Mister President
Honourable Members of Parliament
It is with great satisfaction that I appear today before the Assembly of the Republic to participate in this debate that marks the end of the Portuguese presidency. I am happy with the fact that the prestige of our country became stronger after this presidency – since our capacity to reach consensus was recognised, as well as the technical capacity of our negotiators and our true European spirit. I am also happy because we participated in the construction of a pioneer exercise of coordination among successive presidencies, through the Trio made up of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, which allows for a greater coherence in the Union’s actions.
Throughout these six months, we took significant steps in some important areas, which resulted in an effective strengthening of the European project. Right from the start, we broke the institutional impasse that lasted for several years: with a solid mandate reached under the German presidency, we were able in just three months to hold an Intergovernmental Conference that culminated in the adoption of a new Treaty, the Treaty of Lisbon, signed at Jerónimos Monastery, last 13 December.
We also strengthened the European project with the enlargement of the Schengen Area, a deed that became possible with the Portuguese proposal known as “SISone4all”. With this solution, the integration of the new Member States in the current Schengen Information System became possible, within the deadline that had been stipulated. Thus, we consolidated the free circulation of persons, one of the cornerstones of the European project. The prime minister will visit, during the next few days, the new borders in the Union.
We gave new impetus to the Lisbon Strategy by contributing, in close articulation with the future Slovenian presidency, to the preparation of the Strategy’s new cycle. This confirms that the Lisbon Agenda is still the adequate framework for the answer that Europe must give to the challenges it faces.
We were able to make progress in all sectors, contributing with small and, sometimes, big steps. I would to point out the adoption of a decision that is integrated in the Galileo programme, which includes its financing, governance and public engagement.
We led the debate on common principles for flexicurity. In the area of telecommunications for the information society and after 20 years of complex negotiations, the Portuguese presidency was able to reach an agreement on the Postal Service Directive, which will completely liberalise postal services in the Union, starting on 31 December 2010.
Concerning the environment, I would like to point out the European Union’s contribution to the Bali Conference, where it was successful the fundamental principle of absolute need to substantially cut greenhouse gas emissions so as to prevent global warming from reaching dangerous levels. We launched the bases of an integrated European maritime policy, to ensure the necessary synergies among the various sector policies, in full respect of the subsidiarity principle and the specificities of each Member State. In agriculture we were able, yesterday, to reach an agreement in the wine sector, which is essential for a sector that faces decreases in consumption and competition from the New World. In the same area, political agreements were reached on the restructuring of the sugar sector and the alteration of the legal framework for the CAP financing.
We reinforced the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, particularly in the area of migrations, where the need to act was evident, focusing on the convergence between migrations and development and stimulating the debate on legal immigration.
In Strasbourg, on 12 December, we proclaimed the Charter of Fundamental Rights and agreed on the establishment of a European Day against the Death Penalty, to be celebrated on 10 October. In New York, during the 3rd Commission of the United Nations General Assembly, we co-sponsored and engaged ourselves, in the name of the European Union, in the approval of a resolution on a moratorium against the death penalty. The voting of this resolution justly represents a milestone in the collective and ever more universal effort to put an end to the death penalty.
As for enlargement, we remained faithful to our compromises, giving continuity and furthering the negotiation processes for the accession of Croatia and Turkey to the European Union.
Mister President
Honourable Members of Parliament
We believe that during these six months Europe has become more confident to undertake its responsibilities in the international framework. As I have had the occasion to state here, the pressure to solve the institutional question came not only from the European Union but also from the international community, which expected a greater compromise from Europe to solve conflict situations.
At a time when States face the limitations of their individual capacities to act, the European Union and its collective mechanisms, now substantially reinforced with the Treaty of Lisbon, emerge as the obvious solution to the new dynamics of the international system.
