IEP Lunch Debate with Jo Leinen: „The importance of the elections for the future of the EU“
The IEP lunch debate on the topic of „The importance of the elections for the future of the EU“ with Jo Leinen, MEP and President of the European Movement International (EMI) took place at the Representation of the Saarland in Berlin on 13 May 2014. Prof. Dr. Mathias Jopp, director of the Institut für Europäische Politik, moderated the event.
Jo Leinen, MEP, emphasized that the elections of the European Parliament (EP) this year were different due to the nomination of top candidates and that there was actual campaigning. Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of this year’s elections: important decisions are to be made in the upcoming legislative period and growing uncertainty as well as euro-skepticism represented big challenges for the next parliament.
Leinen explained that the upcoming elections were important and difficult at the same time, since not only the EP and its President but also a new President of the European Commission were elected. He commented on the two top candidates Juncker and Schulz, stating they were both suitable for the job as President of the Commission due to their experience. Leinen criticized that Juncker, contrary to his adversary, was only a candidate on the posters since he was not actually up for election. Concerning the influence of the EP on the choice of the future Commission President, Leinen was optimistic: he hoped the Parliament would be confident enough to only vote for a candidate who was named top candidate prior to the elections. Furthermore, he commended the growing power of the EP: 90 to 95 per cent of EU laws could only pass with a “yes” from the Parliament, the trade agreements SWIFT and ACTA had been stopped by the EP in the past. Nonetheless, the possibility of legislative initiatives was still missing.
According to Leinen, elections must lead to more Europe, while trends of re-nationalization were dangerous. A new convent on the future of the EU was possible, Leinen mentioned some changes concretely: he proposed a Ministers’ Council for the euro-zone whose President should be Vice President of the Commission; he advised against a fragmentation of the EP. A committee within the Parliament should be formed for the euro countries, as well as a euro budget with a budgetary authority. A convent on the future of the EU should be formed after the elections in the United Kingdom next year, since they were decisive for a possible EU-Referendum in the country.
A future point on the agenda of the EP would be a Growth Pact to supplement the Fiscal Pact in order to support economies, particularly in the countries affected by the crisis. Possible funds to use would be return payments from the EU budget as well as possible resources from a tax on financial transactions. An industrial policy could foster innovation and the competitiveness on the global market. Leinen also highlighted the importance of a digital agenda in this context which should aim at the sovereignty of data in Europe.
The crisis in Ukraine should be seen as a wake-up call, especially considering the dependence on energy imports from Russia which could be reduced by further development of renewable energy, more energy efficiency and a better infrastructure within the EU. Nonetheless, Russia was still an important part of Europe, he underlined. In the light of recent developments – particularly the idea of a Eurasian Union as a competitor to European Integration – the EU should also consider itself a union with common values, such as freedom, democracy, tolerance and good governance. This should be highlighted more in the context of the upcoming elections.
By Inga Wölfinger
