Centre-right leaders seek fresh ideas for EU[fr][de] 

The European Ideas Network (EIN), an EPP-affiliated think-tank, held its yearly summer university  in Vienna on 15-17 October.

Following the appointment of their champion José Manuel Barroso for a second consecutive mandate as European Commission president, centre-right leaders put their heads together to try and seek fresh ideas for Europe for the next five years and beyond.

The meeting took place as the Commission's services are preparing so-called 'legacy documents' and policy briefings to help the incoming commissioners with their hearings before Parliament.

However, except for the 'political guidelines' (EurActiv 03/09/09) issued by Barroso ahead of his confirmation hearing in the EU assembly in September, there has been little indication so far of the Commission's priorities for the next five years.

With policymakers currently focusing on getting out of the economic and financial crises, there has been little public debate so far on the EU's economic and social programme for the next five years.

In Vienna, centre-right politicians and intellectuals debated ways of 'Putting People at the Heart of Europe'. But they were torn between long- and short-term priorities for Europe, as indicated by the subtitles in the programme: 'The world in 2025', which also has implications for Europe's future architecture, and 'The basis for social and economic recovery,' involving short-term regulatory measures.

Outlining the ambitions of the Vienna conference, Joseph  Daul, chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, said : "We are the political family of balance, of moderation, of responsibility. But that does not and should not refrain audacity, imagination or risk-taking, on the contrary! […] I invite you to 'think out of the box', as the British say, to think out loud."

For Daul, the centre-right stands for "innovation" and "change", not for conservatism. "If we are gathering this afternoon, it is because we represent a political family which embodies and defends values and which at the same time promotes innovation and evolution - in short: change."

"My group, the EPP, is not a conservative group but a reformist group, without ever losing sight [of the fact that] that our positions should be based on our ideals and values. Ideals and values of tolerance but also of responsibility. Ideals and values of respect for the other but also confidence and respect for our word."

Daul admitted that such a balance was "very difficult to find" and is "not always very media-friendly". But he said this was "not so bad after all as we are not in politics to satisfy the needs of the media".

Lisbon strategy and innovation

For his part, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso focused his intervention on the need to ratify and implement the Lisbon Treaty. However, he did not directly address its namesake, the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, which is set to come up for review in 2010. 

With the exception of European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, few speakers directly addressed the replacement of the Lisbon Strategy, although this is expected to be at the core of the new Commission's programme, in addition to financial market regulation and monitoring economic recovery programmes. However, think-tanks meeting on the margins of the conference were said to be focusing in the coming months on innovation policies.

EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding, who is expected to continue in the next Commission with an enlarged 'Digital Europe' portfolio striding both media and telecoms, called for market forces to be unleashed and barriers to cross-border trade reduced.

Enlargement

In Vienna, one of the sessions focused on 'the geographical limits of the EU and neighbourhood policy'. The session, organised under the influence of Paris and Berlin, underlined the importance of thinking ahead regarding current EU accession negotiations and future applicant countries.

While nobody questioned the EU's past enlargements - about which there are nevertheless differences of opinion - the general tone was about letting Western Balkan countries join the EU once they have truly met all criteria, as well as thinking about other solutions for Ukraine and the Caucasus. 

Jean-Dominique Giuliani, chairman of Schuman Foundation, stated that given the lack of support for enlargement among EU citizens, "a Europe without borders is not a democratic Europe". He explained that "if we continue like that, we will have the UN plus the WTO" [instead of the EU], instead advocating extension to the Western Balkans before "setting the borders, at least provisionally". 

He also called for a more active neighbourhood policy, contrasting the little help currently offered to Ukraine with the major support provided by the US when the country gave up nuclear weapons. "We give only peanuts to our neighbours. A real neighbourhood policy is first of all a policy with real financial means."

Answering a question from EurActiv about future distinctions between socio-economic integration and enlargement as we know it, Manfred Scheich, a former Austrian Permanent Representative to the EU, said "pragmatism can be good, but too much can be dangerous". 

"This [choosing the form of integration] should be done on the basis of mutual interest. Whether or nor a country should join the EU will depend on the country's situation. One cannot give a categorical answer, this is to be negotiated," he said. 

Dr. Sali Ram Berisha, prime minister of Albania, addressed his country's readiness to join the EU, while Eka Tkeshelashvili, a former foreign minister of Georgia, explained that her country is a potential candidate in the long term.

Transatlantic relations

Despite the focus of the conference on domestic EU and enlargement issues, several speakers triggered international debates. For example Vincente Fox, a former president of Mexico, advocated considering depenalising drugs to reduce their economic and health impacts on society. His presence on a panel devoted to transatlantic relations reminded listeners that these debates are not limited to EU-US dealings. 

Fox also described major divides within the Latin American continent, particularly over initiatives by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, thereby putting Europe’s smaller differences into perspective.

During the closing session, Jose Maria Aznar, a former prime minister of Spain, gave a profoundly transatlantic speech questioning the Obama administration's lack of resolve on issues like Afghanistan, where he said "we need a winning strategy, not an exit strategy". 

He spoke of freedom and market orientation, criticising long institutional processes, and recommended focusing on improving the lives of Europeans. 

Asked by EurActiv about European integration beyond institutional enlargement, in the context of French and German ideas of strategic partnerships while awaiting the results of the Gonzales reflection group on the future of Europe, Aznar said the EU's borders should be determined, making a clear distinction between the Western Balkans and other countries, and Russia should be denied a say in EU and NATO decisions.