Van Rompuy: 'We hebben de crisis achter ons gelaten, nu focussen op hervormingen voor de toekomst' (en)

EUROPEAN COUNCIL THE PRESIDT

Brussels, 5 November 2013 EUCO

PRESSE 452 PRPCE 195

Speech by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy at the European Parliament

A number of subjects featured at this European Council, some long-planned, others in response to more recent events, have been treated by the European Council two weeks ago

Above all, what our meeting showed again is that we have left the existential crisis of the euro behind us, and that we can now devote all our energy to the wider economic challenges of consolidating the short-term recovery and strengthening our policies and tools for the future

Consolidating recovery includes first and foremost the follow-up of measures we agreed earlier in the year, to finance the economy, to fight youth unemployment, to strengthen structural economic growth, to deepen the single market and to combat fragmentation. Our competitiveness agenda continues with the same determination

Particularly crucial is our continued resolve to fight youth unemployment. Leaders want to ensure the Youth Employment Initiative, an important element of our multiannual financial framework, fully operational by January. Already last year, EU funds helped 800,000 young people enter the workplace. From next year, with the national youth guarantees, we're set to do more. But we're not there yet - and I expect serious efforts. All sides will need to be working around the clock if we want to have the first programmes and the MFF support-funding ready by the end of the year. Much rests on work in the member states, and I hope this month's Youth Employment Conference in Paris will also give an extra push

Help for small and medium-sized businesses was another element of following up on our June decisions. - We agreed to significantly increase support from the European Structural and Investment Funds to financial instruments for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises -at least doubling it in countries where lending through loan-guarantees to SMEs is most needed. We insisted this money must be leveraged, and fast, so that every euro invested can result in up to 5 or 6 euros of new loans for SMEs

Cutting down paperwork and simplifying EU law should also be of help for SMEs. The Commission has already identified new steps to make the EU regulatory framework lighter and fit for purpose, as part of its REFIT programme, and we all agreed it's important to continue with this, and revert to it annually, without, however, sacrificing essential protections for consumers, workers or the environment

Strengthening our tools for the future also means finalising and adopting, during this legislative period, vital elements for our Banking Union, not least the Single Resolution Mechanism for which your Parliament's input and approval will be key. We cannot afford delay. The European Council reaffirmed its support for proceeding in accordance with the agreed deadlines. This is simply a matter of credibility

The Single Supervisory Mechanism you adopted last month will be up and running a year from now. During the European Council, we heard from President Draghi about the bank balance sheet assessment the ECB will be overseeing between now and then. This is an important exercise, for which governments must plan well in time, with coordinated and appropriate arrangements, including national backstops. Here too it's a matter of credibility. In the meeting, the members of the European Council supported this exercise. It is vital to ensure that our banks are sound and able to help finance our economic recovery

Beyond the Banking Union, we must keep the momentum on our roadmap for deeper Economic and Monetary Union, set out in the report of the four Presidents. This time, we looked at ways to further strengthen economic policy coordination and we especially discussed the monetary union's social dimension, making sure that we better take into account employment and other social policies. In December, work will continue. We will then take decisions on the main features of contractual arrangements and of associated solidarity mechanisms

This European Council also paid particular attention to strengthening structural economic growth, in line with our competitiveness agenda. After discussing "energy" in May, and before industrial policy in next December and February, this meeting discussed a vital subject for Europe's economic future: the digital economy and innovation

If we are serious about the single market, it has to go digital. At the moment it is still fragmented, our infrastructure soon outdated, businesses are struggling to recruit the IT specialists they need. To turn the situation around, we made pledges in three fields:

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First, investing in the digital economy, notably in innovative infrastructure

Second, promoting a consumer and business friendly digital single market by 2015, inter alia by accelerating work on pending legislative proposals such as the ones on e-identification, e-invoicing and payment services so that they can be adopted before the end of this legislative period

And third, improving digital skills. You know the figures: by 2015 there will be 900,000 digital jobs waiting to be filled. This is not just about making sure that people have the "skills of the future", but also about social inclusion. We agreed more structural funds should go precisely to digital training and retraining

Closely related to this digital agenda, we also discussed innovation, building on the strategic approach we approved in 2011. So all in all, this European Council underlined the importance of a series of measures which should allow the EU to return to the leading position in digital innovation which we had 20 years ago and which we lost. Just as in the field of energy and finance, our single market is fragmented in the digital economy and telecommunications as well. In all these areas, there is huge untapped potential for growth and jobs

The European Council also dealt with recent tragic or worrying events. All of Europe has been shocked by the events off the coast of Lampedusa. Leaders all agreed that determined action should be taken to avoid such tragedies happening again. Our action will be guided by three principles, three values: prevention, protection, and solidarity

We want to continue to address the root causes of illegal migration flows - working with countries of origin and transit. This includes EU development support and a wider political dialogue with third countries. We want to step up the fight against trafficking and smuggling of human beings - on our own territories and in countries of origin and transit. As regards protecting lives, we called for swift implementation of the new European border surveillance system Eurosur. It will help detect vessels and protect and save lives. We called for reinforcing the action of our joint border agency Frontex in the Mediterranean and along the Southeastern borders of the EU

Beyond this, we all agree it's urgent to examine what more can be done in the short term. And that's why we asked the newly established Task Force for the Mediterranean (led by the European Commission, with member states, our diplomatic service and agencies) to come up quickly with concrete short term operational proposals for a more efficient use of European policies and tools

Migration flows are complex phenomena, so we also will have a longer-term reflection on these policies, during our wider strategic debate on upcoming legislative and operational work in the field of freedom, security and justice, at the June 2014 European Council

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As widely reported in the media, we had a discussion about recent developments concerning intelligence issues. European citizens are deeply concerned. Their concerns were reflected in our discussions on this issue

These worries are fully understandable. A partnership such as the one between Europe and the United States must be based on respect and trust, including as regards the work and cooperation of secret services. A lack of trust could prejudice the necessary cooperation in the field of intelligence gathering, a field that - as we all know - is such a vital element in the fight against terrorism

In a joint statement, Heads of State or Government took note of the intention of France and Germany to seek bilateral talks with the US with the aim of finding, before the end of the year, an understanding on mutual relations in the field of intelligence gathering and to create more clarity on how the US gathers its intelligence. Other EU countries are welcome to join this initiative. At this moment, discussions with the US are taking place to make sure that there is a proper follow-up to this initiative

This is by no means the only initiative. After the PRISM allegations in July, a EU-US working group on data protection and surveillance is expected to report before the end of the year. Referring to this Working Group, leaders called for rapid and constructive progress

I am confident that the signal given by the EU's Presidents and Prime-ministers in their joint statement sends a strong signal across the Atlantic that we take this issue seriously, and that we expect the United States, in the coming days and weeks, to give it proper attention, and the follow-up it requires

Finally, we also prepared the Vilnius summit with our six Eastern partners, three weeks from now. We hope to take important, even historic steps, in particular with Ukraine, provided there is determined action and tangible progress to meet the conditions laid down by the Foreign Affairs Council already last December. The Ukrainian leadership knows what has to be done. That Association Agreement will be a test for the Eastern Partnership as a whole. We are also ready to initiate similar agreements with Moldova and Georgia, which could then be signed next autumn

All in all, this was a busy European Council, addressing a number of key issues, and fulfilling its role under the Treaty of giving strategic direction to the work of the Union

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