Tal
Clingendael institute, Nederländerna 14 juli 2009
Cecilia Malmström, EU-minister

Tal av Cecilia Malmström, Clingendael institute, Nederländerna, på engelska

Det talade ordet gäller.

Your excellencies,
Mr. Minister Frans Timmermans
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to start by thanking Mr. de Zwaan for the kind invitation. I am very happy to be here today, and it's an honour for me to continue the tradition of presenting the Presidency's priorities here at the Clingendael institute.

Let me also begin by saying how pleased I am to have chosen the Netherlands for my first visit as a representative of the Presidency.

Our two countries share a similar view on most issues on the European agenda. We also have a common tradition of open and transparent government, that fuels our ambition to reform the European Union.

A little more than two weeks ago, on 1 July, I received the symbolic glass relay-stick from the Czech Minister for European Affairs at a ceremony in Stockholm. This marked the official transfer of the Presidency from the Czech Republic to Sweden.

I dare to say that the first two weeks have passed quite smoothly, and this is much thanks to the close cooperation we have had with France and the Czech Republic within the framework of the Presidency trio.

The advantage of working within a trio is that we can ensure continuity and make sure that the Union keeps its focus on the long-term agenda. Through a common 18-month programme and close personal contacts, we have been able to secure a smooth transfer between the three different presidencies.

It's no secret that the weeks running up to 1 July meant a lot of uncertainty due to the situation in the Czech Republic. As you are aware, the Czech government resigned in April and was replaced by an interim administration that had to deal with quite a delicate agenda.

That was far from an ideal situation, but I would like to compliment the Czech government on doing its best and that it was still able to conclude the Presidency in an acceptable way.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sweden is assuming the Presidency in a difficult and very special time. Europe is facing a number of challenges, where citizens rightly expect the European Union to deliver on results.

Our Presidency is also surrounded by a number of particular circumstances, something which requires a high degree of creative and flexible leadership.

The first circumstance has to do with the European Parliament.

This evening, I will fly on to Strasbourg, where the newly elected parliament is holding its first session. It will of course take another few months before Parliament will be ready to deliver on the heavy dossiers currently on the table.

The second one is about the Commission.

A new college is to be appointed this autumn, and until then, the Commission will hardly be operational. Last week, Member States formally nominated José Manuel Barroso as president for a second term.

Hopefully, the European Parliament will be ready to approve this decision in September. It's only with Parliament's approval that Mr Barroso will be able to plan the composition of the new Commission.

The Lisbon Treaty is the third quite specific circumstance, as it will determine the size of the Commission and how the Union is to be run in the future.

The fate of the Treaty will be decided in a referendum in Ireland in early October. It's of course completely up to the Irish people to decide, but it's no secret that I hope for a yes. This would make it possible for the Treaty to come into force by the end of this year.

To summarise: we find ourselves in a somewhat complicated situation that surely requires a large degree of planning and flexibility.

Sometimes, however, things turn out like the John Lennon song "Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans".

Planning is important, but things seldom turn out the way you intended. That means that we also have to expect the unexpected and plan for the unplanned.

It is obvious that the European Union and its Member States are faced with a number of challenges that need to be tackled here and now, and that also require long-term reforms.

I would like to highlight five areas, which the Swedish Presidency has identified as key priorities for the six months to come.

The first priority is that Europe must emerge from the economic crisis in a stronger position.

The financial and economic crisis has swept over the world like a tornado. In its wake, it leaves declining growth, bankruptcies and unemployment that will continue to rise during the coming months.

In my home-town Göteborg, thousands of people working in car production have received notice, and the situation is similar elsewhere in Europe.

In some Member States, a booming economy has rapidly been turned into negative growth, putting public finances on the brink of collapse.

This is the bad news. However, there are positive signs.

Today, EU Member States are acting together to find solutions to this crisis. 27 countries are in the same boat, navigating in the same direction. Imagine for a second the other option, with 27 European countries sitting in different boats, rowing in 27 different directions.

Thanks to joint action by the European Union, we have been able to avoid a collapse of the entire financial system. In the autumn and winter of last year, Member States agreed on a common recovery plan with a number of measures to offset the recession, reduce its impact on employment and improve competitiveness.

At the European Council in June, the Commission was asked to table a proposal on a common European system for financial supervision. We hope to reach an agreement on this issue during the autumn.

The Presidency will continue the work begun under the leadership of France and the Czech Republic. Our ambition is to work to restore confidence in the financial markets, combat the negative impact of the crisis, and also to create long-term solutions for sustainable growth and employment in the long term.

All this is part of strengthening and speeding up the implementation of the EU Strategy for growth and jobs, known as the Lisbon Strategy.

The current process is coming to an end next year, and it's clear that Europe will need a new strategy for the future. There is currently a lot of discussion on the contents, and Sweden will prepare a decision to be taken during the Spanish Presidency next spring.

The Swedish message on this is clear. Europe needs a plan focusing on long-term growth and securing welfare in a time that is marked by increased global competition and an ageing population.

