Mr President, Minister, ladies and gentlemen, we all agree on setting the course we are heading for beyond the French Presidency, but this forces us to mention the questions that will be raised, regardless of whether the intergovernmental conference is successful. Our heading cannot be just the institutional construction which we know particularly appeals to the French. It must also answer the question: what do we wish to achieve together? Are we ready to draw the conclusions of the great leap forward undertaken by the French President’s predecessors? I am thinking particularly of the matter of adopting the euro. The questions that we must also answer are those that our fellow citizens are asking. They aspire to see Europe operating better. Whatever the advantages of talking about our visions for the future, right now we have to respond to the aspirations of the men and women who make up Europe, and in order to do so, all the members of the French executive must be involved in order to make a success of this presidency. I believe that the projects undertaken by Lionel Jospin’s government, in France and in Europe, give the President-in-Office of the Council every opportunity to fulfil this objective. We must also make a success of this agenda, and this means, first and foremost, making a success of the Intergovernmental Conference. Key political questions will have to be settled, but if we want the European Union to be in a position to make decisions, then first and foremost we have to move into the realm of the qualified majority. Moreover, Parliament requested that intensified cooperation be included on the intergovernmental conference agenda. We are pleased to see that this has been possible. We should like to see the right of veto cancelled for the transition to intensified cooperation, but this increased flexibility should not pave the way for an increasingly intergovernmental mode of operation. Then, I should like to tell the French Presidency that it can count on Parliament’s support to prefer rather that we have no Nice Agreement than a mediocre Treaty. Beyond the Intergovernmental Conference, we are also awaiting a review of the working methods and organisation of the European Union’s institutions. We are thinking, obviously, of the reform underway within the Commission, but also and perhaps more importantly, within the Council. The French Presidency has set itself the objective of placing Europe at the service of growth and full employment. This is a renewed objective, for which we think a necessary objective is to step up work within the euro-11 group, soon to be the euro-12. We are delighted that the French President has made a commitment to the greater visibility and authority of this body, which we consider to be a useful one. As regards the social agenda, once again we are pleased to see that the prospect of full employment is henceforth seen as embracing the whole of the European Union. We are delighted, moreover, to see the commitment of Lionel Jospin’s government to bring a number of essential directives to a successful conclusion. I am thinking primarily of the directive on information and consultation of employees, as well as the working time directive for mobile workers. The French President spoke of the Europe of men and women, the increased attention we must pay to the concerns of our fellow citizens. In this respect, the work undertaken within the Convention on framing the Charter of Fundamental Rights is absolutely essential. At the European Council in Biarritz, the Convention members will be ready to propose a comprehensive text which is to include economic and social rights. However, the European Council will also have to be prepared for Parliament demanding time and again that the possibility of incorporating the Charter into the Treaty should be tabled. We consider this to be an essential point. What is the point in recognising rights if no legal recourse is possible? With a view to creating a Europe that is closer to the citizens, I shall not go through the French Presidency’s entire programme, I have just two points to make. One of these concerns the “money laundering” directive which, I believe, offers the progress that our fellow citizens wish to see. They cannot comprehend our reluctance in this area. In the field of reciprocal recognition of legal rulings, we are continually faced with situations where the divergent nature of our judicial structures involve our fellow citizens in serious personal deadlocks. We need progress here. Mr President, one final word to express how important we think it is that the French Presidency should also transform the acquis of the Treaty of Amsterdam on the subject of services of general interest. These services of general interest contribute to the social and territorial cohesion of the European Union, as enshrined in the Treaty of Amsterdam. The test we are going to have to face in this respect concerns the directive on postal services. Such services are also part of the modern world, for example Internet access for all. We hope that the French Presidency will be able to propose a framework directive on this subject. (Applause)

Political group: PSE