PROGRAMMA OF ACTIVITIES OF THE GERMAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL

by Altiero Spinelli

SUMMARY: The Parliament carries out the usual examination of the programme of the presidency of the Council, which is to be assumed by the German Government for the period july to December 1978.

During the Parliamentary debate, both Spinelli and the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Genscher, referred to the need to improve the institutional organization of the Community to ensure a proper response to the problems of "content" which emerged during the debate. In "Speeches in European Parliament, 1976-1986", Pier Virgilio Dastoli Editor. (EP, 4 July 1978)

Mr President, I am speaking on behalf of the majority of my group and, in view of the short time left to me, I would like rather than covering all the points of Mr Genscher's statement, to deal only with those matters which seemed to me of particular importance.

I listened carefully to Mr Genscher' defence of international free trade as an essential condition for prosperity in the Community and his call to face with courage and confidence the structural changes which this situation requires. But I would like Mr Genscher to bear in mind that acceptance of these structural changes is usually easy during a time of economic expansion but very difficult in a time of economic depression. It is clear that in the first case when one factory closes down another opens; in the second case, only the company's debts are left.

The Commissioner, Mr Davignon, is fighting a rearguard action like Roland at Roncesvaux against protectionism and the various attempts to introduce national protectionism in a number of industries: but what is he fighting? He can only fight Euro can protectionist measures in the form of cartels, voluntary restrictions, minimum prices and so on. And instead the Commission has given birth to a protectionist mouse in the form of the proposal to provide a subsidy for Community coal with the pretext of encouraging better use of energy; that is to say it is subsidizing coal which costs two or three times the world price. I hope that you, Mr President, will exercise all your influence in the Council to convince your colleagues not to go ahead with this plan.

However, on the whole, I think that it is not enough just to right protectionism: we must realise that we can only protect ourselves effectively when the economy is expanding. And, equally well, we will not achieve monetary order until we have an expanding economy once more; for neither protectionism nor monetary chaos are the results of the policies followed by individual governments: they are the results of strong pressures from vested interests which force various governments to manipulate currencies and oblige the Community to take a number of protectionist measures.

However, to achieve a policy of growth - as you stressed - we need a policy which transforms into real demand the potential demand of the vast backward regions and countries, the developing areas, those which need the means and the support to achieve the development which will then, as Mr Rippon pointed out, have the effect that the Marshall Plan had when recovery in Europe assisted the American economy. But to achieve this, Mr Genscher, it is not enough to draw up agreements, with the hope that private investment will then focus on those countries. No, we have to follow a plan both in our own regions and for the Mediterranean and for the developing countries as a whole; and we must ask japan and the United States to take part in this at worldwide level; we must have a plan to transfer resources to help these regions and these backward countries because their development will lead to our development too. In other words, we must abandon the idea which has hitherto been current that we are handing out alms to

the poorer countries and regions: we must see this as the means of getting our economics on their feet again too.

I hope that during your term of office this kind of vision will prevail, leading to public and international measures in these countries and on these problems and not the narrow view which says that it is sufficient to allow the market to function properly and everything else will follow.

Another point I would like to deal with briefly concerns a number of institutional problems. You stressed, Mr President, that to cope with the enormous problems we are facing the Community would have to improve its structures and you mentioned the need for majority voting in the Council. I would like to remind you also of the commitment made by the nine governments during one of their summit meetings, I do not remember which, to increase the powers and responsibilities of the Commission, delegating new tasks to it, because the Commission is a body which is capable of governing and administering, while the Council, by its very nature, is not.

I would have liked to hear you lay greater stress on the commitment to ensure that basic decisions are taken with the consent of Parliament. This is particularly important on the eve of European elections and what might at first sight appear a more cumbersome procedure will in effect give greater weight to any measures taken.

During your presidency, Mr Genscher, a number of important decisions will have to be taken and we hope that once more you will exercise all your authority to convince your colleagues to aim at the development rather than the deterioration of the Community institutions. I remember that last year, the European Council, abusing its powers, laid down triennial commitments for the Regional Fund knowing well that the opinion of Parliament - which had the last word on this matter - was different. I hope that this year there will be no similar usurpations of power.

One last comment: in July, on the same day that you will be attending the GATT Conference - I think you said 24 July - Parliament will be holding a conciliation meeting with the Council on a subject which has both institutional and economic importance, that is to say the question of implementing what are referred to as the 'Ortoli facilities'. The Council has expressed the view that authorizations to grant loans should be taken unanimously, although the subject is not of vital importance, forgetting the fact that since this is a budgetary matter it is the budgetary authority which must take the decision, that is to say that it is not just the Council which decides and - insofar as the Council takes part in the decision - the Council must vote by a majority; secondly, the use of this money has been designed in such a way that Parliament has no way of controlling it.

We would like the Council, during your presidency, to reply to these formal questions from Parliament, bearing in mind that we are trying to create instruments for an effective policy. After all the declarations that have been made about Europe, the time has come to say 'hic Rhodus, hic salta!'. We must demonstrate -European Parliament direct elections (4 July 1978)

On I July 1978, the President of the European Parliament - Emilio Colombo, - was informed by the President of the Council of the final decision regarding the date of the first direct elections to the European Parliament. They are to be held in all countries of the Community within the period 6 to 10 june 1979.