An attempt to restore faith in Europe
An attempt to restore faith in Europe
Barroso tells the EU to look forward and claims 2012 work programme will spur economic growth.
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If demonstrating faith in the future is part of the EU’s game in restoring stability to its ailing economy and currency, then José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, talked a good game during his ‘state of the union’ address yesterday (28 September).
His calls for urgent action to tackle the eurozone’s debt crisis were embedded in a long list of plans for recovery, rebuilding and reform for next year and beyond. If the EU can just get over its current embarrassment, then there is a rich field of opportunity and initiative that it can look forward to, he was in effect telling MEPs and the wider world.
The Commission’s 2012 work programme will, said Barroso, spur economic growth with “fast-track” proposals already late this year for 12 measures to smarten up the EU’s single market for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses. The plans include promoting venture capital funds, revising laws on education qualifications, a single EU patent, out-of-court dispute settlement, EU-wide standards for the services sector, improving energy, transport and communications infrastructure and boosting internet use – as well as cutting red tape.
Further plans for 2012 cover new protection for retail investment and for investment funds, railway liberalisation, another expansion of consumer rights, reforms of value-added taxes, changes to general product safety, and effective collective-rights management.
G20 commitments
To complete its package of proposals to meet G20 commitments on financial regulation reform, the Commission will propose – before the end of this year – new rules on credit-rating agencies, bank resolution, and personal responsibility of financial operatives. These come on top of 29 pieces of legislation that the Commission has already proposed, ranging from credit-default swaps to naked short-selling and fair pay for bankers.
The ambitions also extend to taxation. The Commission is expected to seek a mandate from member states in the coming months to negotiate tax evasion accords on behalf of the whole EU with non-EU countries. It will also push member states to agree to give the EU a greater say at the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the G20 and other international meetings, said Barroso.
An “employment package” will tackle youth unemployment, promote green jobs and widen flexibility in working hours for employees across the EU. The Commission will also propose protection for supplementary pension rights of workers who change jobs.
Low-carbon economy
EU energy and climate-change proposals presented over the coming months will aim to meet the EU’s international commitments and its promises of a ‘low-carbon’ economy. Emissions from passenger cars and vans will be subject to further limits, clean power will be promoted for the transport sector in general, and water resources across the EU will benefit from better protection if the Commission’s plans come to fruition.
Fact File
Inter-institutional dialogue
José Manuel Barroso’s annual ‘state of the union’ speech is part of a dialogue between the European Commission and the European Parliament on the political priorities for the coming year.
Barroso proposed an annual address to MEPs as part of
the political guidelines he offered in 2009, when he was seeking the
support of political groups for re-appointment as European Commission
president. So Wednesday’s speech was only his second state of the union
address. The intention is that the Commission will now discuss
priorities with the European Parliament before adopting its work
programme for 2012 on 15 November. A delegation made up of the MEPs who
chair the Parliament’s committees sent the Commission a detailed report
on its priorities earlier this year and is scheduled to meet the
Commission on 12 October.
The annual work programme is based on Barroso’s
political guidelines and on the five-year strategic objectives that this
Commission agreed after taking office. The work programme is updated
annually to reflect progress so far and changes in political priorities.
It contains a list of initiatives that the
Commission is planning for the coming year, as well as an indicative
list of initiatives for the years remaining until the end of this
Commission’s mandate in 2014. The Commission sends a monthly report to
the other institutions on progress under the annual work programme, and
an overview of initiatives that still have to be launched. Major
initiatives have to be accompanied by an impact assessment.
At
the end of the budgeting year, all directors-general of Commission
departments and services have to draw up reports on the extent to which
they have achieved objectives set out in their annual management plans.
These annual activity reports are collected for a synthesis report,
which is sent to the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.
Simon Taylor
The attempts to create a common EU policy on immigration and asylum will continue with reforms to Schengen-area border checks, a strategy to combat human trafficking, and proposals on employment and immigration, Barroso said. And on trade, the Commission plans to conclude free trade accords with Canada, Ukraine, Singapore and India in 2012, and to launch talks on an investment agreement with China.