EU United on Economic Strategy. Majority for Governance. But Political manoeuvering evolves..

An impressively strong, rare quasi-Unanimous EU Unity on 2010 - 2020 Economic Strategy, obtained in EU Parliament at the same time that a Wide Majority supported an ambitious text on Ec. Governance, evolved in parallel with Political Manoeuvering among MEPs Groups this week in Strasbourg, while an exceptionaly brief EU Heads of State/Government Summit in Brussels adopted EU 2020 Strategy, and advanced on EU Governance, but left final decisions for October-December.

For the 1st time in EU Parliament's Press Conferences' History, all the Presidents of 4 mainstream Political Groups of MEPs, from EPP/ChristianDemocrats' (who are the more Numerous) Joseph Daul of France and Liberals' Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium, up to SocialDemocrats' Martin Schultz and "Greens"' Rebecca Harms, both of Germany, exeptionally joined all together on Tuesday to present to Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", a Common Position of the Large Majority of MEPs they represent, both on EU's Economic Strategy and Governance.


June's Unity appears as a striking difference to the previous situation of May, when Socialists and "Greens" had initially opposed EPP/ChristianDemocrats and Liberals' main Economic choices, attempting to push a very Critical stance against the majority of EU Heads of State/Government, (most of which are, indeed, supported by EPP and Liberals), but failing to pass through, because EPP/Liberals received, then, also the support of the new Conservatives/Reformists' Group, mainly led by MEPs from the Party of new British Prime Minister Cameroon, succeeding to form a strong, absolute Majority inside EU Parliament against Socialist/Greens' positiions. (See previous, relevant "EuroFora"s Publication of May).

But this time, EPP's President Daul appeared proud when he stressed to "EuroFora" that, what was New in the latest developments, was that, "now, we succeeded to build a Unified position in EU Parliament" on EU's Econolmic Policy, etc. The main thrust of this change in Socialists/"Greens"' stance, is that they finally accepted to support both a Rigorous, Public Expenditure reduction goal, in order to progressively diminish Public Debt, and the generally desired Growth aims. According to some other sources, this Change would be due mainly to the fact that even ...Socialist Governments in Spain, Portugal, etc. recently started to plan and make hard Economies on tax payers money, in order to try to meet Financial Markets expectations, particularly after they recently threatened to downgrade these Countries' Budgetary assets' ratings..           

- EU "Member States should increase their economic Performance by introducing Structural Reforms in order to Optimise Public Expenditure, (and) Decrease Bureaucracy", as well as "prevent ... a long-lasting period of economic Stagnation, (by) .. implement(ing), at the same time, a Strategy aimed at accelerating Sustainable Economic Growth", the Resolution on "Strategy", indeed, stresses from the outset.   

However, on the other hand, Socialists/Greens tried to explain their U-turn also by the fact that, this time (i.e. on June), a 2nd, separate EU Parliament's Resolution was added, in agreement with the EPP and Liberals, focusing on a rather ambitious EU "Economic Governance", which should be mainly depending on EU Commission, and not too much on EU Heads of State and Government :  - "Indeed, it's mainly because we added a 2nd Resolution on Governance based on the EU Community method (i.e. giving an important role to EU Commission) that both us and the Socialists agreed, this time, with the EPP and the Liberals", said the "Greens"' co-Chairwoman, Rebecca Harms, to "EuroFora".     

- In addition to a "Bolder Economic Governance" "needed" in "EuroZone", i.e. among the 16 Euro Currency Countries, also all the 27 Member States strong "EU needs to reform its system of Economic Governance" in order "to ensure the Implementation of its ... Europe 2020 Strategy", including by "giving to the Commission a proper and stronger Responsibility", while, at the same time, "reinforcing the Democratic Legitimacy of EU Governance, .. through a stronger .. involvement of EU Parliament", stresses, indeed, the 2nd Resolution.


This move was made in particular after the main results of EU's Franco-German core's Monday Night Summit in Berlin, where President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel reportedly agreed to institutionalize an EU Economic Governance, while keeping also always possible a simplified EuroZone's Summit, "whenever needed", as EPP's Head Daul observed.    


Shortly after EU Parliament adopted, on Thursday, the 2 Joingt Resolutions on EU's Economic Strategy and Governane in Strasbourg, EU's Heads of State and Government in Brussels officially adopted the "2020 Strategy", and "agreed" on the first "Orientations" for "a much Stronger Economic Governance", involving both EU Commission and EU Member States, with an obvious priority for the latter, but left final Decisions, after proper consultation also of EU Parliament, for October's Summit, (due to Timely focus also on "Innovation" EU policy).      

But, another important Change between May and June 2010 EU Parliament's stance (Comp. Above), was, meanwhile, also the Fact that the new, mainly Brittish-Polish "Conservatives/Reformists" Group, while always supporting the EU "Strategy" paper, (as it had already done since May 2009), on the contrary, was pushed to drop the EU "Governance", 2nd paper, which was added only from June.

In fact, a real Power Game seems to be Socialist and Green Group's attempts to avoid that a Center-Right absolute Majority might be cimented inside EU Parliament, (according to EU Citizens' votes on 2009 EU Elections, and practically confirmed at May 2010's Vote on EU Economic Strategy : See "EuroFora"'s 5/2010 Reporting), by searching a way to stir Divisions between former EPP Group MEPs, who could have a Decisive Power in 2009-2014 if they Unify together as in the Past, but lost this opportunity for the moment, after a Separatist move of some British and Polish MEPs who set up a small ECR new Group, agreeing with EPP on many, but not all issues.

After witnessing on May the fact that a Center-Right Unity of EPP/ChristianDemocrats and Liberals, together with Conservatives can be Strong enough to start using an absolute Majority inside EU Parliament on EU "Strategy", (See "EuroFora"'s relevant NewsReport of May 2010), the Socialists and the "Greens", apparently found, indeed, on June another way to .. divide anew EPP+Liberals from the Conservatives, by pushing forward a particularly ambitious "EU Governance" agenda...

However, nobody should underestimate EPP/ChristianDemocrats' (the Biggest MEPs Group's) Head Joseph Daul's new capacity (based on EPP's Brillant June 2009 EU Election Results) to shape main EU policies by artfully playing the role of a strong, central Political "Pivot", around which several punctual Coalitions can be forged, sometimes towards its "Left", other times towards its "Right" side, but always looking right Ahead to EU Future's Horizon.