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PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | João de Deus Pinheiro The challenge for Portugal João de Deus Pinheiro, currently vice-chairman of the EPP-ED, talks to Filipe Rufino on the challenges ahead for Portugal’s third EU presidency I am confident that Portugal will run a good presidency and I believe this government – even though being from a different political family than mine – is taking the correct approach to the job. It will be very important for Europe that this presidency turns out to be a success. There will be a string on interesting dossiers on the table, of which perhaps the most interesting is the treaty. The red lines for the new treaty have been reasonably drawn – I would say 80 to 85 per cent of it has already been more or less laid out, but the devil is in the details. I remember when we were going over the Maastricht treaty, it often happened that even though we had all agreed on what we were going to write, we still haggled for hours on how to phrase it. So the treaty alone is a major task for Portugal. You worked from within the EU’s three institutions and you have f irst-hand understanding of what it takes to run a presidency. What do you expect from the third Portuguese presidency of the EU? What would be the main differences between running the Portuguese presidency in 1992 and in 2007? We were 12 in 1992 and therefore I was able to see the white of my counterparts’ eyes across the table. I had a personal relationship with all my colleagues then. Before discussions on controversial topics I would call them and have a preliminary discussion with them on the phone. 36 PARLIAMENT MAGAZINE 2 July 2007 Issue 249 2 July 2007 José Sócrates takes up the EU reins PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY SPECIAL Portugal’s plans KEY PRESIDENCY FIGURES Luís Amado Manuel Pinho Francisco Nunes Correia Jaime Silva PORTUGUESE MEPs João de Deus Pinheiro, Paulo Casaca and Capoulas Santos PLUS Germany’s presidency 15_000_000 ÌŠC 150_000_000_kilometres to Earth Daily Insolation (H, in units of kWh/m 2 -d) Just what every home needs. Your very own 170,000 trillion watt power station. Solar technology from GE could help produce enough energy to power thousands of homes with very low emissions. With a bit of h Issue 249 2 July 2007 Editor’s comment As the German presidency reaches its conclusion, the winner from last week’s marathon summit was German chancellor Angela Merkel. Her tenacity and diplomatic skills, her ability to listen and work with everyone, allowed her to end her country’s presidenc COVERSTORY 33 Key player Filipe Rufino talks to Portugal’s representative in Brussels, Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, as his country prepares for six months in charge of Europe NEWSANALYSIS 7 On your marks On the eve of the Portuguese presidency, state secretary Manuel Lobo Antunes outlined where the an internet-based language learning tool for those working with transnational mobility, education and training co-ordinated by Centro Europeu de Línguas www.languagefacilitator partners: SupEuropa www.cel.pt This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication newsanalysis On your marks On the eve of the Portuguese presidency, state secretary Manuel Lobo Antunes outlined where the country intends to guide Europe during its third turn at the wheel. Anthony Fletcher reports Enlargement Reform of the EU should facilitate the fulfilment of existing commitme NEWSANALYSIS Defensive positions The current Russia-US impasse over the missile shield is an opportunity for the European defence industry to affirm itself, argues Karl von Wogau B allistic missile defence has become a hot topic in recent months, when Russia harshly criticised the US plans to dep PROSTITUTION Legalising prostitution only perpetuates the view of women as commodities, says Anna Hedh T Anna Hedh is a substitute member of the women’s rights committee “One of the strengths of Swedish legislation is that it makes sexual purchases a criminal offence but does not in any way p welcome stranger now cheaper worldwide mobile phone calls thanks to ZONIQ free yourself from high calling rates • • • • • • • for the one-off price of € 20 you buy a ZONIQ sim-pack (1) you receive € 10 free phone credit with your  rst invoice you pay a € 10 monthly subscriptio UN DAY AGAINST TORTURE | IRCT Vital support Sonia Herrero tells Chris Jones why EU funding for torture victims is vital – and why parliament could do more to support it W “How can the EU tell the rest of the world to get its act together on torture when it has been complicit itself, through il © EUMETSAT 2007 EUROPEAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE Sustainable use of natural resources Renewable, clean and dependable geothermal energy