New French EU Minister Wauquiez to EuroFora: Debates+Vision on EU Future, but also concrete advances

Well beyond the current need to start thinking how EU should be shaped after the Global Crisis, a Time will come to launch Debates on EU's Future and present adequate visions, particularly working together with the European Parilament, while also marking concrete advances, replied the New French EU Minister Laurent Wauquiez to "EuroFora"'s questions today, reacting to similar calls launched earlier this week by German Chancelor Angie Merkel, at nearby Karslruhe, (See), in additiion to French President Nicolas Sarkozy's famous deal with EU Commission's President Baroso to drop his initial opposal to EU - Turkey negotiations on condition that they don't touch upon core EU Membership issues and that an EU debate on what kind of Europe we want to have in the Future is prepared.

Both Sarkozy's initial idea and Merkel's recent eppeal eyed a wide scope of fundamental issues, spreading from Economic and Financial EU Governance, up to fhe fight against Bureaucracy and for Democratic decision-making by Politically responsible representatives elected by the People, as well as EU's Identity, Borders and Enlargement criteria, that they considered as incompatible with Turkey's impopular and controversia EU bid, etc, (Comp. pex. Sarkozy's February and July 2007 Strasbourg Speeches on Europe, as well as his August 2007 Speech to the Annual Ambassadors' Conference, etc).  

- Referring to the "Momentum" and the "Post-2013 Vision" cited on Wauquiez's own initiative, "EuroFora" observed that German Chancellor Angie Merkel and the Head of the governing CDU/CSU Party in EU Parliament, Werner Langen, have just stressed, earlier this week at nearby Karlsruhe, that there is currently a need to be aware of a "Responsibility" for EU's Future, "inviting" to relevant "Debates", (See "EuroFora"'s previous NewsReport from the spot), and, given that this is a wish clearly expressed also by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy as early as since 2007, we asked him if he found that EU Parliament, with which he just declared his intention to work closely together, was a good tool in order to stimulate such kind of debates in the foreseeable future, or not.

- After having carefully asked some clarifications, Wauquiez agreed, in substance, that, as he said : - "You are right, ... the Time will come to reflect on, and spell out in our own words, our Vision for a real EU Community policy".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
- Already, "certainly, a Question to raise is about the Europe that will exist after the (current Global Economic) Crisis :  How could it be, what do we want, which are, for us, the main Characteristics on which we have to work".
    
- "But, we should be careful so that, while saying "Yes" for such Big Debates, at the same time we manage to make progress also on Concrete Issues", he warned.

In fact, already from the start, President Sarkozy's initiial idea was, to make a good use of fundamental General Issues, (such as "EU's Future", etc), in order to, precisely, deal with "concrete" questions, such as, f. ex. the development of an Economic and Monetary Governance, the struggle against Bureaucracy, EU's Identity and Borders, Turkey's impopular and controversial EU bid and the right Strategy for EU Enlargment, etc. (See his February and July 2007 Speeches in Strasbourg, as well as his August 2007 address to the Annual Conference of Ambassadors, in Paris. Recently, moreover, at the beginning of 2010, an appeal was launched for EU Parliament to debate also big, substantial issues of general interest to EU Citizens, advancing well beyond its indispensable Legislative work, as it was revealed after a visit to Paris by its President Jerzy Buzek.

    German Chancellor Merkel also had, already in mind some concrete, topical issues, as, f.ex. the creation of a "Post-2013" stable Mecanism  for EuroZone Funding to Member Countries which might need help to face Speculative Attacks in the Global Market, (as Wauquiez himself noted earlier), in addition to strong references in her Karslruhe statements aso to the Economic Development, Integration and EU's Identity, etc, (Comp. earlier "EuroFora"'s Pubication on the Bi-Annual Conference of the Governing CDU Party in Germany).
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    - "To take a precise example : (the principle of) Reciprocity, which is a very great advance", Wauquiez went on to say, apparently referring to the latest EU Council's conclusion in Brussels, as it was presented also by its Chair, Hermann van Rompuy, and underined by President Sarkozy, concerning EU's position on the in-coming French Chairmanship of the G8 - G20 for the period extending from November 201O until November 2011.

    - But, "now, what is also interesting, is to see, in concrete terms, how it will be expressed in (EU's and/or G8-G20's) Trade policy", he observed.

    - In this regard, "we (France) are very receptive to some thoughts which are currenty put into circulation, as, f. ex., those which were initiated by (EU Commissioner now in charge of the Common Market) Michel Barnier, and (EU Commission's President, Jose) Barroso, (f.ex.) on Services..", etc.  But, "afterwards, it remains to be seen how this will be concretely spelled out". "We must always pay attention on how things are concretely made", he concluded in reply to "EuroFora"s question.

                                                                                                                                                                                As he had said earlier, speaking to Strasbourg's Journalists at EU Parliament, f.ex., even in cases such as Ireland's financial problems, for the EU "it's better to show to the Markets (not ony that EU knows how to face an Urgency) but also how we (EU) intend to follow up afterwards : It's important to present a vision", including a permanent mechanism, according to German Chancellor Merkel's legitimate wish for a "post-2013 vision".

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Laurent Wauquiez also added earlier, that his general intention is to regularly try to both make the necessary negotiations on the topical EU issues of each Month, but also, not to forget to find fresh ways "to show Europe from a Positive point of view"', as, f.ex. with his 1st visit to the brand-new European School in Strasbourg, where young Students and Professors from various EU Countries meet and work together in a stimulating ambiance.

Young and active Wauquiez, that "EuroFora" had already met since the beginning of his Governemental career as early as since 2007, when he was Government Spokesman, after working also as State Secretary on Employment, has just been nominated by French President Sarkozy as new Minister for EU affairs, under the auspices of the new, but experienced Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, (comp. MAM's various statements to "EuroFora"s co-founder between 2002-2010).

EU Parliament is an important institution, particularly after Lisbon Treaty, which gave it important powers, and we want to work closely together, and "renew the Momentum" that was found between EU Parliament and French President Sarkozy during the 2008 French EU Chairmanship, he said to Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", from the outset.

Careful to consult all main political tendencies, Wauquiez, after having "a long meeting" with Joseph Daul, President of the greatest EU Parliament's Group, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, he also met with the Chairmen of the Socialist and Liberal Groups, Martin Schlutz and Guy Verhofstadt, etc., as well as with EU Parliament and EU Commission's Presidents Jerzy Buzek and Jose Barroso, followed by many MEPs of various parties.

In addition to being a long-time collaborator to former EU Commission's vice-President Jacques Barrot, his family, as he reminded, has also some Belgian-Flamish and Swedish links, while he has also lived for some years in Austria, so that he can speak a conveniant German, in addition to French, Arab and English languages, something which can obviously be useful in the real practice of EU core Franco-German work.

But, while wishing that everyone is aware of our responsibilities for the need to adopt EU's 2011 Budget, (currenty blocked as long as EU Council doesn't yet accept EU Parliament's demand to start a debate on EU's long term Financial Perspectives, reportedly because of UK's and the Netherlands' refusal, as a Journalist observed), he also added that, as a matter of general Principle, we have to respect eachother's political positions, and EU's spirit implies that there are no winners or losers but that we always try to find a workable compromise.