On July 4th, 2000, Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, is at EP in Strasbourg. Extracts from his speech during the plenary session with its presentation of the action program for the French Presidency of the EU Council. Introduction by Nicole FONTAINE, EP President.

statement

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EU - France (T)

FONTAINE, Nicole (EPP-DE, FR)

CHIRAC, Jacques (FR)

French Presidency of the EU (T)

Address by Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, on the activities' program of the French Presidency of the EU Council: extracts

SOUNDBITE (French), Nicole FONTAINE, EP President, "The next item is the statement by the Presidency-in-Office of Council on the French presidency&rsquo;s action programme. It is my very great pleasure to give the floor to the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac." (Laud applauses)

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, just fifty years ago the &lsquo;Schuman declaration&rsquo; laid the foundations for the building of Europe, undertaking primarily to reconcile Germany and France. I should, at this point, like to pay tribute to the memory of one of the great and ardent Europeans who paved the way for Europe, Pierre Pflimlin. He devoted his life to France, of course, and Europe, a bold and noble idea of Europe. This House acknowledged his commitment by electing him its president. We have lost a great and fine figure in this venture we are all involved in."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "Half a century of European construction has given rise to a profoundly original European Union, based on the common will of the nations which make up that Union, and today we clearly feel that we are entering a new phase in the history of European construction, which has already brought us peace, economic success and social progress. The fine and necessary project of enlargement is going to change the European Union, its modus operandi and, perhaps, even its very nature, at a time when it is intensifying its political dimension."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "The debate on the future of Europe has thus been launched, and this is good news because is it essential in crucial periods to look further than the immediate concerns and time limits, and to set the course for the future. I had the opportunity to express my views on this subject last week. My comments were intended to shed light on the future and to express what the Europe of tomorrow could and should be. They, of course, extend beyond the limits of the French Presidency of the European Union. One thing is clear, however, and I stressed this in Berlin: all further progress of the European Union is conditional upon the success of the institutional reform. If the IGC were not successful, then it would be pointless to consider the next stages.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "The Presidency&rsquo;s first focus is on making preparations for the future of Europe, post-enlargement. As I said, the reform of the European institutions is one of the primary issues of our presidency. Let us not make the mistake of underestimating the importance of the matters on the agenda. The composition of the Commission, revision of the weighting of votes and the extension of qualified majority voting are all of critical importance given the prospect of the enlarged Europe. If we do not manage to resolve these matters, the European Union will be sentenced to paralysis in the short term, and I am convinced that all the Member States are aware of this and are in favour of finding solutions."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "The second focus of the French Presidency is a Europe at the service of growth, employment and social progress. Opting for the euro means opting for growth and employment. It is a success. We can already see the positive effects in all the countries of the European Union. Coordinating our monetary policies, however, must necessarily be accompanied by serious social ambitions and improved coordination of our economic policies. For many long years, France has been putting the case for employment to be the focus of the concerns of the European Union and the central objective of its policies."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "The third focus of the French Presidency will be to bring Europe closer to the citizens. This is now the legitimate concern of all successive presidencies leading the European Union. Europe still seems far too remote in the eyes of many of our fellow countrymen, who find it hard to see what Europe gives them or can give them in their everyday life. It is high time that the European Union took more notice of the matters of concern to the ordinary citizen. Let us achieve a Europe of the people."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "The fourth and final focus of our presidency: a Europe with a strong international role. In terms of the common foreign and security policy, the French Presidency will make a point of affirming the European identity, with the support of the High Representative and the Commission. One of its priorities will be to consolidate the Europe of defence and security which has experienced spectacular progress in recent months. This Europe of defence and security must be put into practice and developed."

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "Tomorrow, the number of Member States will have more than doubled and we must find procedures to enable decisions to be taken and Europe to make progress while strengthening its efficiency and legitimacy. This is precisely what is at issue. The European Union will only retain its dynamism and its strength if we are able to ensure that it is appreciated by the very people it serves, i.e. the citizens of Europe." (applauses)

SOUNDBITE (French), Jacques CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, "The fourth and final focus of our presidency: a Europe with a strong international role. In terms of the common foreign and security policy, the French Presidency will make a point of affirming the European identity, with the support of the High Representative and the Commission. One of its priorities will be to consolidate the Europe of defence and security which has experienced spectacular progress in recent months. This legislation must be put into practice and developed."