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BackThis week, during a discussion of the Brussels Think Tank European Policy Centre, European Council President Van Rompuy used dramatic words to describe the development of the European Union. The Member States of the EU were strongly dependent on each other, said Van Rompuy. This had been clearly demonstrated in spring 2010, when one had taken joint steps to combat the crisis of the public-sector budgets. As recently as at the G20 meeting in June, the EU had been regarded as a sick patent. During this time, the Union had been in a period, which was concerned with the survival of the Eurozone and thereby the survival of the European Union itself.
Commenting on the title of the event "Visions for Europe", Herman Van Rompuy started with the cynical remark that the former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt had once replied to a question on his visions: "If you have visions, go see a doctor". And indeed, this year had been concerned with fighting for survival and not with visions.
In spring, the debt crisis had been at the centre of the discussions. Close cooperation and trust had been the leitmotif to ensure the survival of the Eurozone. A number of fiscal and economic policy reforms and measures had become necessary; a solid pact had been achieved, which secured the Euro. It was now necessary to introduce a permanent crisis mechanism to protect the Euro also in future.
It was also new for all institutions involved to combat the crisis within the scope of the Lisbon Treaty, said the Council President. The Treaty provided the political and economic instruments, which the EU needed and which were applied during the crisis. Concerning the trade balance, the European Union would be in a comfortable situation, because it was balanced for the EU27, which was not the case in respect of the USA and China. If the European Union had been regarded as a sick patient at the G20 summit in June, this was no longer the case at the recent G20 summit in Seoul. But the crisis was not over yet, said Rompuy referring to the current headlines. However, he did not directly mention Ireland's debt problems.
However, in spring the EU had demonstrated its capacity to act and would also prove its vigour in the coming years, whatever problems it might be faced with. This would be his vision for the European Union, emphasized Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the end of his speech.
In spring, the debt crisis had been at the centre of the discussions. Close cooperation and trust had been the leitmotif to ensure the survival of the Eurozone. A number of fiscal and economic policy reforms and measures had become necessary; a solid pact had been achieved, which secured the Euro. It was now necessary to introduce a permanent crisis mechanism to protect the Euro also in future.
It was also new for all institutions involved to combat the crisis within the scope of the Lisbon Treaty, said the Council President. The Treaty provided the political and economic instruments, which the EU needed and which were applied during the crisis. Concerning the trade balance, the European Union would be in a comfortable situation, because it was balanced for the EU27, which was not the case in respect of the USA and China. If the European Union had been regarded as a sick patient at the G20 summit in June, this was no longer the case at the recent G20 summit in Seoul. But the crisis was not over yet, said Rompuy referring to the current headlines. However, he did not directly mention Ireland's debt problems.
However, in spring the EU had demonstrated its capacity to act and would also prove its vigour in the coming years, whatever problems it might be faced with. This would be his vision for the European Union, emphasized Council President Herman Van Rompuy at the end of his speech.