CO 2 capture and storage in geological formations Understanding past climates and environments EuroGeoSurve RELIGION Religion and EU Religious beliefs should not be imposed on EU citizens, argues Anneli Jäätteenmäki R eligious matters have raised passions throughout history. Western Europe’s history is peppered with ‘evils’ perpetrated in the name of religion. On the other hand, many of our gr NEWSANALYSIS in the EU as a whole. There is no justification for law to be backward-looking in validating beliefs. The US constitution has separated religion and state and guarantees freedom of conscience since 1791. The US grew by millions when religions clashed in Europe. Many suffered, fled thei PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | José Sócrates Hard-headed Who exactly is José Sócrates, the Portuguese prime minister and incoming holder of the EU presidency? Filipe Rufino reports What’s in a name? Portuguese names are among the longest in the world, but people use a shorter version of their nam COVERSTORY to study civil engineering and draw from the thriving academic revolutionary scene. He travelled around Europe, reportedly harvesting grapes in France and trying out coffee shops in the Netherlands before returning to Covilhã in 1981 to take his first job at the city hall. By this time I NFORMATION , SUPPORT AND TEST OF BUSINESSES CRER – Creation of Enterprises in Rural Area is a project promoted by ADRIMAG, a rural development association, in partnership with key players namely: Desafios Training and Out Door Activities Enterprise, CNO Sever do Vouga – Centre for Recognition COVERSTORY Packed agenda Portugal’s foreign minister Luís Filipe Marques Amado shares his insight on the EU’s busy external relations agenda with Filipe Rufino What priorities have you def ined as the EU chair for foreign affairs and trade? countries, approve the Euromed programme for 2008, di PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Luís Filipe Marques Amado EU will pursue negotiations with trading partners in order to achieve better market access for the European economic operators. FTAs are, however, complementary to the multilateral trading system and not their opposite. “The value of politica WESTINGHOUSE HAS SOME TO ACCOMPLISH simple ideas, great things. AP1 00 W E S T I N G H O U S E E L E C T R I C C O M PA N Y L L C Westinghouse’s next generation nuclear power plant—the AP1000—has fewer components than today’s plants. It is a simple design with safety systems that rely on COVERSTORY Ahead of the curve Portugal’s economics and energy minister Manuel Pinho tells Filipe Rufino the EU should place its bets on the Lisbon agenda and renewables Environment commissioner Stravros Dimas has repeatedly said Europe should provide leadership to the world in the area of climate PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Who’s Who Movers & shakers The six men we think will be the ones to watch during the Portuguese presidency of the EU José Sócrates Prime minister • Born in 1957 in Portugal • Deputy environment minister in 19951997, assistant minister to the prime minister in 1997 Project The MUSAS II project – co-financed by the European Commission, under Leonardo da Vinci Programme – envisages to expand knowledge about and raise awareness of young people victims of crime, thus improving the quality of the services delivered by victim support services across Europe to COVERSTORY Environment minister Francisco Nunes Correia tells Filipe Rufino his priorities for the upcoming presidency – from climate change to biodiversity Green goals What are the priorities for EU environmental policy during the Portuguese presidency and why? Europe took groundbreaking steps PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Environment Minister combat global climate change, and diversify our energy sources. Europe will meet its 2020 targets. It has no other option. It is inconceivable to see Europe down the century with over 80 per cent dependence on foreign energy sources. Portugal is doing Freight Transport Association Delivering the UK economy From the food you eat to the furniture you sit on, our members transport it safely within the UK, and from around the world. And using all modes of transport, our members are minimising their carbon footprint whilst keeping the economy moving. PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Agriculture Thorny issues Agriculture minister Jaime de Jesus Lopes Silva talks to Filipe Rufino about the thorny issues to be tackled by Portugal A griculture has not grabbed the headlines as one of the key issues likely to be tackled by Lisbon during Portugal’s time COVERSTORY do all it can to promote “sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions” in the fisheries sector, and will host an international conference on illegal fishing