By Bruno Waterfield - 19th June 2006
EU leaders must agree a ringing political statement of Europe’s values and priorities for a Berlin declaration next year, José Manuel Barroso has told MEPs.
The European commission president has pushed hard for Europe’s leaders to mark the EU’s 50th birthday by renewing their European vows.
March 25 next year will mark five decades since the signing of the founding 1957 Treaty of Rome – the same name that was to given to the EU constitution sunk by French and Dutch voters.
A “Berlin declaration” will now take place under the German EU presidency in a bid to add some political soul to Europe’s efforts to fill the vacuum left by the demise of the European constitution.
“This is not just about rules but a declaration of values,” Barroso told the European parliament in a debate on last weeks EU summit.
“March 2007 must be more than a commemoration of past achievements, it must be a restatement and recommitment to our values and ambitions, looking to the future for an enlarged Europe.”
Barroso’s is calling on national governments to sign up to a political text that can act as the organising principle for a new EU institutional settlement in 2009.
“It must include A commitment to deliver. We do not need a long text… we do need a deep reflection and real debate about the priorities of Europe,” he said on Tuesday.
“Europe has moved on recent years and we need to set out the highly political nature of European integration today.”
“We will sign this together as a collective act of will. The European parliament will sign alongside the members states and commission as proof the EU and institutions are working together.”
Hans-Gert Poettering, leader of the parliament’s largest, centre-right EPP, political bloc welcomed the invitation.
“What I would like to suggest is that at the political level we set a working group of representative of the parliament, the council and commission,” he said.
“Working together, we can make ensure March 25… is a statement which will be our guiding light for the future of Europe.”
But Green leader Monica Frassoni is concerned a 2007 Berlin declaration may just end up as an event for euro elites.
“I am rather frightened by this solemn celebration next March… we should not just have this solemn discussion ourselves often we are just talking to each other,” she said.
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