EU Leaders: Bloc Faces Big Challenges, but Ready to Deal with Them

Ljubljana, 8 May

The leaders of the main EU institutions see the fight against climate change, the Lisbon Treaty and intercultural dialogue as the EU's main achievements over the past year, but they told the WDR Europa Forum on Thursday that these were also areas where the 27-member bloc faces the biggest challenges.

The EU has made headway towards the goal of becoming a key global player. This aspect has been strengthened this year, in particular after the Lisbon Treaty, which gives the EU new momentum in acting on international issues, said Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, the incumbent president of the EU Council.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also highlighted the Lisbon Treaty, which he says increases the EU's capacity to act, which will allow more to be done for citizens. "We have global challenges... it is obvious that our member states cannot tackle them alone, but together we can make a difference, not only for our citizens but for the world," he said.
Jansa also pointed to the importance of the external dimension of the EU, as he believes the key challenges are not confined to Europe, they are global. Foremost among them is the fight on climate change, where Europe is leading the world by setting binding emission targets. "This gives the bloc good footing for talks with India, China and the US," Jansa said.
European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering, emphasised climate change and the Lisbon Treaty, but he also pointed to the importance of intercultural dialogue, which he said should not end in 2008, the Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
Intercultural dialogue should be taken seriously, that way the EU can prevent a clash of civilisation and instead forge partnerships with neighbours, Poettering said.
The need for Europe to tackle the main challenges facing it and the world was also echoed by President Danilo Tuerk in his keynote address. He stressed that Europe needed to assert itself as a global player, which is also something the world expected of it.
"The EU is not and is not seeking to be a military force; all this gives it the precondition to be a key global player," said Tuerk, who is optimistic about the prospects of this happening considering that the EU is not an empire. "Its DNA is democratic, geared towards cooperation and the sense of the global good."
As Tuerk put it, Europe has never lent itself the luxury of treating time as an ally; moving forward has always been the cure against stagnation.

EU Leaders: Bloc Faces Big Challenges, but Ready to Deal with Them

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