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Barroso said that in order to return to a lasting growth, it was essential that action be taken on three distinct fronts:
First, in the Member States themselves, by making structural reforms that will enable them to balance their public accounts and increase the competitiveness of their economies; our common focus should continue on reforms for more flexible labour, product and services markets. This is key for competitiveness. Deepening the Single Market, with an emphasis on all infrastructure sectors, transport, energy and digital, features high among our work programme and the priorities of the Annual Growth Survey.
Second, in the euro area, by taking specific measures that will make it possible to improve the governance, action and effectiveness of the budgetary policies of the various countries.
And, third in the 27-28 Member States, by reinforcing the accountability and solidarity mechanisms, which will include a deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union as well as progress towards a political union, with heightened scrutiny and democratic control of the new functions attributed at European level.
The Blueprint on a deep and genuine economic and monetary union, which the Commission presented two months ago, is precisely about launching a European debate on the future of the European Union and the EMU. It raises the hard questions on how to strengthen cooperation and integration in the financial, fiscal, economic and also in the political field. And it provides some of the answers and aspirations as we see them - some concrete and short-term, others more ambitious and long-term. Some depend on political will only, they can be done now; others require treaty change. All of them demand a broad and profound political exchange of ideas.
The crisis of the last years has shown the limits of individual action at national level and the need for European cooperation and integration. Too often solutions had to be designed ad hoc. European Union institutions and member states under the emergency had to act as fire-workers and architects at the same time. Structural and permanent replies are needed, and this is what we are currently working on. The road ahead also includes a reinforcement of European democracy. Accountability and legitimacy need to be brought in line with institutional realities, just as we did in previous steps in the process of European unification. Both the European Parliament and national parliaments play a crucial role in that.
The European Union will remain a system of governance on multiple levels. So maximum democratic accountability must be provided at that level where the decision is taken, taking into account all levels where its impact will be felt. This also means... that one thing is crystal clear: democratic accountability and legitimacy within the European Union in the 21st century take place at national and at European level. And this should not be seen as a zero sum game. These are complementary concepts.
The European Parliamentary Week is an expression of precisely this. The European Semester must embody a strong parliamentary dimension. And it is obvious that many issues are at stake and decisions need to be prepared or be taken which involve both the European Parliament as much as national Parliaments, be it in budgetary, fiscal or macro-economic terms.
I am therefore very much in favour of making full use of the Economic Dialogue as set up by the six-pack legislation between the European Parliament on the one hand and the Commission, Council and the Eurogroup on the other. We need to involve Parliament in particular before the European Council debates the Commission's Annual Growth Survey and again before the adoption of the country-specific recommendations. Commission and Council should also be present systematically at meetings between members of the European and national Parliaments, and the Commission is eager to exchange views with national parliamentarians on their country's recommendations as well.
Overall, a genuine Economic and Monetary Union demands a genuine debate on the European Union's economic approach. That is politically self-evident, so let us make it happen in practice.
The moment is right. There is nothing like an election campaign, I am thinking now about the European Parliament elections in 2014, to bring Europe closer to the people. By debate, by providing a better understanding for what is at stake.
We can do this also by strengthening the vehicles of politics, by enhancing the role of European political parties. This is why the Commission has proposed to give European legal status to European political parties. I hope the political parties will contribute to further Europeanise these elections so that we can really have a democratic European debate...
In his speech, VP Rehn concluded:
"The EU has jointly made significant strides in 2012. Our policy agenda for the present year 2013 is also ambitious. Making it happen requires teamplay and responsibility from all of us, so that we can restore confidence in a lasting manner and return over time to a solid path of sustainable growth and job creation.
Our joint efforts are all about reforming and modernising the European model of social market economy. They are about ensuring our citizens welfare, perspectives for the future, stability and security.
Making real and substantial progress on this policy agenda this year and this year's European Semester will be an essential test of Europe's credibility on our road towards a stability union of both responsibility and solidarity. We need to succeed in this test and together get Europe back on track."