| Author (Person) | Taylor, Simon |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.12, No.18, 11.5.06 |
| Publication Date | 11/05/2006 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Simon Taylor Date: 11/05/06 The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso is gambling on being able to avoid a clash with Germany as he seeks to end national vetoes on measures to fight terrorism and organised crime. Setting out his pla ns to revitalise the EU yesterday (10 May), Barroso did not seek to revive the EU constitution, but concentrated instead on what he sees as deliverable policy goals. His "agenda for citizens" included a call for decisions on police and judicial co-operation and legal migration to be taken by qualified majority voting and with a stronger involvement of the European Parliament. Up to now they have been matters for unanimous decision by the Council of Ministers. Germany has traditionally opposed surrendering the vetoes on police and judicial matters. Asked whether he expected Berlin to reject his initiative, Barroso told European Voice: "If they say it's too soon to do this, we'll do it under our presidency, that's fine." Germany takes over the presidency of the Council of Ministers in January. Senior Commission officials explained that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was "on the same broad line as us", especially on the need to improve the effectiveness of efforts to fight terrorism. But they conceded that getting Germany to drop its opposition to majority voting on legal migration would be "more difficult". Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini will present more detailed plans on the switch in June or July and the Finnish presidency will start work on the proposal in the run-up to an informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers in Tampere, Finland, on 20-22 September. While Barroso said he was in favour of majority voting and co-decision, officials said that the decision on what system should be applied for each area of legislation would be taken on a "case-by-case" basis. Unveiling his plan, Barroso said that citizens wanted "more action" in the fight against terrorism and organised crime. He cited the European evidence warrant as an example of a measure which would boost crime-fighting efforts. It is currently blocked, mainly because of opposition from Germany and the Netherlands. "Should we wait for another terrorist attack to have effective action?" he asked. The Commission intended to focus in the near term on delivering on policies which would directly benefit the citizens. Citing the example of recent steps to cut mobile telephone roaming fees, Barroso said most advantages of the single market were for consumers in terms of greater choice and lower prices. The Commission would carry out a review of the single market next year to carry on the progress made so far, Barroso said. He stressed that there would be increased emphasis on solidarity and rights, with an "entitlement card" setting out "citizens' rights and how to use them". Barroso wants national governments to sign up to a "political declaration" as a "commitment to deliver on a policy-driven agenda". This statement could be agreed on the treaty's 50th anniversary next year, he suggested. By 2008, an assessment would be made of the success in delivering on the declaration's goals and any obstacles encountered would feed into a debate on institutional reforms. Barroso rejected suggestions that he had given up on the EU constitution and was seeking to "cherry-pick" the major innovations. But German Socialist MEP Jo Leinen, chairman of the European Parliament's constitutional affairs committee, said: "I am deeply disappointed by the Commission president. It is a big mistake to propose lots of small projects and lose sight of the bigger project, which is the constitutional treaty. He wants to fill the vacuum with this activism on small projects." In its contribution to the June 2006 European Council, adopted on 10 May 2006 the European Commission suggested a move to majority voting in the fields of police and judicial co-operation as well as legal migration. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs, Politics and International Relations, Security and Defence |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