in November. But it is wine reform is likely to be the hardest agricultural issue that Lisbon will have to sell t ����� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ������� ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿ COVERSTORY Key player Filipe Rufino talks to Portugal’s representative in Brussels, Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, as his country prepares for six months in charge of Europe How will your role as ambassador change in July, as chair of Coreper and Portugal’s top man in Brussels? How much it has chan PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | EU Ambassador whether the need to integrate a broader range of interests in the working of the council is a source of more difficulties. I take some hope from the thought that this new situation has been compensated by the reinforcement of the sense of solidarity and comm Untitled-3 6/28/07 3:30 PM Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CM Y K Composit e PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | João de Deus Pinheiro The challenge for Portugal João de Deus Pinheiro, currently vice-chairman of the EPP-ED, talks to Filipe Rufino on the challenges ahead for Portugal’s third EU presidency I am confident that Portugal will run a good presidency and I believe this COVERSTORY We are now 27 and it is a wholly different situation. Relations are less personal and it is harder to feel that we are a “family”. In the past we used to discuss things openly and informally over lunch and dinner, whereas today if you look at the latest EU summit, the presidency uses PORTUGAL-SPAIN CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION T he border between Portugal and Spain is the longest land frontier between two countries in the European Union, measuring over 1,200km in length. However, the regions along this frontier are all ‘Objective 1’ (i.e. amongst the least prosperous in Europe COVERSTORY Challenging times The Portuguese presidency will face big challenges on Iran, the EU treaty and fisheries, says Paulo Casaca What are your expectations for the Portuguese presidency? ruling establishment. The ultimate way to ensure a solution for the ongoing political issues is to have a PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | CAP Reform Keeping competitive Portugal will assume the EU presidency at a time of reinvigorated discussions about the future of the common agricultural policy, says Capoulas Santos M Capoulas Santos is a former agriculture minister of Portugal aintaining a competitive Operational Programme contributes for Portugal’s development Social changes through Culture ��� � The Operational Programme for Culture (OPC) represents an important tool for implementing the social and economic development strategy forming a key aspect of the Regional Development Progr PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Cape Verde Green light for Cape Verde? In the run-up to the EU-Africa summit, Europe should consider deepening ties with Cape Verde, argues Emanuel Jardim Fernandes I n the past few months, a series of ideas have been floated in the press on the possibility of strengthe COVERSTORY Emanuel Jardim Fernades is a member of the committees on transport and tourism, fisheries and the ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly making it an important geo-strategical point recognised by all the EU member states and the US. Recently, special NATO manoeuvres were hosted there. And i PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Climate Change Top priority Lisbon will take on the baton of climate change from Berlin, but this will not be its only green priority, writes Philippa Jones C limate change, drought and water scarcity, and halting the decline of biodiversity will be the key environmenta COVERSTORY Portugal also plans to use its sixth months as EU president to deal with the impacts of climate change and will therefore be launching an initiative on drought and water scarcity. The initiative will aim at finding a common European approach to the problems of water scarcity and drought, PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Regions Regions from scratch Portugal has finally embraced the concept of regions and is preparing to create a new regional structure as it takes on the EU presidency. Filipe Rufino reports A quiet revolution is brewing in the Portuguese national administration. Little COVERSTORY country’s stint at the helm of the EU, the move aims to attract the attention of foreign investors, promote Portuguese companies and create synergies with regions from other EU member states with similar interests, Baleiras says. José Sócrates’ socialist government is no stranger t PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Mediterranean Union Southern relations Portugal wants to turn Europe’s