THE COMMISSION'S WORK PROGRAMME FOR 1997 - Political priorities
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, COM(96) 507 final i v. 10. 1996 THE COMMISSION'S WORK PROGRAMME FOR 1997 Political priorities When its appointment was confirmed in 1995, the Commission spelled out, for its full term of office, the main thrust of its action. The emphasis was put on growth and employment, the European model of society based on solidarity, the idea that Europe should make its presence felt more strongly on the international scene, and the important events that Europe should be preparing for. The 1997 work programme is designed to bring us closer to those objectives. In implementing it, the Commission will be guided by the need to demonstrate that the Union benefits everybody and that it is efficient. The Union can and must provide its people with something they would not otherwise have. The Commission intends to promote this dynamic interpretation of its right of initiative. Each separate issue must be dealt with at the right level. The Commission will not hesitate in 1997 to take initiatives the moment it is sure that a matter of common interest cannot be dealt with effectively without Union action. Subsidiarity and proportionality must not be used as pretexts to call into question all that the Community has already achieved or to return to the intergovernmental method which is neither efficient nor democratic. The Union has to be efficient. The best way for the Commission to demonstrate its determination in this respect is to take a rigorous approach to its own management. Far-reaching reforms will be set in motion in 1997, to modernize the way the Commission is run and improve its performance. The reforms will concentrate on three key concepts: decentralization, rationalization and simplification. The same rigour will be applied to the tasks which are conferred on the Commission by the Treaty and which it carries out as part of its day-to-day activities and in implementing Community policies. It is important to realize that a large part of the Commission's work is connected with its executive role, in particular in connection with the common agricultural policy, the single market and the management of the Structural Funds. The Commission must continually strive for openness and try to ensure that its proposals are both readable and appropriate. Three information operations will be mounted for the general public: "Building Europe together", "Citizens First" and "The Euro, a currency for Europe". The Commission will also start on the SEM 2000 Programme - sound and efficient management. This project must now turn its attention to increasing the degree of cooperation between the European institutions and the Member States. In the Commission's view, it is essential that the Member States take part in the drive to tighten up the way the Community manages the European taxpayers' money and implement the agreements on measures to combat fraud. The Commission will also take tougher action in this field. third phase of the Building Europe means working for peace, prosperity and well-being. It means working for the people of Europe. As economic globalization and changing social structures make European integration more indispensable than ever, the Commission will endeavour to attain these objectives both in working towards the major priorities (economic and monetary union, the Confidence Pact for Employment, the Intergovernmental Conference and enlargement) and in day-to-day management. 4 Building on the foundations of this approach, the Commission's 1997 work programme will focus on four main priority areas: growth and employment and the Euro, promotion of the European model of society, Europe's role in the world and preparations for the Union's future. GROWTH AND EMPLOYMENT AND THE EURO Ever since the Essen European Council, it has been clear that only a medium and long-term strategy is capable of delivering the hope of a better future for the people of Europe. The European Confidence Pact was born of this realization: the initiative clearly establishes and increases the responsibilities of the various groups involved, both at European and at national level. In 1997, the Commission intends to continue with and build on the measures associated with the Pact and capitalize on the multiplier effect with regard to employment and sustainable growth. It plans to assess progress at regular intervals and to pay more attention to determining what still has to be done. Its efforts will revolve around the four pillars of the Confidence Pact: macro-economic policy, the single market, employment systems and structural policies. SOUND MACRO-ECONOMIC POLICY Building on the foundations laid by the successful Madrid European Council, decisive progress will have been made towards economic and monetary union (EMU) by the end of 1996. The result will be a favourable climate which will enable the Euro to be introduced, on schedule, on 1 January 1999, with a good number of Member States on board from the very beginning. 