Press Release

Declaration on the conclusions of the
EPP-ED Group Study Days
Paris, 6 to 8 March 2000


Introduction

Ten years ago, the Declaration adopted by the countries participating in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, meeting here in the French capital, put an end to the division of our continent engendered by 40 years of communism and symbolised by the Berlin wall.
This was the start of a new era for a Europe which was developing its own identity.

Since then, year by year, the creation of the single market, the launch of the Euro, the emergence of a common foreign and security policy, including the principle of an EU rapid reaction force, and the creation of an area of freedom, security and justice have marked further important milestones in European construction.

The chance to unifiy our continent is a further challenge to which we must respond.

Ten years after this Declaration the EPP-ED Group is promoting new forms for political co-operation, sensitive to the concerns of European citizens.

The EPP-ED Group sends, therefore, an appeal to the citizens of Europe, set out in five points below calling on them to play an active part in joint action which we Europeans must take in response to the challenges which face us all.


1. A citizens' Europe, the 'Charter of Fundamental Rights'

We are building Europe for our citizens: they should be on centre stage. We shall be successful only if we Europeans are aware that Europe is helping to improve our lives, liberty and security and that this Europe increases our rights.

The EPP/ED Group underlines the need for developed, codified and secured fundamental rights in the EU, respecting Treaty obligations, and believes that a Charter on Fundamental Rights can foster European Identity and European Citizenship.

* Such a Charter should apply to the European Institutions, be incorporated into the Treaties and should apply to the Member states only when transposing or implementing EU law.

* The proposed Fundamental Rights Charter should therefore respect the principle of subsidiarity; its purpose is to constitute a catalogue of fundamental rights, not to give the Union new powers in this field.

* The Charter should also give all persons under its protection access to the European Court of justice by supplementing existing mechanisms for judicial review.

* Certain rights should be reserved to EU citizens only, such as the right to vote in specified elections in the EU


2. A more effective, democratic and transparent Europe

Preserving the Community principle should be the main objective of the Intergovernmental Conference. The EPP/ED Group proposes that the reform of the EU Institutions should take into account criteria such as :

• A more effective democratic and transparent Union
  
  
• A fair and just representation of all Member states in all EU Institutions
  

Whereas, to this date, the development of the EU has succeeded due to a commonly agreed and accepted correlation of forces as well as distribution of powers between the EU Institutions and whereas this correlation of forces is reflected in all EU Institutions and must be preserved in future, therefore, the reform of the EU Institutions should occur taking into consideration the legitimate interest of all Member states. In addition, this reform of the EU Institutions should take into consideration the demand for a more fair distribution of powers between the EU Institutions themselves.

In this context the EPP/ED Group proposes :

* for the European Parliament:

• draft International Treaties and proposed changes of the EU Treaty itself shall be submitted to the Parliament for its assent.
  
• a closer involvement in and association with regard to the main economic orientations to be decided at EU level.
  

* for the Council:

• as the general rule, qualified majority voting with a simple double majority should be introduced (that is: majority of Member States, representing a majority of the EU population) combined with codecision with the European Parliament; exceptions could be governed by a catalogue of criteria (including modifications of the EU Treaty, the European electoral law, as well as EU enlargement and its own resources).
  
  
• Council meetings should become more transparent, by limiting closed door sessions, by more easy access to documents by the public (Internet), including more detailed Council minutes; well acting as co-legislator, the Council should take its formal decision, possibly by a vote, in public session, bearing in mind that the Parliament meets in public both in plenary session and in committee meetings.
  

* the flexibility clause should serve as stimulus for the Member states and should become more operational and require that a substantial minority of the Member States participate under this clause; enhanced co-operation in CFSP matters should become a possibility under certain circumstances, as well as in matters within the 3rd pillar: justice and home affairs. In this context the Commission as guardian of the Treaties and the EP (co-decision) must be involved and the unity of the legal framework as well as of the Institutions must be guaranteed.

* especially as a consequence of the flexibility required under the "New Economy" (see under 5), the EU legislative process should be re-examined with a view to shortening the procedures while maintaining the Parliament's right of co-decision.


