these as the basis on which to decide, by unanimous vote, whether to open the individual negotiating chapters.


Jobs and growth for Europe

Europe is confronted with new challenges: especially global competition, rapid technological change, demographic development.

Promoting jobs and growth is also in this regard currently the most urgent task of European policy, at national and EU level. All the surveys show that it is especially in this area that people have particular expectations towards the European Union. These expectations must not be disappointed. For the Austrian Presidency, this means stepping up efforts in respect of the European Strategy for Growth and Jobs, the so-called Lisbon strategy.

As it concerns an area in which the EU has only coordinating powers, implementing the “Lisbon Strategy” not only calls for decisions at EU level, it also requires a certain degree of cooperation between Member States in the numerous policy areas for which they have exclusive responsibility. It is therefore especially up to the member states to do their homework.

The European Commission will make an analysis of the National Reform Programmes. The Objective of the Austrian presidency is to present to the European Council in March 2006 an ambitious text for conclusions on the implementation of the European Strategy for Growth and Jobs.

The Austrian EU presidency welcomes the new dynamism of the European Commission by announcing that political agreement on the Services Directive will be sought until June. A functioning internal market for services is important in promoting economic growth and thereby creating more employment in Europe. However, at the same time, we should not lose sight of its social impact and consumer protection interests.

In addition, there will be an initial review of the transitional period for introducing freedom of movement for workers; since the EU enlargement in 2004, this has restricted access for the majority of citizens from the new Central and Eastern European Member States to the labour market in most of the “old” EU countries. The Commission is expected to submit a report to the Council in February on experiences to date with the transitional arrangements. Those “old” Member States that have introduced transitional arrangements must declare by 1 May 2006 whether they wish to continue with their national measures to control access to the labour market for another three years.


Energy

Another important topic at the Spring European Council will be energy security.

The events of the first week of January in connection with the gas dispute between the Russian Federation and Ukraine have brought home to us that we cannot take security of energy supply for granted.

It is now necessary, according to Federal Minister Bartenstein, to draw the proper lessons from these events. To secure long-term supply of natural gas to Europe he has proposed the following three measures:

1. Diversifying sources and transport routes for natural gas: a series of new pipeline projects with a carrying capacity of approx. 140 bn m3 per year are at the planning stage. These projects must be speedily implemented. One promising project is the "Nabucco" pipeline from Austria via Turkey to the Caspian Area. In its final development stage in 2020 this 3 300 km long gas pipeline could carry between 25 and 31 bn m3 of natural gas a year to the EU on a new route.

2. Pushing ahead with the introduction of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): the current capacity of existing installations is approx. 60 bn m3 per year. The EU's aim should be to quintuple LNG imports by 2010. This will make available to the EU other supply regions with which pipeline connections are not feasible.

3. Increased transparency on the hydrocarbon markets to reduce price volatility and secure stable, market-based prices and better information on the amount of natural gas imported.

Federal Minister Bartenstein has also appealed to consider how to avoid situations of this kind or overcome them without consequences in the short term. Better integration of the pipeline network in the EU is certainly one of the possibilities; it would facilitate intra-Community gas exchange and thereby alleviate the unilateral dependence of some Member States on certain supplier and transit States. Increased intra-Community gas exchange means of course that the requisite volumes of gas must be available, so that we must endeavour to support the establishment of liquid wholesale markets. A further instrument in the short term is of course the holding of gas reserves to bridge any two-month supply shortfalls, and here specific national circumstances such as storage in geological cavities or stockpiling at power stations or industrial plants will have to be considered.


Justice and Home Affairs

Clear focus is the implementation of the so-called Hague Programme, especially the extension of the area of freedom, security and justice to our neighbouring countries.

On May 4th and 5th, a huge conference with the participation of the ministers of interior of the EU, the EU candidate countries, the countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Western Balkans and strategic partners USA and Russia will take place in Vienna on the “Role of internal security in the relations between the EU and its neighbouring countries”. Main topics will be migration, asylum, organized crime and terrorism. The “Vienna Process” shall bring added value for the enforcement of the common area of freedom, security and justice.

Further priorities of the Austrian EU presidency in this field are i.a.:
• The EU action plan on the fight against terrorism
• The co-operation in criminal law, especially the fight against organized crime and corruption
• Efficient control at the EU external borders and the finalization of the Schengen Information System SIS II (as one of the most important pre-conditions for the participation of the new EU member states in the Schengen system which is very much favoured by Austria)


Foreign and Security Policy

Also from outside many hopes are directed towards the European Union. In many regions of the world the Union is seen as a committed and reliable partner. And such a partner we want to remain also during our Presidency. We will lay special emphasis on the countries of South-eastern Europe. Our aim will be to bring those countries closer to the Union and to give them a stronger European perspective. To firmly anchor these countries in Europe is of special importance for all of us. For security, development and stability in South-eastern Europe are concrete manifestations of the “peace-project Europe” in our generation.

In the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy bringing the Ukraine closer to the Union is not only a Polish but also an Austrian priority. Already in 2003 in a joint Austrian-Hungarian paper and together with an independent but very similiar Polish paper we decisively shaped the future EU-policy towards this country: the content of the action plan and the content of the so called 10-point program. We hope that free and fair Parliamentary elections in March will give a clear majority in favour of continuing the European path and the necessary reforms.

In the run-up to the elections on 19 March Belarus will be an issue of particular concern. The invitation of ODIHR to monitor the election is a step in the right direction. We expect that the necessary pre-conditions for a successful election-monitoring will be created and that Belarus will meet its obligations under international law regarding free and fair elections.

In the relations with Russia, we hope for progress in the implementation of the four common spaces. The gas-dispute between Russia and the Ukraine has highlighted the problem of European Energy security. As I have mentioned above, this question will be a very important topic at the spring summit of the heads of state and government.

From a political and economic point of view, the transatlantic relations are of crucial importance. The Union will further implement the declarations adopted during the last EU-US Summit in June 2005 and will deepen and enlarge the strategic dialogue with the USA. At the envisaged summit during the Austrian Presidency the work on topics like strengthening of the economic partnership, combating terrorism as well as the joint efforts to resolve international conflicts and crises will be actively continued and pursued.

In Vienna, the biggest event during our Presidency will take place: A summit of the EU with the countries of Latin America and the Carribean, where 60 delegations are expected.


The success of each EU presidency depends to a large extent on the support of all member states: We therefore also hope for the support of the Polish government and the Polish parliament.