Thank you, Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, President of the Commission, this debate is, in fact, far too early to be able to rate the chances of success of the Laeken Summit realistically, but, Mr President-in-Office, it is already a fact that the Belgian Presidency will be memorable, even if it was only because the attack on New York has put the fight against terrorism and Europe’s role in the world, at the top of the list of priorities. For my group, it is vital for the Laeken Summit to spell out once more that we have our own contribution to make, especially in the search for political and diplomatic solutions for international conflicts, with full backing from the UN institutions, and that we also want to reactivate the dialogue with the Arab States. The EU’s own role means, inter alia, that Europe refuses to ignore or suspend the principles of the rule of law and human rights in the name of the fight against terrorism, and that Europe insists on justice in the framework of an international court of justice and not in the framework of exceptional courts. Mr President-in-Office, I hope that Laeken will drive home this clear message to the United States, among others. Nevertheless, the risk remains that this priority could push aside the sixteen other priorities. That is why, on behalf of my group, I would like to convey a wish to the Council Presidency. We expect the Council Presidency to make an extra effort at the Laeken Summit to clarify that the Lisbon objectives also apply at a time when we face economic decline, when companies are being restructured and unemployment continues to rise. It is important for the Laeken Summit to demonstrate to people that Europe is not just about the introduction of the euro. It is also about economic growth, employment, the future of pensions and the fight against social exclusion. Mr President-in-Office, Laeken’s pièce de résistance will undoubtedly be the declaration about the future of Europe. This declaration is still one of the Prime Minister’s personal projects with which he, in the capacity of President-in-Office of the Council, is doing the rounds of the capital cities. As the draft document is still a well kept secret for this Parliament too, we are having to make our contribution to the declaration without, in fact, any knowledge of the content of this document. I find this regrettable. That is why I should like to pass on a few suggestions which are extremely important to us in the framework of the declaration on the future of the European Union. First of all, we must avoid a situation where the Laeken Declaration sets up scenarios whereby the competences of the European Union are cast in stone, thus not allowing Europe any room for manoeuvre where this is not explicitly provided for in the Treaty, or a scenario in which use is made of lists of competences. Mr President-in-Office, such scenarios certainly do not meet the expectations of the citizens. Secondly, there is the risk, if I can believe the lobbies, that Europe’s voice will be somewhat drowned out by that of the delegations of the Member States. We trust that Laeken will launch a balanced Convention and that, furthermore, the participation of women will be guaranteed. Thirdly, Mr President-in-Office, I was taken by surprise a moment ago when I heard you say – and I hope I did not misunderstand you – that “l'idée d'une assemblée parallèle au forum de la société civile a été écartée”. This is very bad news, for it is obvious to me that the debate on the future of Europe is already being compromised if the civil society is not accorded a clear status, if a structured platform for a dialogue with the civil organisations is not really being created and if all that remains is a virtual computer debate with no room for real participation. I hope that this can still be rectified in Laeken, but I would nevertheless wish the Council Presidency every success at this stage.

Political group: PSE