1997 will be a key year in this process. The task will be to complete the preparations for the transition to the third stage of EMU, while at the same time improving convergence and coordination of economic policies. The Commission will take an active part in determining the new exchange rate system between the Euro and the currencies of the countries not participating in EMU. It will produce a report at the end of the year assessing the degree of convergence achieved by Member States in preparation for the decision to be taken by the European Council as early as possible in 1998 for embarking on the third stage of EMU. COMPLETING THE SINGLE MARKET The single market is shaping up, but is not yet complete. The Employment Pact calls for the single market to be made fully operational. It is vital that the Council and Parliament enact the missing legislation in 1997, in particular legislation on the statute of the European company, the legal framework for biotechnological inventions and the single market in gas. At the same time, the Commission, in its cooperation with the Member States and in handling infringement procedures, will step up the pressure on Member States to transpose directives into national law and apply them properly. This must be accompanied by implementation of the competition policy. In 1997 the Commission will adopt measures for the distribution sector and state aid which should make the applicable legislation clearer. It will also take steps to decentralize the handling of some infringements of competition rules, to simplify procedures and to step up cooperation with the national authorities. Criteria will be laid down for targeting Commission action with greater accuracy. Liberalization will continue, but public-interest obligations and the interests of consumers will be fully taken into account. Amongst the many policy guidelines due to be adopted at the Dublin European Council, the simplification of single market legislation, and in particular the SLIM pilot project, will be singled out for special attention. The legislative environment resulting from these guidelines will fail to satisfy, however, unless it helps create jobs in the increasingly important services sector, particularly the information society and audiovisual services. Practical measures to be agreed on at the Dublin European Council will be implemented in 1997 to remove any obstacles which hinder the development of the services sector. In 1996 the Commission also launched an in-depth examination of tax policies in Europe. Practical conclusions will be forthcoming in 1997. The Commission will speed up the drafting of guidelines for closer coordination of tax policy in Europe. One of the main aims will be to reverse the current trend towards imposing compulsory charges and levies on employment. IMPROVING THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT IN EUROPE The single market provides an essential basis for an environment which encourages job creation. If European businesses are to derive maximum benefit, it will be necessary to help industry to become more competitive, for example in space technology and electronic trading, create an environment which enables small and medium-sized businesses to thrive, build a healthy scientific and technological base, stimulate innovation, help the sunrise industries and the information society to advance, and invest in infrastructure. The Commission's main priority for research and technological development in 1997 will be to present the fifth framework programme, which will devote considerable attention to research geared towards meeting the ordinary people's needs in areas such as health-care, nutrition and the way we live. The Commission also intends to make use of the potential of the Joint Research Centre to develop know-how and technology in important areas such as the prevention of disease and technological risks and the analysis of product quality. Following up its green paper and action plan, the Commission will propose concrete measures on innovation. Priority concerning the information society will be given to implementation of a new action plan. The Commission will also have to complete the regulatory framework for policy on telecommunications and make sure that the measures are transposed into national law by the Member States, so that the telecommunications industry is fully open to competition by 1 January 1988. Modem and efficient infrastructure is an objective sine qua non for Europe's prosperity and the harmonious development of its region^ Hence the Commission would like everything possible to be done to expand the trans-European networks and make them work efficiently. The financing of transport networks, notably with greater involvement of public and private-sector partnership, is a priority as is the launching of rail freight freeways. The Commission calls for completion of the single market in transport, energy and telecommunications. SPEEDING UP REFORM OF EMPLOYMENT SYSTEMS In 1997, the Commission will do all it can to put into practice the recommendations on reforming employment systems made in the Confidence Pact. In so doing, it will liaise closely with the Member States and the social partners. It will contribute to the joint Council-Commission report for the European Council on employment. This should result in active national employment policies aimed at addressing real problems. In this connection, the Commission would welcome improvements to the procedure for monitoring multiannual national programmes. The Commission also intends to stimulate the process of launching the major projects on the future of work. The Commission will highlight the contribution made by social policy to economic performance. Specific work will be carried out in the areas of equality of opportunity, social protection, the role of the social partners, the organization of work and worker information and consultation. ADJUSTING STRUCTURAL POLICIES The Community needs structural policies which are effective weapons in the fight against unemployment and in narrowing the gap between rich and poor and thus contribute to economic and social cohesion. The Commission will propose