This is why we aim for a sharp strategy that paves the way for open markets, promotes a green economy and an innovative business climate, and that stimulates knowledge and research.

How can we save jobs and welfare? Well, the answer to this question is not that each Member State is turning inwards to protect its own industry.

No, it's only through a strong single market that is open to the outside world, it's only through more cooperation - not less - that post-crisis Europe can be stronger than today.

The second priority is climate.

The fight against climate change is indeed the greatest challenge of this generation. That's why it is crucial that the Union carries on its work to fight climate change, despite the economic crisis.

Ambitious commitments have been made. A year and a half ago, Member States decided to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent until the year 2020, or by 30 per cent if we reach a deal on a global climate agreement. This must be considered a historic agreement, that would not have been possible just a few years earlier.

Later this year, we will enter into decisive international negotiations running up to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December. Ensuring success here is an absolute top priority for the Swedish Presidency. Our goal is that large parts of the world will back an ambitious agreement limiting the increase in mean temperature to 2 degrees Celsius.

A significant step in this direction was taken last week, as G8 leaders made far-reaching commitments on reducing CO2 emissions, with the US administration completely onboard.

But there is still a long way to go. Growing economies will also need to come forward with stronger national efforts as a part of an international agreement. As president of the European Union, Sweden will pursue a proactive dialogue with all parties involved in order to reach a deal in Copenhagen. I know that I can count on the support on the Netherlands in this process.

But part of the secret of success is also that Europe is doing its homework and that all 27 Member States stick together.

There are EU countries claiming that we can't afford to prioritise climate in this time of crisis. The truth is, however, that we cannot afford not to.

Let me underline that climate change is not only a threat. It also brings opportunities to green our economies and create conditions for climate-smart jobs. Now is the time to seize these opportunities.

The third priority is about the Union's role in the world and the relations with our neighbourhood.

The Swedish Presidency will continue to strengthen the European Union as a global actor.

We will push a foreign policy agenda with European values such as human rights and democracy at its core. And we will take steps towards a policy where trade measures, development assistance and security policy pull in the same direction.

During the autumn, Europe's relations with the rest of the world will be strengthened through summits with the United States, Russia, China, Brazil, Ukraine and South Africa.

However, the best way to spread European values in our neighbourhood has proven to be the enlargement of the European Union.

"Uniting Europe is like building a snowman on the equator". This has been said about the prospects of cooperation in Europe.

This being said, we recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of what has been the greatest success in the Union's history.

In just a few years, Europe has united in a way that nobody would have dreamed of in the late 80's. EU membership has contributed to the rule of law, democratisation, open markets, and the protection of minorities.

Let me give you an example. A little more than two weeks ago, the Czech Republic finished its six-month period as president of the European Union.

What is this, if not true evidence showing that the ideas of Monnet and Schuman have won the battle over those of Josef Stalin?

The Swedish Presidency will work to ensure that the EU stands by its commitments in the area of enlargement. A condition for this is of course that full respect is paid to conditionality and that Candidate States continue on the road of reform.

This applies to the Balkan countries, where the membership perspective is an important catalyst for reform. It's important that we continue to give a clear signal that undertaking reform and painful decisions will actually pay off in the end.

This also applies to Turkey. The negotiation process that has started with Turkey is paving the way for a development that's in the interest of the whole region. A lot remains to be done in Turkey, that's for sure. However, provided that the requirements are fulfilled, Sweden intends to open one or two chapters in the membership negotiations with Turkey.

The fourth priority is a Europe that is safe and secure.

Cross-border crime is a problem on the rise across Europe. Trafficking in human beings, drug and organ trade, terrorism and child pornography are examples of international crime that doesn't stop at national boundaries.

Europe must be given better tools to tackle these serious problems. To do this, we need to strengthen information exchange and increase confidence between our national law enforcement authorities.

For Sweden, it is also a priority to create a better balance between repressive measures and reforms safeguarding the rights of the individual.

Outlining how we can make Europe more safe, open and secure is an important step in this direction. A new five-year work programme for justice and home affairs will be adopted during the Swedish Presidency, and follow up on the programme agreed on here in the Hague in 2004.

Next to cooperation in fighting cross-border crime, this programme will include cooperation in the fields of asylum and migration.

Mobility of people from countries outside the EU is sometimes seen as a threat to European security. But we need to look on this the other way, because migration is becoming an increasingly important contribution to Europe's wealth.

Despite the current economic crisis, EU Member States will face a shortage of labour within just a few years. In order to meet these needs, we need to create a common, flexible system for labour migration that can increase the attractivity of the European Union.

Meanwhile, many asylum-seekers continue to come to Europe. The differences in Member State policies is creating an asylum lottery, that leads to an unfair distribution, but also to tragedies for many of those seeking a new future in Europe. It's important that responsibility can be shared between all Member States, and this is why the Swedish Presidency will prioritise the work to establish a common asylum system.

The Baltic Sea is the fifth priority of the Presidency.

Twenty years ago, the Baltic Sea was split in two by the Iron Curtain. Today, it is a European inland sea where eight of the nine littoral states are members of the same Union.