focus to Africa, if only to counter an increasing Chinese influence there, suggests Shada Islam P ortugal will be turning Europe’s focus on its southern neighbours over the next six months as it COVERSTORY Portuguese and other European companies are looking for new opportunities in Africa In addition to EU support for economic reform and democracy in the southern Mediterranean states, the Euro-Med programme also provides for the breaking down of trade barriers to create a Euro-Med free tra PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Barroso & Sócrates José and José José Sócrates and José Manuel Barroso are the Portuguese duo set to share the EU’s helm. Luísa Meireles looks at the two men’s political past and their future relationship O nly in Portugal are they competitors, because Europe COVERSTORY “Where one is motivated by foreign policy, the other is captured by domestic policy. But they have a common trait: both are hard-working, bookish and tenacious” relatively short EU presidencies are, the fact that Barroso is a Portuguese can only help the Portuguese presidency”. The Sustainable fuels and lubricants for improving engine efficiency: Development of a pan-European Research Network. Participants at the 2nd annual workshop for “Sustainable Fuelube” held in March, 2007 at Shell Technology Centre, Thornton, Chester, UK. E leven research institutions and two Shel COVERSTORY It is time for Europe to change the rules of the game in its dealings with the remaining Mediterranean countries, writes Álvaro de Vasconcelos, director of the EU’s institute for security studies T he debate about the future of the EuroMediterranean partnership has been reignited wi PORTUGUESE EU PRESIDENCY | Mediterranean Regions “A declaration was signed in 2005 [within the framework of the Barcelona process], the content of which can only become a reality with the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean union or community of democratic states” Álvaro de Vasconcelos is direct Vocational Training on Job for Persons with Difficulties on Employment Access (Nov. 2006 Nov. 2008) NEAR JOB S UMMARY Youngsters facing difficulties in labour market access, due to a range of personal−social conditions (disabilities, unspecific development delay, social risk backgrounds, low sch PROFILE | Reimer Böge Cash and cows He’s the farmer-turned-politicia who’s achieved far more than he ever expected. Martin Banks meets budgets committee chair Reimer Böge T here can’t be many MEPs who keep framed photographs of cows on their office walls. But, as he explains, cattle have INSIDEEU “I know how to guide a 700kg bull by the ring in its nose. Strange as it may seem, I have found this experience has helped me steer people in the right direction throughout my political career” also rapporteur on the financing of EU enlargement and, for several years, deputy chair of t EU SUMMIT | IGC After the summit Spelling out in detail the political compromises made at this month’s EU summit in Brussels has given the intergovernmental conference little chance to reopen sensitive debates, writes Rory Watson T he German government had two overriding aims as it prepared the INSIDEEU After the substance, the German government kept a close eye on the implications for ratification procedures. France will not have a referendum. Nicolas Sarkozy made that clear during the presidential elections. In the UK, Gordon Brown should be able to face down demands for a referendum af GERMAN EU PRESIDENCY | MEP Comment End of term report MEPs from across parliament’s groups reflect on the achievements of the German EU presidency. Again the response from members to the Parliament Magazine’s call for comments was an overwhelming success. We have had to edit many of the comment INSIDEEU INSIDEEU Piia-Noora Kauppi The idea of a new, more ambitious, and beefed up regulatory dialogue between the EU and US will surely prove one of the most far-reaching achievements of the German presidency. The potential in transatlantic market opening and convergence is simply huge and the â GERMAN EU PRESIDENCY | MEP Comment Tom Wise Chancellor Merkel’s stated aim was to get the despised constitutional treaty approved whatever the name. Despite massive public opposition we have to descend into the murky world of obfuscation and malfeasance. No ifs, buts or maybes. What is worse, re in association with Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact philip.beausire@dods.uk or call +44 (0)20 7091 7500 For more information see www.regionalreview.eu/a EUROPE MEETS AT THE RENAISSANCE With 10 years of experience, the Renaissance Brussels Hotel knows about Europe. Over the years we have hosted delegations from countries all over the Union, and like Europe, the Renaissance is constantly evolving. Our meeting rooms and our restaurant have recently bee