Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, President of the European Council, and Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik today announced the priorities for the European Council beginning tomorrow, Thursday. The central themes will be work, employment, and economic growth.
“We intend to get down to business on what can be done to stimulate employment opportunities and the future prospects for the European economy. We want to bring about a lasting improvement in the situation of the European Union in the world”, Schüssel said.
“We have prepared an ambitious work programme. We begin tomorrow with the trialogue with the social partners. For the first time, the social partners will address the European Council directly and thereby participate in its deliberations. I consider it an enrichment of the economic policy debate to include in our discussions those who, at the end of the day, actually create the jobs and economic growth. Austria is called upon to contribute to strengthening the role of the social partners”, the Chancellor said.
This debate will be followed by a structured discussion on research, employment initiatives, small and medium-sized enterprises and energy. “We now want to switch from analysis mode to action mode. All in all, we have the requisite knowledge. The important thing now is to use the resources and the will to best effect”, Schüssel said. He commented that the general mood was more optimistic and the growth prognoses for Europe had improved. An environment should be created to permit one percent growth in employment and the creation of 2 million new jobs per annum. "Our hopes are vested in small and medium-sized enterprises. We want to make this particular theme a central issue. A great deal can be achieved in this area”, the Chancellor declared.
The European Council will also discuss energy, Europe’s borders and the future of Europe. “There are no major decisions to be taken at the present time, since the key decisions on enlargement were taken last year on 3 October. A period of work on substantive issues lies ahead of us. Confidence-building is the order of the day. Each step and each project must be carefully explained”, Foreign Minister Plassnik said. She added that the Austrian Presidency’s choice of the Western Balkans as a priority is a correct one, as it concerned a strategy of encouragement. “We must create an environment of confidence”, Plassnik said.
Minister Plassnik announced that more space would be devoted to the theme 'future of Europe'. “This is the ideal time to re-start a broad debate on this important matter. It is a theme that interests the people of Europe. Our key concerns are greater confidence, greater clarity and more élan. We have an opportunity at this spring summit to make very real progress”, she concluded.
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