amendments in 1997, the year in which objective 1 (regions whose development is lagging behind) is due for a mid-term review and programmes are produced for the new period 1997-99 for objective 2 (regions undergoing conversion). New guidelines will be presented for rural development policy. The Commission has also proposed local employment pacts involving regional and local organizations in measures and projects to help create jobs. THE EUROPEAN MODEL OF SOCIETY The single currency and the single market are by no means objectives in their own right but instruments intended to serve the needs of the population as a whole and the overriding goal of employment in particular. However, the Commission wants to go further still and build a Europe of solidarity with a human face faithful to its own model of societv and closer to each individual's concerns. Education and training must be used as priority levers to this cwd. The Commission will take initiatives concerning access to continuing training and lifelong acquisition and accreditation of skills. The proposal concerning European articles of apprenticeship, the launching of an Erasmus apprenticeship programme and the implementation of the plan of action on learning in the information society are examples of-what Europe can do at its level. 1997 will also see the presentation of pilot measures to follow up the White Paper "Teaching and learning - towards the learning society" and the Green Paper on obstacles to transnational mobility. The European voluntary service will be launched in its definitive form on the basis of the current pilot scheme. In this way Europe is moving closer to young people. Economic and social cohesion and the related Community instruments contribute directly to the specific nature of the European model of society. In 1997, the Commission will take steps to adapt and strengthen the cohesion policy. A development strategy for the territory of the Community will be drawn up in conjunction with the Member States. Cross-border cooperation will be stepped up. A Europe which shows solidarity implies a need for it to be attentive to the quality of life, the interests of consumers and the role of services of general interest. The Commission will make every effort in this direction. It will, for example, continue to show great vigilance in the area of foodstuffs. in other Community policies, further development of The priorities for the environment which emerged from the review of the 5th programme serve to mark out areas for action in the years to come: incorporation of the environment instruments of factor environmental protection, transposition and application of Community legislation, and international cooperation. The Commission will act as a driving force in the preparations for the follow-up conference to the Rio Summit. the Europe must also form a genuine area of freedom and security. All remaining barriers to the free movement of persons must be eliminated. The Commission will propose practical measures in the light of analyses made by the high-level group set up for this purpose. However, drugs, terrorism and organized crime and trafficking and sexual exploitation of the most vulnerable members of society are scourges which eat away at the very heart of our societies, and they do not stop at any frontier. Every possible measure must therefore be taken to combat them. Cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs must seek to achieve tangible results. The Commission will press for decisions to be taken to this effect. Admittedly, the ability of the institutional apparatus to meet challenges of this magnitude is inadequate. Being fully aware of this fact, the Commission will continue to fight for the existing mechanisms to be reinforced during the Intergovernmental Conference. The Commission will deploy every means at its disposal to satisfy the legitimate expectations of the European public. EUROPE'S PRESENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE While Europe has woven a dense web of relations with all parts of the world and is the biggest donor of development aid, its foreign policy sometimes gives the impression of an incomplete whole. But what is more serious is the fact that it has failed to integrate the various instruments at its disposal into a coherent and effective approach. Hence the impression that Europe does not have the political clout to match its economic and commercial importance. External relations are by nature unsuited to annual programming; they are gradually built up over time. The Commission will accordingly endeavour to develop relations with a number of non-member countries in 1977, and in particular: the associated countries concerned by the prospects of enlargement; the United States in the spirit of the New Transatlantic Agenda; the countries of former Yugoslavia with the consolidation of the peace process and the efforts at reconstruction; the Mediterranean countries with the development of the partnership established by the Barcelona Conference; Russia; China; Asia, in particular in the framework of ASEM; Latin America; the ACP States; and South Africa. In its activities and contribution to the Intergovernmental Conference, the Commission will safeguard the effectiveness and coherence of the common commercial policy, which has to be adapted to take account of the actual state of international economic relations. 1997 will be marked by the activation of the work programme decided on at the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Singapore in December 1996. In this context the Commission will endeavour to make progress on such key issues as trade and the environment, the social clause and competition. It will also be necessary to conclude the negotiations on liberalization of telecommunications and financial services. 