Press Releases

Federal Chancellor Schüssel on the EU Presidency: joined-up thinking and action on a European level

The President in office of the European Council, Wolfgang Schüssel, Vice-Chancellor Hubert Gorbach, and EU Council President and Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik reviewed Austria’s Presidency of the EU at a press conference today.

“Austria set out to give the EU new momentum during its Presidency. It will be for others to judge our work, but we can certainly say it was a real pleasure for us to hold the Presidency for six months and to work in close partnership with the Commission and Parliament", Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel said in his summing-up of the six-month EU Presidency. The Presidency work programme covered a wide range of themes, ranging from growth and jobs to the future of Europe.

A year ago, according to the Chancellor, the European Union had been in deep crisis, with serious communication deficits and existential problems. These had now been overcome. “We devoted a great deal of energy to finding ways of getting EU issues across more effectively and involving the European public more in a dialogue for Europe." This had been done with the help of a large number of projects, such as Austria’s “Europe is listening” initiative and the Presidency website, which provided copious information on a broad range of topics and had registered 34 million hits so far. Other projects in the field of arts and culture had highlighted and enhanced awareness of Europe’s diversity and the European way of life. “I believe that goal, atmosphere and substance go together. This is what characterised the Austrian Presidency, and it was well received”, Schüssel said.

Chancellor Schüssel said the Member States’ culture of dialogue had improved and partnership was once again writ large. This had proved invaluable in tackling difficult issues and contributed to the good working climate between the Presidency, the Commission, Parliament and the Member States. The Austrian Presidency had brought topics such as energy into the discussion for the first time and contributed to more networking in the EU. There were also first signs of progress on growth and jobs. “We have created 2 million more jobs since last year. The employment goals we set ourselves for the EU are realistic.” Crises such as the temporary reduction in gas supplies, the cartoon controversy and Iran’s nuclear programme had mobilised Europe’s energies. “We have learned that we need to engage in joined-up thinking and act on a European level", the Chancellor said.

The Foreign Ministry had functioned as Europe ministry and this had proved its worth. All the information for the EU Presidency had been coordinated there. “The entire organisation was managed by a small team chaired by the Foreign Minister and the State Secretary. This division of labour was very successful and we were able to rely 100% on this team”, Schüssel commented. He expressed his thanks to all those who had contributed to the work of the Austrian Presidency. Some 10 000 people were involved in its preparation and implementation.

“Austria made good use of the opportunities the Presidency offers. The constructive and innovative spirit with which we are credited has been good publicity for Austria”, Vice-Chancellor Hubert Gorbach said. Important decisions on road safety, development of European transit networks and security had been taken during Austria’s Presidency. However, there could be no let-up in the drive to carry the European project forward. “Above all, we must promote a deepening within the European community of states and increase people’s acceptance of the European unification process. Austria has made a positive contribution to this at a difficult time. Our objective was to raise awareness on the part of EU decision—makers and to strengthen the regions. A Europe of the regions should not be an empty slogan”, Gorbach declared.

“My experience of the Presidency is one of teamwork. We were a strong team working for Europe and I would like to thank all those involved”, Foreign Minister Plassnik said. Although no final decision had been taken on the constitutional issue, the work done by the Austrian Presidency had helped maintain the substance of the text intact. According to the minister, Austria had introduced new aspects to the debate on European values, such as that of the European way of life. Work was now under way on clarifying for the first time the criteria of the Union’s ability to take in new members. Austria had been able to introduce an important new emphasis with its policy for the countries of the Balkans in particular. “This priority was correctly chosen. We raised this issue courageously and at the right time”, Plassnik said.

“In the foreign policy field, there is great demand for Europe to speak with a strong voice on the international stage. By doing so, the European Union can make a significant contribution to peace and security in the world. We have shown we are able to take a uniform stance even on very complex issues”, Plassnik said on the subject of EU external policy. “I hope the networks created will carry us through the next presidencies.”