mr president over recent months our union has had more summits than our former colleague reinhold messner and our parliament has had a string of reports on improving the economy but what those summits and those reports have done is provide member states with stepping stones across the river of recession
now we need the council to cross without fear or flight and i congratulate the authors of the andersson ferreira and kirilov reports
they offer a consistent and pragmatic perspective written in the light of the unemployment avalanche on our horizon
and their underlying message is this jobs jobs jobs
the lisbon strategy employment guidelines cohesion policy these have always argued for flexicurity in our economies for public investment in research and development for the rapid transition to the knowledge economy
they are the foundations on which a healthy dynamic and secure job market is built
and from today's vantage point one thing is clear to everyone except perhaps some on the benches to the left
it was not the lisbon strategy that brought hardship to our kitchen tables rather it is the member states which ignored it that are suffering the deepest and will suffer the longest
so now is the time to put our foot on the floor and drive forward a lisbon plus programme and employment guidelines that reflect the realities of our union
national parliaments regional governments city halls each must be empowered to rise to that challenge and named and shamed when they do not
nor should we accept heel-dragging over the need to protect the planet
the council will consider the eu's negotiating stance for the copenhagen climate conference
just how much money mr vondra will the twenty-seven allot to adaptation and mitigation in the developing world
climate change will not stop as the economy slows and the poorest countries will suffer still from our carbon consumption
so recession must not mean inaction
member states must commit the cash to counter climate change and to create green-collar jobs in the process perhaps by using the money we have as claude turmes suggests to leverage more through the eib or the eif
however the council knows that the ravages of recession will return without root and branch reform of the financial system
next month's g twenty is tasked with recasting the mould and i welcome the tone taken by european leaders when they met in berlin
the imf should be financed effectively tax havens should be subject to scrutiny and financial institutions should be regulated robustly with an effective european financial services authority overseeing the system not to drag our economies back into the past but to create an open honest and transparent system of trade that is free and fair
london paris berlin each is keen to stress that europe stands united but the president of the council tells us that differences persist
i hope the president of the council will be here to report back to us from this summit because he should be here today
if differences persist it will not do
we need europe to be strong in mind fleet of foot and united in purpose over the weeks and months ahead ready to strip out the toxic assets that are crippling bank balances ready to reform bank practice to restore creditworthiness and ready to accept that the current stimulus package may not be enough because it is no good topping up the imf if there is no global financial system to support and while it is rough justice that responsible member states must mitigate against default by those who lived it up that may be the price to pay to avoid the contagion of economic meltdown
put simply we need council commission and parliament to work together coolly calmly collectively preventing procedure from getting the better of purpose
europe can fight fire no longer
the time has come for the fundamental reform that will provide jobs now and security in the future