Whereas we share common challenges that we must meet together, we are also bound by the same European rules and regulations. This may sound as an ideal situation, but improvement can still be made in order to make full use of these advantages.

The Swedish Presidency plans for the adoption of an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region during the autumn. The idea of the Strategy is to find smart ways of applying EU law and financing possibilities in a similar manner throughout the region.

By running concrete, common projects, we will be able to contribute to a cleaner sea, fighting cross-border crime and turning the region into a centre for growth.

The Baltic Sea Region is quite a distinct area, so what's the point of involving the entire Union in this work? Well, it's a fact that prosperous regions strengthen each other, and this is why a growing Baltic Sea region is good also for other parts of Europe.

Likewise, if the Mediterranean develops in a favourable way, the positive effects will spill over on Scandinavia. And a prosperous development around the Danube would most certainly contribute to growth in southern Europe.

This is why Sweden considers macro-regional cooperation to be one of the key tasks for the European Union in the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I have dwelt on a number of challenges that Sweden will have to handle during the next six months. Our ambition is to take a few steps on the way towards strengthening European action in these areas.

However, if the EU is to be successful in meeting long-term challenges, the Union will need more of reform and modernisation.

One of the keys here is to get a new Treaty in place. One of the remaining obstacles to this was removed a couple of weeks ago, as the German constitutional court gave a green light to the Lisbon Treaty. It's now the Irish people who will have the final say.

The Lisbon Treaty is a tool that will make decision-making more effective. But it will also deepen democracy by giving more power to the European Parliament and increasing the influence of national parliaments on the Union's agenda. Transparency in the work of the institutions will increase, which is and has always been a priority both for Sweden and the Netherlands.

A second key is a modernisation of the European budget. Today, 40 per cent of the budget is earmarked for agricultural subsidies, which is simply not reasonable. If we are serious about meeting the challenges, we must use our resources in the best possible way and adapt the budget to citizens' reality.

In the upcoming review of the long-term budget, we will need to give priority to areas where common action is needed, which also means cutting back on areas where there is no, or limited, European added value.

Just over a month ago, citizens in 27 Member States elected the 736 Members of the European Parliament.

In Sweden, turnout increased from the lowest level in the old Member States to just above the European average. This increase is, at least partly, the result of hard work. Still, I am far from satisfied, since more than half of the population abstained from voting.

I am even more concerned about the situation in many other Member States, where turnout went down compared to the elections five years ago.

Those of us who are engaged in European politics need to do some serious thinking on people choose not to use their right to vote, and how we can fuel the interest in the European elections in the future.

Let me quote the late Louise Weiss, who was a famous French intellectual and Member of the European Parliament.

"European institutions have produced European beets, butter, cheese, wine, veal and even pigs. But they have not produced Europeans".

It's possible that Louise Weiss was right.

But is it really so that every citizen of the Union needs to have a European identity in order to take an interest in issues on the European agenda?

No, I don't think so. And it's definitely not my task as a politician to convince people to feel European.

I believe there are other ways to increase citizens' interest in European politics, and these ways will be found in our respective Member States.

I'd like to share three points with you that I consider to be particularly important in this respect.

First, we need to start discussing concrete issues that are of concern to citizens, issues that can move Europe from Brussels to our kitchen tables.

It's about how Europe can contribute to solving the climate problem, how we can work together for new jobs to emerge or how we want to use the Union to fight organised crime. It's about food safety or how to make it easier for patients to receive healthcare abroad.

I would very much like to compliment the Dutch government on the work they are doing in this field. Even with a limited knowledge of Dutch, I can tell that Frans Timmermans' blog and the Foreign Ministry's European website are two examples of good communication.

Secondly, as politicians we need to make clear that European politics is equal to domestic politics, because it has a direct effect on citizens. We need to explain that decisions taken by parliamentarians and ministers in Brussels are directly connected to local politics in Amsterdam, Athens or Antwerp.

And thirdly, we need to work on all levels to move European issues into the day-to-day political debate in the Member States.

We know that European citizens expect the European Union to deliver in the areas I mentioned earlier.

It's only when this actually happens, and only the day when European issues become part of the domestic debate that citizens are used to, that people across the Union will start being anxious about Europe.

For quite a long time, my country was known for its euro-scepticism. Today, it's a different Sweden leading Europe.

We are a constructive partner that wants to strengthen and develop the Union. It's the government's clear ambition that Sweden should be a Member State in the core of Europe. We stand by this policy in Brussels, and we stand by this policy back home.

This new European orientation has also led to a significant shift in the Swedish public opinion. More Swedes than ever before have a positive view on the EU membership and consider the EU to be an important forum for solving problems that we share with others.

It's quite obvious that this makes it easier for the government to work constructively in leading the European Union.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we all know, there is no lack of challenges facing the European Union at present.

It's important to be realistic, but I can assure you that the Swedish Presidency will do everything in its power to pushing our Union in a direction where it can make difference in solving problems that we all share.

Sweden will take on the challenge. In this work, I hope to stay in close contact and keep up the good cooperation with your government. During our Presidency and thereafter.

Thank you