Leaders of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia on Wednesday launched
a joint work program for the three consecutive European Union (EU)
presidencies in the next 18 months, saying it would improve the
efficiency and continuity much-needed in the EU's business.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU
presidency, told a joint press conference that the trio presidency
program, the first such program in the EU's history, would enable
the 27-nation bloc to have a more coherent approach in handling
both internal and external issues.
A six-month term for a EU presidency is too short to achieve
major goals, she said, adding that shared efforts by the three
countries in both devising and carrying out the plans will serve
the EU's interest better.
Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates and Slovenian Prime
Minister Janez Jansa agreed with her, saying the program was "both
ambitious and realistic."
Reviving the European constitution, stimulating the bloc's
economy and creating jobs, as well as ensuring security and
stability in the region and the world at large, will be the
priorities of the trio, according to the leaders.
Socrates, whose country takes over the EU presidency in the
second half of this year, said the trio has an "ambitious foreign
policy agenda," intended to make the EU "more active on the world
stage and speaking with a louder voice."
He listed three aspects which the EU trio would focus on:
enhancing the EU's dialogues with Africa, Latin America, and with
the southern Mediterranean and Middle East countries.
The EU-Africa summit, which will take place under the Portuguese
presidency, will be an opportunity for the two sides to re-launch
dialogue and together tackle the issues of migration and
development, he said.
The EU would also like to hold better dialogues with Brazil,
Mexico and other Latin American countries, he said.
Slovenia's Janez Jansa said his country will focus on completing
the expansion of the Schengen area in early 2008, and take on a
mid-term review of the Lisbon growth and employment agenda.
Further enlargement will also be a central theme of Slovenia's
EU presidency, with strong emphasis on the Balkan region in
particular.
The EU will respect its promises to the applying countries, but
it is also crucial for these countries to fulfill all criteria,
Jansa said.
The EU will continue the accession talks with Turkey and
Croatia, but the trio presidency can not promise any date for entry
talks for Macedonia, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)
