EUROPE: BARROSO (EU COMMISSION), "FIVE POINTS FOR THE BERLIN DECLARATION"

” “"The Declaration on the future of Europe, which is to be signed by the EU Council, the EU Parliament and the EU Commission in Berlin on March 25th, will be a great opportunity for the Union. But it will have to insist on the values and goals of the 27 member states which, together, we will commit ourselves to respect". José Manuel Barroso, as he spoke today in the EU Parliament, expressed his opinion about the summit for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of integration. "It will have to be a political declaration, because the EU is no longer an economical community, as the EEC was, but a political community". So, according to the head of the Executive, "in that text we will have to write which Europe we want to build". To face the challenges "thrown at the EU by globalisation", in "a scenario that is far different from that of 1957 when the Treaties were signed", Barroso points at five fixed points for the Berlin document. "First and foremost, solidarity, meaning mutual support, social as well as economic cohesion. Then, sustainability", because "the environmental alert and climate change" cannot "be underestimated any longer". "Thirdly, the accountability of the institutions towards the citizens and transparency, so as to accomplish a true democracy". At the fourth point, Barroso lists "the citizens’ security, without prejudice to the fundamental freedoms". Finally, the "external dimension, so that the European values and interests may be protected all over the world". ” ” ” “