Prosperity, security, solidarity: Commission's strategic objectives

Last week, the European Commission published a document, under the signature of its President Manuel Barroso, which outlines the strategic objectives set by the new Commission for its five-year term of office between 2005 and 2009.

The Commission's programme was presented to the European Parliament on January 26 by Mr Barroso, in the presence also of Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, which currently holds the presidency of the Council.

The participation of Mr Juncker in the debate was highly significant since it represented the first time that the President of the European Council has spoken in the European Parliament, during the debate on the Commission's work programme.

His remarks were very emphatic, stating in no uncertain terms that European citizens do not ask whether the EU is the Commission, the Council or the European Parliament because the EU is all three of them and much more. It is therefore essential for all EU institutions to share the same vision and agree on a common set of objectives and, consequently, also priorities.

In the opinion of Mr Juncker, this is precisely what is happening now and this convergence is a very positive consideration.

The three key words chosen by the Commission, to highlight the main thrust of its work programme, are "Prosperity, solidarity and security". Effectively, these key words also reflect the main, current preoccupations of many EU citizens and they were purposely chosen to convey a very strong political message.

Mr Barroso was most eloquent in his speech in front of the European Parliament. "We must be clear about setting priorities to meet citizens' expectations for Europe. (To do this) I believe that we must embark on a process of transformation as bold and as courageous as the single market in 1985, the launch of the single currency, or the unprecedented enlargement of the EU to 25 member states.

"This will require real leadership, both by the European institutions and by governments. We must launch a period of European renewal."

This renewal requires a common effor that must be built on three essential pillars: prosperity, solidarity and security. These pillars are also crucial for Malta, not only as an EU member state, but also on the domestic front.

The EU agenda is also Malta's agenda, in particular during these early years of membership.

Sluggish growth

The European economies are still suffering from sluggish growth and the path to full recovery remains difficult to attain. Due weight must be given to the fact that many issues have acquired a global dimension and that, consequently, no sustained, long-term growth is possible unless measures are taken to boost competitiveness throughout Europe, relative to that in the other major, international economic players.

This requires certain structural reforms and cannot rest on the simple injection of funds, even if these could be made available in excess of current resources.

The Commission is contending that, for Europe to be put back on the path to long-term prosperity, a new impetus must be given to the Lisbon Strategy. This requires concurrent progress along three fronts.

First of all it is necessary to create a more business-friendly environment. This requires consolidating further the assurance, already enjoyed by enterprises in Europe, that they can operate within a stable macro-economic framework.

This positive stability can be enhanced further through measures that would strengthen the internal market, which has to be a veritable single market for the whole of Europe.

This implies additional consideration for a common approach on questions of corporate governance and intellectual property, a uniform strategy to facilitate the establishment of new businesses, and measures to promote further competition in the widest number of fields possible and to ensure that this competition is fair.

This strategic orientation must be supported by adequate investment in those areas that can contribute most towards growth. This includes greater expenditure on research and development and on measures that are likely to foster innovation but also additional expenditure on higher education, which the Commission considers to be "the key to create a thriving knowledge economy".

In parallel, it is also necessary to secure the necessary level of investment to resolve current and potential bottlenecks in transport, telecommunications and energy networks.

One of the biggest challenges is to translate measures that boost the economy into ones that also generate employment.

Besides the obvious need to broaden further educational opportunities, especially in the context of ongoing retraining, it is also necessary to introduce greater flexibility in the labour force and the job market.

Combating crime and terrorism

Material well-being would be of little value if citizens are unable to enjoy the benefits of their work in a free and secure environment. Security must therefore be another crucial objective.

This broad term implies the adoption of more effective measures to combat organised crime and terrorism but also an enhanced ability to prevent, inasmuch as this is possible, both crime and terrorism, and to react effectively in the face of natural disasters and other crises.

As events have shown, the issue of security can no longer be tackled exclusively at the national level but requires a broader, unified approach; a common approach which must be developed and championed by the EU as a whole. In this respect, it is expected that the ratification of the European Constitution will strengthen the Union's ability to act decisively in this field.

Equally relevant is the principle of solidarity. The prosperity of Europe must be a shared prosperity and it cannot be based on the acceptance of wide disparities between different regions or on the exclusion of particular segments of the population.

A key element within the Commission's programme is to implement, with greater effect, the use of cohesion policies to promote competitiveness and growth as the most effective way to reduce economic disparities.

The protection of fundamental rights and the fight against discrimination have always been at the forefront of the political agenda in the EU and must remain so. In its five-year programme, the Commission reinforces this underlying principle while putting additional emphasis on some related concepts.

One of the most important is the concept of solidarity to future generations through an additional emphasis on environmental protection, not the least in the field of climate change in which the EU has already taken a lead position in the international arena.

World partner

The environment is one area where it has long been obvious that action needs to be planned and implemented at the global level. This same requirement has now become manifest in many other areas, including on questions of economic growth and security.

The recent tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean was another clear example of the need for intervention at an international level.

It is important that Europe is ready to accept the role and act as a unified voice and power at the international level.

In the words of the Commission, Europe must act as a world partner. Quoting directly from the Commission's programme:

"In the world today, we can only deliver fully our key internal priorities if we succeed on the world scene. Globalisation and increasing interdependence have abolished many of the old distinctions between internal and external policy challenges.

"The political clout of the Union should better match its economic weight. To address this goal, the Union must achieve greater political coherence in external action. If it wants to have a stronger presence and influence on the international scene, it needs to speak with a single voice and promote a coherent stand."