20 February 2014

Dutch Foreign Minister Timmermans: No European Union without the Member States

In a keynote Europe speech, Timmermans said: "The EU exists by the grace of the Member States and their democratic institutions. The EU would do well to secure greater involvement in Brussels decision-making by those democratic institutions, governments and parliaments."

"It’s difficult to face up to the fact that, due to globalisation, our fate is inseparably connected with that of 500 million other Europeans. In this European boat of ours, we seem to be more dependent on each other than we would like at this moment. So it’s no surprise that some people’s gut reaction is to say 'I’m grabbing a lifebelt and jumping ship'. But isolation is not a lifebelt – it’s a Fata Morgana. At a time of globalisation and major geopolitical shifts, we need partners and allies. The idea that it would be in our interest to leave the Union strikes me as nonsense. We are a trading nation. Those who put our trade at risk do not have the Netherlands’ best interests at heart. The EU’s internal market can only function thanks to the joint control we exercise from Brussels. Thanks to the European Commission, the internal market functions well, although improvements can and should be made.

But that does not mean giving the EU carte blanche to arrogate more powers to itself. The European Union needs to be modest and understand that there is no Union without the Member States. The EU is not ‘Brussels versus the Member States’, but an attempt to work together effectively and democratically. The EU exists by the grace of the member states and their democratic institutions. The EU would do well to secure greater involvement in Brussels decision-making by those democratic institutions, governments and parliaments. Those institutions in turn have a solemn duty to make far better use of the instruments available to exercise influence in Brussels, instruments which too often they fail to avail themselves of. National parliaments pass up opportunities to consult with each other on the use of yellow and orange cards when assessing the necessity of European proposals. They can and must do a lot better in this area.

It is not true that democracy is only possible in a nation state. The European Parliament is elected directly, and the Council, in which national governments are represented, ensures that a balance is maintained between Brussels and the member states. The member states are involved in all decisions, even though afterwards they sometimes like to pretend otherwise.

We should not see the heated debate on the future of the EU that has erupted in the Netherlands and other European countries as a threat, but as an invitation to adapt the achievements of the past to the needs of the present. I am optimistic. Optimistic about Europe’s capacity to find a new direction. Optimistic about our ability to reform the EU so that it works for us all in an efficient and cost-effective manner. There is no need to rewrite the treaties. What we need is for the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission, shortly after the elections in May, to reach a political deal setting out what the EU’s priorities will be over the next five years, and in what areas the EU will refrain from activity, so that those areas can be left to the Member States. The Dutch government believes that in the next five years it is essential to focus on the main tasks, abandon side issues, and ensure that the major changes that the EU has undergone are properly consolidated. Greater purpose, a more modest approach, no more ideas based on a Brussels ‘virtual reality’, and a demonstration of concrete results. This is the only way we have a chance of convincing our ‘masters’, the citizens of Europe, that it is still well worth investing in solidarity."

Full speech

Further speech, European political deal required after elections, 24.2.14

© Government of the Netherlands