Plassnik: concentreren op concreet werk en zichtbare resultaten (en)

Foreign Minister at the EP Foreign Affairs Committee

"After a year of paralysis following the outcome of the referendums in France and the Netherlands, the Klosterneuburg meeting was the first time we were able to have an open discussion again on the future of Europe and on what to do about the constitution. This was no easy matter. We got the debate moving again and agreed a number of positive points which will be the starting point for the work ahead", Foreign Minister Plassnik said at the meeting of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee in Brussels.

It had not been expected that the legal questions in connection with the Constitutional Treaty would be solved, nor was this feasible at the present juncture. It was agreed at Klosterneuburg to intensify the reflection phase. "We are now moving from the question phase to the answer phase. The focus is on a Europe of concrete work and clear results. This includes areas for which we have formulated specific proposals, such as greater transparency of the work in the Council, taking measures to implement subsidiarity by involving national parliaments more effectively in EU work, and stepping up cooperation on consular matters and in crisis management", Plassnik said, adding that this work would be continued by the incoming presidencies.

"The enlargement debate, too, gathered momentum in Klosterneuburg. This discussion, which I feel was somewhat wanting last year, will be continued in depth in the coming months", she declared. She noted that the Commission was due to present a report in the second half of the year on the Union's ability to absorb new members. This was not a new criterion, but part of the EU approach since Copenhagen. The Foreign Minister stressed there was no question of stepping on the brakes or erecting artificial barriers. The maintenance of a credible EU perspective was particularly important for the countries of the Western Balkans.

With regard to Montenegro, Plassnik recalled the important role the EU had played in making the arrangements for this referendum. It had been uncertain whether all parties would be able to agree to the procedure. The EU intended to coordinate closely its internal position on the next steps. "We have spoken with one voice on this issue so far and I assume we will continue to do so in future", she said.