The very pro-European address by Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme made a good impression on members of the European Parliament, who already seemed convinced in advance and asked the president-in-office to guarantee the Community method for economic governance and financial supervision.

The Flemish Christian Democrat was in Strasbourg, on 7 July, to present the priorities of the Belgian Presidency, which took up the Council reins on 1 July for six months (see Special Edition 4009). Leterme said his country would respect “the spirit and the letter” of the Lisbon Treaty “in order to set precedents for the future”. “We may be under a caretaker government but that does not dampen our enthusiasm,” added Leterme, who said the nine parties that are members of the government support the programme and that the Belgian diplomatic services are thoroughly acquainted with the machinery of the EU institutions. “This is our twelfth Presidency and Belgium has been pro-European for a long time,” concluded the prime minister, who plans to collaborate with Parliament, this “force for European integration”.

The majority of MEPs expressed confidence in Belgium’s capacity to give impetus and in its long-standing European commitment. EPP leader Joseph Daul (France) welcomed the fact that the country had not presented a “priority catalogue,” but focused instead on growth and jobs, development of a ‘green’ economy and security. “Concrete responses are needed” and it is vital to ensure that the Community method “becomes even more deeply rooted in our institutions”. “Belgium is building a bridge to a fundamentally pro-European attitude, which is an opportunity for all of us,” observed Socialist group leader Martin Schulz (Germany). The biggest problem in Europe is still “the huge lack of social balance” so it is crucial to “supervise the financial sector more closely” to keep “the full burden of the crisis from falling on workers”. Schulz encouraged the Presidency to wrap up the negotiations on financial supervision.

The leader of the Liberals and Democrats, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, confirmed that the Belgian EU Presidencies have “always strived to foster European integration”. “That is exactly what we need today,” he continued, calling on the Presidency to steer five issues to conclusion: financial consolidation and the recapitalisation of banks as necessary, reinforcement of the Stability and Growth Pact “with the European Central Bank and the Commission in the cockpit,” creation of an economic government “based on the eurozone and with the Commission at the helm,” regulated funds and a banking supervision system. On the latter point, Verhofstadt called for a single EU supervisory authority and for giving up unanimous voting in the Council on this package.

On behalf of the Greens, Rebecca Harms (Germany) noted that over and above the needs of financial supervision, the Council Presidency would have to be sure to “restore citizens’ confidence in the EU’s capacity to act” and not “be limited to a budgetary policy, as Germany is doing, because that will not mend Europe and bridge the divides”.

FARAGE BACK ON ATTACK

British Europhobe Nigel Farage, whose remarks contrasted with the other comments, struck out at Belgium, “which is not really a nation,” and its caretaker government, “which has no legitimacy”. Attacking Leterme directly, saying he had “come here to play the good Belgian without knowing his own national anthem,” Lafarge hammered out: “Belgium is the prototype of the EU and this prototype is collapsing”.

During the debate, Commission chief José Manuel Barroso announced a number of initiatives that will be presented this half-year in the areas of employment and innovation, industrial policy, development of the internal market, trade strategy and revision of the EU budget.