Mur Lura
Introductory remarks by Richard Cachia Caruana, Chairman, Core Negotiating Group at the Conference on the Future of Europe organised by the Malta-EU Information Centre at the University of Malta
pr1509
17/10/2001
17/10/2001
Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.
| I am delighted to have been invited to chair this | first session of the Conference on the Future of Europe organised by the Malta-EU Information Centre, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Delegation of the European Commission in Malta. |
| The debate on the Future of Europe was formally | launched by the 15 EU leaders at Nice in December 2000. In a declaration attached to the Treaty, the EU leaders agreed that after having opened the way for the next enlargement, it was now time "for a deeper and wider debate about the future development of the European Union". This public debate will culminate in the intergovernmental conference to be convened in 2004. |
There are four items on the agenda of this debate:
- An analysis of how to establish and monitor a more precise delimitation of competencies between the EU and its member states, reflecting the principle of subsidiarity;
- the status of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;
- the simplification of the Treaties;
- the role of national parliaments in the European Union.
| With the prospect of a large and historic | enlargement, many European politicians and academics percieved the re-emergence of the widening versus deepening debate that so characterised the Delors years. It was felt that with the inevitability of widening, deepening needed to be addressed as well. |
| While the earlier debate was couched in terms of | federalism versus intergovernmentalism the current discussion actually goes much further. |
| It ranges from the basic desire to make the Union | more accessible to the citizen, to the loftier principles of fundamental rights and beyond. Some view this with fear, as the steps along the way to a super-state, while others believe that there is no point in having a Union unless it is given the tools with which to operate effectively. |
| As part of that future, the candidate states do not | only have an opinion on how this future should develop but they now also have a direct interest. Indeed, candidate countries have been provided with certain opportunities to share their views with the current member states. |
| The inclusion of candidate countries in this process | is evidence of the trust and confidence that are crucial to the successful outcome both of the enlargement process as well as the construction of our future Europe. |
| So today, we are also launching the debate on the Future of Europe in | Malta as has already been done in several Member States and candidate countries. This evening we are pleased to have the presence and participation of our Foreign Minister Joe Borg and the European Affairs Minister of France, Pierre Moscovici. The debate continues tomorrow with a full-day programme. |
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