(23/03/05) Conclusies EU-top - Europese Groene fractie geeft staats- en regeringsleiders goede punten op het sociale vlak, minder goede op het ecologische

• 2005-03-23

Link naar de Nederlandstalige conclusies van het voorzitterschap over de EU-top van vandaag

EU leaders endorse European social model:
Summit gives Barroso a private lesson in politics

Commenting today on the decisions made at the European Summit in Brussels, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, said:
"This summit has set a good course for Europe. EU leaders have agreed to make the stability pact more intelligent by allowing better consideration of Member States' varying economic situations; to endorse a European social model and send the services directive back to the drawing board for serious revisions; and to create concrete targets for further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions after 2012. Sadly, in the revision of the Lisbon strategy, the summit did less well. EU leaders failed to strongly integrate environmental and sustainable development aspects and missed the opportunity to give a central role to environmental technologies and measures to increase resource efficiency."

"Commission President Barroso has been given a private lesson in European politics at this summit – as became clear in the debate on the services directive. We welcome the decision to profoundly rewrite the directive so as to avoid 'social dumping' and to respect the European social model. But the Commission should not think it can now introduce the same proposals through the backdoor. The Commission, Council and Parliament must sit down with employers and employees to see what changes are necessary and possible."

"The services directive has been effectively revoked not only because some Member States had problems with it, but because it would not have found a majority in the Parliament. This again demonstrates the importance of the European Constitution. Once it has entered into force, it will become even more difficult for the Commission to push through controversial legislation against Parliament's will."

"In the fight against climate change, we welcome that the summit advocated concrete targets for developed countries to further reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. EU leaders now recommend a reduction of 15–30% by the year 2020 (Taking 1990 as a base year) and support Environment Ministers' proposals to reduce emissions by 60–80% by 2050. These concrete targets are a very important signal for investment decisions, especially in the transport and energy sector. The endorsement of concrete figures is another major rebuff for Barroso who as recently as 9 February demanded a delay before such a decision was made."