Voorzitter Europese Raad Buzek blij met overeenkomst over versterkte economische unie (en)

The President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek i has welcomed the swift drafting and circulation of the draft International Agreement on a Reinforced Economic Union and welcomed the fact that the European Parliament will take part in the negotiations on the agreement.

EP i President Jerzy Buzek stated:

"I welcome the fact that President Van Rompuy i has acted swiftly and circulated a draft of the new International Agreement on a Reinforced Economic Union to all Member States.

I strongly welcome the fact that the European Parliament will be fully involved in the negotiations on the new agreement. The new agreement is fundamental to ensure fiscal discipline which is required for sustainable growth. In this time of crisis we need strong cooperation and willingness to take bold decisions. This shows determination to fight the sovereign debt crisis which threatens the future of the euro zone i and our Union.

The European Parliament will do all it can to contain the crisis and ensure a united, stable and prosperous Europe for its citizens.

In addition to the 17 euro zone Members, the new agreement must be open to all Member States who wish to join. No Member State should be excluded. The more the Member States can show unity the better it is for the European Union.

I insisted that the European Parliament must be involved in the negotiating process during my speech to the European Council on 9 December. I therefore strongly welcome the fact that the European Parliament will be represented by three MEPs - Elmar Brok, Roberto Gualtieri and Guy Verhofstadt - in the negotiation process on the new agreement. The three MEPs have a mandate from the Conference of Presidents to pay particular attention that the new agreement be a response to the crisis Europe is currently facing. The European Parliament position is that all possibilities of the existing treaty must be fully exploited, the community spirit should be preserved in the new agreement including the full involvement of the EP and a strong role for the European Commission. Therefore the new agreement should be in accordance with EU law and become part of the community framework as soon as possible."

Note to editors:

The MEPs who will represent the European Parliament in the drafting of the new "intergovernmental agreement" will be Elmar Brok (EPP, DE), Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, IT) and Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE i, BE). Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens/EFA, FR) will be a substitute member of the delegation.

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