3. Enlargement

The PPE-DE Group reaffirms its conviction that enlargement provides a political opportunity to establish an area of peace and stability over the whole European continent, based on democratic principles, the rule of law and respect for human rights and minorities. This enlargement is a moral obligation towards people who have been artificially separated from us for decades; it is also the culmination of the dream of our European Community's founding fathers. The Helsinki European Council in December 1999, following a proposal already put forward by the European People's Party at its Congress in Toulouse and adopted by the European Parliament, decided that accession negotiations will be conducted with all the applicant States. The PPE-DE Group is determined that this enlargement must take place in such a way as to preserve the most precious benefits of 40 years of European integration: an integration which has enabled our countries to progress towards political union at a hitherto unthinkable speed.

* We insist that the momentum unleashed when the Berlin wall came down must be maintained, leading towards the entry of applicant States at the earliest possible moment. We state our willingness to proceed to the first assent votes during this legislature when negotiations have been concluded successfully and on the basis of a thorough revision of the existing EU Institutions and policies.

* We insist that a fundamental requirement for eligibility for EU membership must be the acceptance of the democratic norms of political life and a rejection of totalitarian rule by full implementation of the Copenhagen criteria.


4. Europe's presence in the world

Europe must play a more active part in international relations. A coherent and effective foreign policy will help us to uphold our values and interests.

The PPE-DE Group puts forward the following proposals.

* A more active EU role in international security will help to strengthen transatlantic solidarity, which remains crucial for European defence.

* In this capacity the EU should call for a revision of existing international legal instruments, such as conventions and protocols, in order to respond adequately to the duty to assist civilians in danger during a war.

* The EU should develop its own sea and air transport capacity to allow for the provision of humanitarian aid in case of major natural disasters

* Under the Amsterdam Treaty, the dual structure comprising the Commission and the High Representative will apply; the High Representative should report on a regular basis to the Commission as well as to the Parliament, thus involving both in his activities.

* The single legal personality of the European Union in its external representation must be written into the Treaty.

* After the establishment with effect from 1 March of the new political and security structures, on the political level, informal meetings of EU Defence Ministers and Joint Meetings of EU Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers should be promoted.

* In co-ordinating EU and Member States' non-military instruments in international crisis management, the Commission must be given a leading role, including the necessary instruments; in this context an early warning system should be developed with a view to preventing humanitarian crises or to responding adequately where such a crisis has occurred.

* When developing operational (military) capabilities for crisis management within the Petersberg tasks, military and civilian crisis management have to come under a higher joint decision-making body, with Commission participation, so as to avoid a split between civilian and military crisis management.


5. Dynamic and sustainable economic development

Radical changes are underway in the European economy, driven by new technologies, worldwide competition and shifting consumer preferences. And the recent launch of the Euro, combined with the deepening impact of the internal market programme, makes this a crucial moment for the European economy. The EPP-ED Group believes that the present economic upturn provides a window of opportunity to break with old habits, and to carry out economic, financial, fiscal and company law reforms which will encourage innovation and new business start-ups, creating new jobs.

* The emphasis must be on decision-making by individuals, enterprises and shareholders within a framework where the EU and Member States remove unnecessary regulation, crack down on anti-competitive practices, create more efficient public utilities, and improve the way industrial change is anticipated, prepared for and managed. A European Company Statute and EU-wide rules governing takeover bids must be introduced.

* Central to progress is the early extension of the internal market programme to all remaining sectors and notably financial services and public procurement. At the same time, the programme must be modernised to allow e-commerce to flourish, thus creating new EU-wide or even world-wide markets, and strengthen the position of SME´s in the light of the ongoing mergers of multinational corporations in the ICT sector. The EPP-ED group must focus on legal certainty for consumers and business, and create conditions for investments in the information society sector, in order to create new jobs in the European internet-economy.

* The EU will have to adapt its methods in order to anticipate and respond more rapidly to such change. While the EPP-ED Group advocates a light regulatory touch, this should not mean reliance on 'soft law', such as codes of conduct and Green Papers, where there is no Parliamentary input. One possibility would be the wider use of framework directives, allowing for implementing measures to be decided through one single reading followed by Parliament-Council conciliation where necessary.