European Parliamentary Week - The European Semester Cycles 2014 and 2015, in the EP in Brussels. Extracts from the opening addresses on the European Economic Governance framework by Martin SCHULZ, EP President and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President of the EC.

Brussels

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

speech

economic governance (T)

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

keynote speech

European Semester (T)

European Parliamentary Week - The European Semester Cycles 2014 and 2015: extracts from the opening addresses on the European Economic Governance framework

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, "We need more Europe when it comes to budgetary policies. It is the only way forward. If the crisis has taught us one thing, we can no longer conceive of the European economy as existing of black boxes, of separate national economies. Our economies are closely intertwined. What happens in one country affects other countries. As the challenge is European, our solution must be European."

SOUNDBITE (English), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, "We will not accept more Europe if it comes at the price of less parlamentarism, and less democracy. We want to ensure democratic accountability every step of the way, also when it comes to national budgets. This is why the European Parliament calls on the Commission to provide the possibility to present the country specific recommendations in the national parliaments before their adoption by the Council."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, EC President, "When we as Commission, looked at the draft national budgets, we have tried to do that with intelligence, finesse and a sense of responsibility. And by taking a careful look at he national situation. In budgetary terms, there is no one-size-fits-all approach which you could apply  to all. Each of the Member States is different, the an economic and social cycle which will be substantially different from one country to  another. There  are three countries where we have provided an extra breathing time for thinking, a reflection time until the end of March. That's Italy, France and rather different to the two other countries, Belgium."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, EC President, "On the Investment Plan: the Investment Plan constitutes in many ways a paradigm shift. Hitherto, the budget lines in the European budget had looked like direct subsidies to companies, or to states. This we are changing so that the subventions are not the default mode for transfers between the European level and national levels, and our intention is for the appropriations to get straight into the real economy."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, EC President, "I want there to be more impetus here, in the financial architecture for the investment plan at European level, and I've reason to believe that the forum will be a success. I am talking to all of  the Prime Ministers, so the hope is that all of the money which is generated will be even greater than we hoped."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, EC President, "To pretend that fiscal consolidation, and structural reforms is sufficient I think is wrong headed, because it is incomplete. We need policies that are resolutely directed towards growth and development. And this is why the investment plans runs out the two sides to make into  three pronged attack. We have added a dose, a degree of flexibility to the Stability and Growth Pact in a communication dated January 13th. Not in order to transform the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact, not to transform it into a Flexibility Pact, but to factor in the need for growth and investment."