Thus, our concern was to enhance the European potential by using the resources available to the Union in several areas. And, most of all, we launched a debate on common European interests that represent the basis of the Union’s external policy, which is starting to bear fruit. An external policy which, although it is not meant to replace national external policies, must however be capable of reflecting the convergence and meeting points of all Member States. Such an approach enables a better coordination of our actions at a global level, in facing the issues of the globalisation agenda – from climate change to energy security, from Human Rights defence to multilateral issues of security, disarmament and non-proliferation. It also enables us to define, in a new stage of integration, the European vision of the transatlantic relationship, the situation in the Western Balkans and its future perspectives, the stabilisation of our relations with the Arab world and the special importance of the shared Mediterranean area, as well as the deepening of our relationship with Africa and, on a broader scale, with all the other regions of the world. This contribution of the Portuguese presidency, reinforced by the Treaty of Lisbon, became the source of our action plan on a concrete level.
Right from the start, in the Western Balkans, the Union undertook its due task and played a leading role to reinforce stability in the region. I personally sent this message to all governments in the region, and I assured them all that the future of the Western Balkans is in the European Union. In this perspective, and with the Commission’s collaboration, we were able to further strengthen our relationship with the region. We engaged ourselves in the negotiating process on the Future of Kosovo, by ensuring the Union’s involvement through the appointment of a representative of the 27 Member States, to be present at the troika of facilitators during negotiations between Belgrade and Pristine. The European Council clearly said that the Union was willing to put into practice the solution that will define the future statute for Kosovo, namely through an ESDP mission and the contribution of an international civil cabinet, integrated in the international presence.
Has we had proposed, we gave special attention to the Mediterranean, in political as well as economic terms, highlighting its strategic relevance for the Union. We held six meetings with our partners on the southern side: in the area of foreign affairs, on migrations and on sectorial areas such as Ecofin, Trade, Transportation and Energy.
In the Middle East, the presidency tried to reinforce the role of the European Union in the peace process, not only in the Arab-Israeli war but also in Lebanon and in Syria. We contributed to ensure the right conditions for a bilateral dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, having a balanced and persevering attitude towards daily developments, supporting the work of the new representative of the Quartet for the Middle East, Tony Blair, and the American initiative that led to the Annapolis Conference. To that effect, we organised and held two Quartet meetings, one in Lisbon and the other in Paris, with the continuity committee of the Arab League, and we participated in the recent Paris Donors Conference, in which the European Union became the biggest donor.
We filled a serious gap in the relationship between the Union and the most important actors on a global scale, by promoting the first summit with Brazil, during which a strategic partnership between the parts was established.
In this way, we guaranteed Brazil’s place in the annual summits with the BRICs – Brazil, Russia, India and China – and Portugal had the responsibility, during this last semester, to lead high level meetings with all these countries.
Seven years after the Cairo Summit, we brought together again, in Lisbon, Europe and Africa. We jointly defined a strategy, to be put into practice in 2010, which defines our future relationship, through eight priority partnerships.
Lastly, I would like to highlight the establishment of a Strategic Partnership with Cape Verde, the first between the European Union and an ACP country.
Mister President
Honourable Members of Parliament
The Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union was a challenge at all levels, also in terms of logistics. In Portugal, we held 140 meetings, of which 20 were on a ministerial or Head of State or Government level. Around 16 500 delegates from the Member States of the European Union and third countries were accredited. 8000 journalists who covered the most important events of this semester also applied for accreditation. The presidency’s web site registered 820 thousand visits.
Thanks to everyone’s effort and the participation and engagement of all the Portuguese Public Administration.
Finally, allow me to address a special word of recognition to all those who collaborated, under the prime minister’s leadership, in this presidency. I would like to express my gratitude to all municipalities where meetings were held throughout this semester and to the Autonomous Regions of Azores and Madeira. It is also understandable that I should like to publicly express here my gratitude for the work done by the secretary of state assistant and for European affairs and the secretary of state for foreign affairs and cooperation, as well as give my thanks to the Portuguese diplomatic body for its great professionalism throughout this mission, especially the work carried out by the Permanent Representation in Brussels. Allow me a word of recognition for the interest with which the Assembly of the Republic followed all ongoing work throughout the semester and for the support it gave us during key moments of the Portuguese presidency.
Thank you