It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to Athens, to the Greek Foreign Ministry today, just a few days before the European Parliament elections and a few weeks before the end of the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Greece assumed the Presidency at a critical juncture for our common European home: in the midst of the worst crisis Europe has faced since World War II; a crisis both economic and social.
A crisis that called into question the very foundations of the European idea, and that challenged European certainties of the past: The Union’s credibility and ability to react were often questioned, and solidarity within the European family was often put to the test.
Nowhere was this crisis felt more directly, more painfully, than here in Greece. But it is now clear that, thanks to the resolve and sacrifices of the Greek people, we have turned a new page: Greece is returning to European normalcy, regaining its equal standing within the European Union and the Eurozone.
We have achieved an impressive, unprecedented fiscal adjustment; an unprecedented primary surplus; a fiscal deficit well under the European Stability Pact ceiling of 3%. Our banking sector is recapitalized. A month ago, we made an impressive return to the international markets. And the sustainability of our public debt has been confirmed.
Equally impressive, of course, are the thoroughgoing structural changes we have effected in public administration, in the labor market, in the social security system, in the opening up of the market and professions.
But the crisis, ladies and gentlemen, was a European crisis. And in the face of such extraordinary challenges, we witnessed the rise of euroscepticism and extremist tendencies across Europe.
All of us here know, of course, that a stable and prosperous Europe must have strong institutions capable of marginalizing the effects of extremist ideologies. And thus our ongoing coordinated efforts to tackle the debt crisis and its severe consequences have to go hand in hand with the strengthening of the democratic legitimacy and accountability of European Institutions.
In our eyes, it was therefore essential to serve as a Presidency that aimed at achieving results on issues that demanded our immediate attention: Questions of immediate interest to the European Peoples and to the Union as a whole, especially since our Presidency had to perform within a shorter legislative period.
Four and half months into the Hellenic Presidency, important legislative files have already been negotiated, agreed and concluded with the European Parliament.
And in these final two months of the Hellenic Presidency, our efforts are focused on the promotion of the discussion, elaboration and adoption of critical texts like the EU Maritime Security Strategy and the Strategic Guidelines on the future development of the Justice and Home Affairs Area (Post-Stockholm) – both priority areas of the Hellenic Presidency.
Our main objective so far has been to promote the legislative work of the Union in a balanced manner, across all Council configurations.
Of course, with particular emphasis on the stated priorities of our Presidency, as follows:
A) As regards growth, employment and cohesion, we strived to:
• Complete pending legislation of the growth-oriented sector of the Multiannual Financial Framework.
• Promote the completion of Single Market Act I and II
• Support the European Investment Fund capital increase and look into alternative funding possibilities to increase the borrowing capacity of SMEs - the key providers of jobs in the European economy.
• Launch the discussion on the long-term financing of the economy
• Implement the Youth Initiative, to stimulate jobs for the most vulnerable part of our population.
(B) On Deepening the Union, especially the EMU, we focused on policies aimed at improving deficiencies of the euro area architecture.
On the Banking Union, the compromise reached in March between the Council and the European Parliament on the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) is an historic watershed in the evolution of the Eurozone.
At the same time, we are promoting issues concerning tax fraud and tax evasion, as well as the Financial Transactions Tax.
C) As regards Migration, border management and mobility of Union citizens, in the context of enhancing European security, both internally and externally, we aim at the formulation of Strategic Guidelines to be adopted by the European Council on the future development of the Justice and Home Affairs area (Post-Stockholm). At the same time, we have been monitoring the progress made by the Task Force for the Mediterranean.
D) Finally, on the horizontal thematic of EU Maritime Policies the main idea was to redefine and re-launch the EU Maritime Policy in all its aspects – security, growth, including energy and development – with the objective of adopting a text on Maritime Strategy at the June 2014 European Council.
The Presidency has been working on the actual European Maritime Strategy. Our aim is to ensure that the strategic interests and responsibilities of the EU and its Member States in the global maritime domain are reflected in the text.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In this Sunday’s European elections, EU citizens will express their views and concerns regarding a Europe with even closer political cooperation, increased representation, transparency, and accountability in the decision-making process, as well as effective policies that serve citizens’ interests.
These elections are also, of course, a challenge inextricably linked to the recent economic crisis, since the issue at stake is primarily the restoration of confidence in the European edifice and the adoption of a new European narrative that re-establishes the Union’s core values – including democracy, the social state, solidarity, sustainable growth and prosperity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we are all aware, our Presidency also coincided with the crisis in Ukraine and, as such, with the crisis in the relations between the European Union, between the Euroatlantic space, and Russia.
This issue – and we are not forgetting Syria – has monopolized the Foreign Affairs Council meetings during our Presidency, because it is testing the geopolitical foundations of our Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Nevertheless, the Greek Presidency maintained its high level of interest in the Southern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans. The EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Conference, which we hosted on 8 May, in Thessaloniki, was a very effective revitalization of the Thessaloniki Agenda of the previous Greek Presidency, in 2003.
And a few days from now, on 10 June, we will be hosting, here in Athens, the EU-Arab League Ministerial Conference, further emphasizing the importance we attach to the European Family’s relations with its Southern Neighbours.
So despite all the challenges, ladies and gentlemen, we are determined to maintain our Presidency’s course unabated through the end of June, when our friends the Italians, with whom we are collaborating closely, take over for the 2nd half of a Mediterranean Year for the Presidency.
Finally, I want to praise and thank the COREPER for the effort it has put into achieving our common goals, and a personal thanks to you all for your valuable contribution to our common efforts.
May the road to the end of the Hellenic Presidency prove to be both smooth and constructive!
Thank you!
May 22, 2014