1997 will also see the markets of in this set-up will be provided by the third countries. An additional component inauguration by the Commission of an interactive database on access to markets. the strategy for access implementation of the full-scale to In addition to the general thought being given to the future relationship between the ACP and the EU, priority in development policy will be attached to the implementation of the 8th tranche of the European Development Fund and ways and means of enhancing the effectiveness of development aid. Greater coordination between donors and stricter control of the quality of cooperation measures are two matters requiring particular attention. The Commission will continue to press for respect for human rights and democracy; this will include action in international forums. In 1997, the Commission will continue its humanitarian activities in meeting the needs of populations in distress, refugees and victims of conflict and natural disasters. This expression of European solidarity will focus not only on major crisis areas (African Great Lakes, former Yugoslavia) but also other regions where the situation is less well known. 1997 will also be marked by the further implementation of the new regulation on humanitarian aid. PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE 1997 will see the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC). It has to accomplish radical reforms if the Union is to respond effectively to the challenge of enlargement. The Commission, referring to its opinion on the Intergovernmental Conference, will accordingly seek to set ambitious targets. The Commission's view is that the Conference will need to focus on three priority objectives. First, produce an institutional system enabling an enlarged Union to operate efficiently. The insistence on unanimity and the complexity of the existing decision-making procedures would paralyse the Union. Second, come up with real answers to the public's concern about matters such as internal security, employment and the environment. Third, give the Union a genuine external policy. This will mean adjusting the common commercial policy and external economic relations to the changes in the modern world, and undertaking a thorough reform of the CFSP. The Union's identity as perceived by the rest of the world must be one of coherence, effectiveness and visibility. Enlargement and the Union's financial framework after the expiry of the current financial perspective in 1999 are two closely related matters which together make up Agenda 2000. The preparations for this exceptional challenge for the end of the century will enter a new decisive phase in 1997. After the conclusion of the IGC the Commission will present a number of major documents in accordance with the conclusions of the Madrid European Council (December 1995). First of all, the opinions on each of the applications for accession. The Commission will apply the appropriate rigour and objectiveness in preparing these opinions, with no preconceived ideas and no fears about stating the truth. Secondly, a general document setting out a coherent approach to the whole issue of enlargement. In this context the Commission will make a detailed assessment of the impact of enlargement on Union policies. Finally, a communication on the financial framework from 2000 onwards. This exercise, which is not easy at any time, will be made even more difficult by the prospect of enlargement. It will obviously have to be accompanied by a very careful look at the future of the Community policies, in particular the common agricultural policy and structural policies. CONCLUSION 1997 will be very much influenced by the major developments looming ahead for the Union: the Intergovernmental Conference, economic and monetary union, the post-1999 financial package, enlargement. In many respects it will be a milestone as work on the reform of the treaties is completed and gives way to Agenda 2000. The Union will also enter into the final phase of the preparations for the decision in spring 1998 on the third stage of EMU. The Commission will have the decisive role to play in getting work on Agenda 2000 actually started. It will be for the Commission to conduct a thorough appraisal of the situation and to work out a coherent approach in the interests of the entire Union and its members, both present and future. So that the Member States and the other institutions can assume their responsibilities, the Commission will assume its own. These major developments will shape the Union of the 21st century. But while it is necessary to design tomorrow's Europe, we must not forget today's world and ignore the public's concerns. Unemployment is undermining our society and sapping confidence in the institutions, both national and European. The Commission cannot create jobs by itself. But it can help to work out a common strategy and call on the actors to assume their responsibilities. This is the point of the Confidence Pact for Employment proposed in 1996. The process that was set in motion will have to continue and gather momentum in 1997. A Europe which generates growth and creates jobs will be better able to rise to the challenges of Agenda 2000. ISSN 0254-1475 COM(96) 507 final DOCUMENTS EN 01 Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-518-EN-C ISBN 92-78-10312-8 Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg