French EU affairs Minister Cazeneuve to EuroFora: Technology with Cohesion, Agriculture help Growth+

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- Today's Historic award of Nobel Peace Prize to the EU, by consecrating its Past, oblige us all also to find the right solutions for Europe's Future asap., particularly in front of growing risks of extremisms, and this must and can be achieved during the forthcoming EU Summits in Brussels, by finding adequate compromises able to re-equilibrate among various EU s policies, f.ex. on EU s Banking Union, as well as on the Multi-Annual 2014-2020  Financial Perspectives, where EU activities should not be opposed between them, but rather combined together, (f.ex. Competitiveness together with Growth, etc), so that EU can succeed to reach well balanced agreements soon enough, replied in substance the new French Minister for EU Affairs, Bernard Cazeneuve, to EuroFora s relevant questions today.

Topically, the move came during a meeting at EU Parliament s Press room, shortly after a crucial Vote by MEPs on the 2013 Budget, which is much more important than a mere Annual Budget, because it might, eventually, serve also in order to extend EU s current Funding further, if EU Summit s negotiations on the Financial Perspectives dont reach agreement soon enough, as EU Parliament s Rapporteur on the 2013 Budget, Italian ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP La Via earlier told EuroFora...

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 - "EuroFora" observed that EU Parliament's Budgets Committee had just adopted, a few Minutes earlier, in its Monday evening meeting in Strasbourg, its decision on EU's 2013 Budget, open to a fast-track Compromise with EU Council, as it was reportedly agreed at the occasion of the Nobel Prize award to EU Leaders at Oslo, which could probably be officially signed on Wednesday, while, on the contrary, after what happened at the latest EU Summit in Brussels, at the end of November 2012 (comp. "EuroFora"s DraftNews from Brussels, as they were already sent earlier to Subscribers/Donors), EU's Financial Perspectives for the Multi-Annual period 2014-2020 haven't been yet agreed, and decisions were postponed for a possible, but not certain, deal at the beginning of 2013.

Therefore, we asked the French Minister if he has any idea about "when" EU's Financial Perspectives might be eventually agreed, and if he believes that a deal could be brokered before things arrive to the point to start prolonging the EU 2013 Annual Budget even further (i.e. towards 2014, etc), according to the rules which apply in case of prolonged disagreement on EU's MultiAnnual Financial Framework, (Comp. the 1st among several relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the latest EU Summit in Brussels :http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/schulzeufundsnegotiationstocontinue.html)

+ On this same occasion, "EuroFora" also asked Cazeneuve if, concerning EU's Financial Persectives, he thinks that there might be a possibility, perhaps with some creative ideas, to overcome a too strict and too rigid Separation, almost Opposition, often abused by some, between EU Funds for Innovation, Science/Research, Networks and Competitiveness, etc. and EU Funds for Cohesion and/or Agriculture, etc,  f.ex. by associating Scientific and Technological Research also with Structural/Regional Funds' and/or Agricultural projects, etc., in a way able to establish certain "Synergies", etc.£

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 - "We (France) hope to have an agreement, on EU's MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives, as soon as possible in 2013", the new French Minister competent on EU affairs started to reply to "EuroFora"s question.:

- "That's our political Aim, and we are working on that, (as Cazeneuve said just a few Days after meeting in Strasbourg with his German collegue, Deutsch EU affairs Minister Link), because Europe needs to have a .. in order to develop a policy for Growth".

+ Moreover, "We (France) don't thing that there might be any real Contradiction or Opposition between the various EU Policies" in its Multi-Annual Financial Perspectives, stressed in reply to "EuroFora"s 2nd question Cazeneuve, (who had been closely accompagnying the new French President Hollande at the November 2012 EU Summit in Brussels, which had been almost exclusively focused, precisely, on a 1st discussion about EU's Financial Framework : See relevant Photo+).

- "It's not true that, from one side, only the "Europe 2020" policies could act on Growth, while all the other policies might be unable to do so", the French EU affairs Minister criticized.


- "In fact, it's also those other EU Policies which contribute to boost Growth : f.ex. EU Cohesion policy, EU's Common Agricultural Policy, etc., at an equal foot as the "Europe 2020" Policies, etc., he pointed out.

=> - "That's one reason more for which we (EU) must find a Balanced solution between all these EU Policies, in a way which could guarantee that EU's Budget will be beneficial to all European Territories, and, above all, that it will be able to bring Growth wherever it's needed", EU Affairs Minister Cazeneuve's reply to "EuroFora"s question concluded.

In particular, concerning the Common Agricultural policy, he reminded that EU Council's President "Van Rompuy had initially suggested to Cut EU Funds for - 25 Billions €, but afterwards (i.e. during the November 2012 EU Summit : See "EuroFora"s NewsReports from Brussels, already sent earlier to Subscribers/Donors) returned some +8 Billions € back, but "another Step is needed", in order to find a better equilibrium.

Financial services' Tax could, meanwhile, serve as "a beginning" for EU's "own Resources" in the Future, , Cazeneuve also reminded.
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    Moreover, speaking earlier to Strasbourg Journalists, including "EuroFora", on the 2012 - 2013 EU Annual Budgets, Cazeneuve expressed the hope that an Inter-Institutional Agreement between EU Member States' Governments, meeting at the forthcoming EU Summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, and MEPs, during EU Parliament's December 2012 Plenary Session in Strasbourg, from today (Monday) up to and including Thursday, could finalize a "well Balanced" Agreement, particularly after a Compromise proposal was prepared, including some 6 Billions € in order to "bridge" the 2012 - 2013 EU Budgets, (f.ex. via EU Funds for oustanding payments on commitments already taken by the EU, etc).


    + As for the main Economic issue at the Agenda of the December 2012 EU Summit in Brussels, i.e. EU's "Banking Union", the French Minister reminded that EU had in principle agreed that "Supervision" of Banks was a necessary prerequisitive, so that "Recapitalisations" might become practically possible, afterwards, and noted that, at the October 2012 EU Summit, it has been agreed that this "Supervision" with concern "all Banks", in principle, (i.e. even if with various technical modalities, etc), so that "now", during the forthcoming EU Summit, EU would have to finalize and "consolidate" this 1st stage, "in order to become able to advance towards the "next 2 Stages" towards EU's "Banking Union", which are related to the ways to "absorb Banking Crises", as well as to the "Guarantee of deposits", according to EU Council President Van Rompuy's "Roadmap", etc., so that what happened in the Past could never again occur in the Future.


    All this could help to break the link currently existing between Banks' debts and the Sovereign (i.e. States') Debt, which seems to stand partly behind the Difficulties felt in the Past on Markets and vis a vis Growth, Cazeneuve hoped.


    ++ Another idea inside Van Rompuy's "RoadMap" for EU's Banking Union is also that of "Contractualisation" of relations between EU Member States and EU Commission, which has advanced and can, indeed, be a useful tool for "Convergence" among EU Member States' Economic Policies, and if it serves to ameliorate their "Competitiveness", then it could also serve for "Growth"... The EU Summit is due to better shape such tools in order to build more EU's convergence in a Middle and Long term, he added.
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