We need more Europe

The stock-taking exercise on the occasion of the exit of one European presidency to make way for another has now become a custom.

In many ways, the Belgian presidency differed from all its 11 predecessors. It was characterised and shall be remembered within the context of the post-Lisbon Treaty challenges faced by the European Union throughout the past six months; challenges linked to the way in which we work and accomplish matters.

The five objectives of the Belgian Presidency focused directly on these challenges.

The first and probably most important focus of the Belgian presidency was directed to the current socio-economic situation in Europe, and in particular the fight against the economic crisis. It tried to pursue the economic and financial transformation which should lead us towards economic recovery, sustainable growth and more jobs.

Jobless growth is not an option. Few countries have managed to control unemployment levels as we have managed to do. Eurostat, the EU’s statistical arm, consistently placed Malta towards the bottom of the list of member states’ unemployment figures.

A vital element in this context is, of course, the EU 2020 Strategy aimed at bringing us closer to the target of a competitive and green knowledge economy by the year 2020.

However, sustainable growth is not just a matter of economic figures. It is first and foremost a human endeavour. As can be seen in many countries, there is no sustainable growth without social cohesion – which constituted the second theme of the Belgian presidency.

The third priority for the Belgian presidency was protecting the environment and the climate through a low-carbon economy. The Belgian presidency did its utmost to ensure that Europe is and remains the driving force that encourages the international community to strive for ambitious and concrete results, as evidenced at the Climate Change Summit in Cancun, Mexico.

Belgium, with its tradition of consensus-building, was able to contribute in no small manner to these efforts. Malta is very satisfied with the official Cancun agreement, which includes reference to the 2°C target, long-term finance and fast-start financing.

In the margins of this conference Malta has formalised its 2010 fast-start climate finance pledge of €125,000 to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, an initiative led by the United Nations Foundation which aims to replace traditional cooking stoves with modern ones in developing countries.

Shortly, a call by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be launched for expressions of interest from local non-governmental organisations to carry out fast-start finance projects in African countries in the field of climate change. The government has committed €650,000 to be disbursed in this field during 2011 and 2012.

The fourth priority of the Belgian presidency concerned the area of security, justice, asylum and home affairs. Special importance and focus was given to devising a common policy on immigration, asylum rights and effective measures for combating terrorism. This is a domain in which European citizens expect concrete action from Europe.

This brings me to the fifth objective: the EU’s role on the international scene. The challenges here are multifaceted and numerous. One certain thing is that the more we speak with one voice the more we gain leverage in the Union’s collective negotiating position.

Under the Belgian presidency, we also witnessed the granting of visa liberalisation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to Albania, a position strongly supported by the government. Through visa liberalisation agreements, both the EU member states and these respective countries stand to benefit – it is, after all, the granting of increased mobility rights to the citizens we represent.

The Belgian presidency also sustained efforts in another important area which has been close to its heart: the Citizens’ Initiative. Indeed, the goal of the Lisbon Treaty is to promote a more democratic, effective and transparent Europe closer to its citizens.

Belgian Secretary of State Chastel said the “Citizens’ Initiative is the greatest homage we can pay to the Lisbon Treaty’’. It is perhaps even more to the citizens we represent.

I do not think people need convincing that, to get our union and member states in higher gear, we need ‘more Europe’. The objective of ‘more Europe’ was at the very heart of the Belgian presidency’s objectives. We certainly ended the year 2010 with a feeling of a job well done.

Dr Borg is Minister of Foreign Affairs.