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President Prodi's Speech on the "Priorities for the months ahead"

Prime Minister,

Honourable Members,

This is the last plenary before the summer recess. Seville is behind us and the Danish Presidency has just started. So this is a good time to take stock.

There are three major interlocking processes on our agenda for the second half of this year.

First, enlargement. As I said yesterday, most issues still outstanding have been settled. At the October European Council, the Commission will say which countries it regards as ready for enlargement.

At the same time, we also need to encourage progress among the other candidate countries. Our aim is to go ahead with an all-encompassing process, not to lay down new barriers across the continent we are seeking to unify.

As things stand and assuming current progress is maintained, all ten countries in the first wave are likely to be considered ready for accession.

We shall work with determination to wind up the accession talks with the first ten countries at Copenhagen. But first we must reach an internal agreement with the current Member States on budgetary issues and on direct payments to farmers.

I want to reiterate my conviction that the Commission's proposal is the only workable basis for reaching an agreement between today's Fifteen and the Twenty-Five of tomorrow. So I call on all parties to do their utmost to reach an agreement that will pave the way for the reunification of the whole continent.

Meanwhile, an updated roadmap and pre-accession strategy will be adopted for Bulgaria and Romania. And the Council "encourages and fully supports the efforts made by Turkey to fulfil the priorities defined in its Accession Partnership." The periodic report the Commission will publish in October on Turkey's progress in adopting and implementing reforms will be crucial to the decisions that will be taken at Copenhagen.

Thereafter, in December the Copenhagen European Council will set a date for accession to take effect sometime in 2004 and will arrange for the signing of the Accession Treaty in March 2003.

Of course, the whole process hinges on the ratification of the Treaty of Nice. The Irish will be voting on this in October. I must stress the importance of a yes vote for Europe's future.

Signing the Accession Treaty is not the end of a successful enlargement process. On the contrary, it will only mark the beginning. From 2004, the EU must be capable of performing its tasks and meeting the expectations of EU citizens, who will then number over 450 million.

The latest Eurobarometer results are clear. 67% of those interviewed are now in favor of the euro, six points up on the previous survey. There is a high level of support for a Common Foreign and Security Policy and for enlargement. And a majority are in favor of an EU constitution.

Honourable Members,

These results also tell us that our fellow citizens want maximum effectiveness in the EU institutions. And that is the idea behind the second topic today: institutional reforms.

Once ratified, the Nice Treaty will introduce the institutional reforms needed for enlargement.

But we also need to take fundamental decisions on the political nature and the institutional structure of the European Union of the future.

There is demand for a greater EU presence in three main areas:

• a stronger foreign policy and a greater role on the world stage;
  
  
• closer cooperation between the Member States in the field of security and justice and in the fight against organized crime and illegal immigration;
  
  
• better coordination of economic and financial policy.

These issues are being discussed in the debate on the future of Europe within the European Convention.

But enlargement is imminent and we cannot just twiddle our thumbs until a new Treaty is ratified. How should responsibilities be divided up amongst the Commissioners once the EU has 25 or more members? How will the Council be able to provide coherent, effective guidance?

The Danish Presidency has been asked to push ahead with the procedural reforms of the Council set in motion at Seville. The Commission is ready to give its full cooperation.

The Commission has also been moving in this direction. As I said yesterday, I have put forward similar ideas on reorganizing the work of the Commissioners.

Let me repeat that such reforms, which do not call for any Treaty amendments, need to apply in a coherent way across the institutions.

We should only have one objective: to put the right men and women in the right posts. We must think solely of the general interest of the system and optimizing its performance.

Our constant aim is sounder, more democratic governance of the EU.

Honourable Members,

The third and last topic I wish to raise today is the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Sustainability is a recurrent theme in the Commission's thinking. We often speak of the sustainability of long-term objectives for our policies in the environmental, economic and social areas.

The Johannesburg Summit will hopefully be a meaningful step forward. I know that a number of you will be attending.

In humanitarian aid, trade, development aid and diplomatic relations, the EU plays a leading role. But let us not rest on our laurels. We must build on the momentum of Monterrey and Doha. And we must tackle the difficult task of convincing our partners to do their bit.

We must give a practical commitment to supporting development in the poorer countries in line with the priorities of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan: water and sanitation, health, energy, agriculture and biodiversity.

And we must not neglect the social and political aspects: developing democracy, good governance, political dialogue and social and economic reforms.

All these measures are geared to the major goals of eradicating poverty, ensuring peace and improving living conditions of those who unfortunately make up the majority of the planet's population.

The income gap between North and South is widening alarmingly, particularly in Africa. We must reverse the trend. We must avoid setting up new walls and barriers across the world. And that means doing much more than we have up to now, abiding by our commitments and adopting a more highly concerted and complementary approach.

The latest G8 Meeting in Canada adopted an Africa Action Plan supporting the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). We must not confine ourselves to the initiative, we must also make sure our contribution is on a par with our traditional role as Africa's special partner and our historical responsibilities towards the continent.

In the three areas I have spoken about today -- enlargement, institutional reforms and sustainable development -- the EU must stand as a model of democratic efficiency. Let us not forget we are the only working example of democratic, supranational management of globalization.

Which is why the world expects us to make a meaningful contribution to the debate on sustainability. And it must come from all of us -- you, Honourable Members, President Rasmussen and his Council Presidency team, and us in the Commission.

Thank you. And enjoy the summer.

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