Minister for Home Affairs, Dan Kersch, visited Brussels on 8 July 2015 to set out the priorities of the twelfth Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) - from July to December 2015 - before the Committee of the Regions (CoR). The Luxembourg Minister was speaking at the 113th Plenary Session of the EU's Assembly of Regional and Local Representatives, one of the missions of which is to involve local and regional authorities in European decision-making and to engage more with citizens.
As a former member of the CoR himself, Dan Kersch said that he was honoured to discuss the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency which, in his opinion, highlight "the values that we hold dear and which define us", namely "building bridges" through conciliation and mediation, "the ambition for closer integration", and lastly "the profound belief that compromise is key to European unification".
"This last idea seems to have lost momentum in current European policy, and adverse effects are already being felt in several Member States", continued Minister Kersch, who emphasised that those people who today seek to give precedence to their national interests will be questioned in years to come on their lack of commitment to the European perspective. "Solidarity is not merely an occasional watchword but has a role to play in difficult times".
The Luxembourg Presidency takes place "at a critical and even decisive moment for the future of the EU", pointed out Dan Kersch, referring in particular to the Greek crisis, whilst promising that Luxembourg will do everything in its power to prevent any country from falling by the wayside. He also quoted the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn, who used a train metaphor to draw attention to the fact that if the last coach is abandoned, another coach will always take its place as the last one. "We must be mindful of this fact".
The Luxembourg Minister further observed that the priorities of the Presidency correspond to the objectives of the European Commission, as highlighted during the visit of the College of Commissioners on 3 July 2015. He is of the opinion that the CoR also shares this convergence of viewpoints, noting that it was "no coincidence" that Luxembourg, like the CoR, had always stressed the importance of the principle of subsidiarity. A principle "enshrined in the Treaties but too often forgotten in practice" to the detriment of the smallest countries and local and regional authorities, observed Dan Kersch, who believes that all have a key role to play.
The Luxembourg Government has also agreed to reduce the number of its members within the CoR as well as the The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), continued the Minister. This "provides an excellent illustration of [Luxembourg's] capacity for compromise", Dan Kersch went on to say.
With regard to common priorities, the Luxembourg Minister referred to the sixth mandate adopted at the previous CoR Plenary Session on 4 June 2015, and which outline the Chamber's priorities for 2015-2020. The top five priorities of the mandate relate to stimulating the European economy, developing the territorial dimension, promoting a streamlined and better connected Europe, strengthening stability and cooperation in and outside of the EU, and engaging with citizens.
According to the Minister, although this programme forms part of the idea of the Commission and the Presidency for a Europe with a "Triple A social rating", it is "fully supported" by the Luxembourg Presidency, he added, before setting out the seven main priorities for Luxembourg during this Presidency which "include major projects for Europe". These involve:
- Deepening the European Union’s social dimension
- Stimulating investment to boost growth and employment
- Managing migration, combining freedom, justice and security
- Revitalising the single market
- Placing European competitiveness in a global, transparent framewor
- Promoting sustainable development
- Strengthening the European Union’s presence on the global stage
As far as the social dimension is concerned, Dan Kersch noted, in particular, that social cohesion was one of the pillars of European construction and which has been the most weakened by the financial and economic crisis. Deepening the EU's social dimension is therefore "an absolute priority" for the Presidency. "The EU is a peace project, which includes social peace and the guarantee of providing citizens with what they need to live in dignity", said the Minister. He stressed that "this is no longer the case everywhere in Europe" and that "it is a shame for everyone". In this regard, the Presidency will support the idea for a Europe with a "Triple A social rating", with a particular focus given to social investment and human resources. It is also necessary to improve the social dimension in the governance of the Union and the eurozone.
As for investment, the Minister stressed that the fight against unemployment was a priority and that the Commission's investment plan was key in this regard. He therefore welcomed the fact that "significant progress is being made" with regard to the agreement on the European Fund for Strategic Investment, whilst at the same time raising questions about whether the projected amount of 315 billion over three years is sufficient.
So far as concerns the "extremely important" issue of migration, Dan Kersch stated that discussions in recent weeks on refugees in Greece and Italy in particular "were of little consequence". "The losses of life call for resolute and sustained action" he said, before going into greater detail in the course of the debate: "we cannot ignore fundamental EU values" and therefore "we cannot tolerate a situation where thousands of people are drowning in the Mediterranean". It is necessary to accommodate migrants with dignity, he continued, noting that the European Year for Development will provide an opportunity to discuss the link between migration and development. Furthermore, as regards security, the priorities are the fight against terrorism and strengthening internal security, while respecting the rule of law.
With regard to the internal market and European competitiveness, the Minister drew attention to the untapped potential of digital content in Europe, underlining, however, that it is necessary to remove existing barriers in this and other fields. The Presidency shall refer to the Five President's Report on the future of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) in order to carry out its work on competitiveness, he said, which will include the flight against fraud and tax evasion "to combat unfair competition".
Concerning trade negotiations, in particular the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Minister called for more transparency and highlighted Luxembourg's initiative in that regard. Together with the European Parliament, Commission and the EESC, the Presidency has organised a meeting on 17 November to bring together various representatives of civil society to discuss the TTIP. "It is not too late for the CoR to be involved", he stated once again.
Lastly, so far as concerns promoting sustainable development, the Minister highlighted the importance of the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in December in Paris during which international negotiations should lead to the adoption of a new, ambitious and binding treaty with universal participation.
Concluding the discussions, the Luxembourg Minister again stated that local and regional authorities must be more involved in policy-making. He also stressed that Luxembourg intends to bring cross-border cooperation to the fore. "Given that I come from a country with fewer than 600,000 inhabitants, where 170,000 jobs are held by cross-border workers, you can appreciate that it is a key priority for our Presidency", he concluded.