Indeed, this small country was at the origins of the formation of an international association that now includes 15 states. The Union's executive body – the European Commission – and other EU institutions operate in its capital, Brussels. In the next six months, the Belgians will need all their experience and authority to solve new, very complex tasks posed by further integration 'in depth and breadth'.
First of all, it concerns preparation for EU enlargement and the introduction into circulation on January 1, 2002 of the single European currency – the euro. No less important is the work on implementing a European social model with low inflation and unemployment rates, as well as making the economies of the Union's countries the most dynamic in the world by 2010. As one of its goals, EU leadership has set the creation of a European area of freedom, security and justice, in which a high quality of life, environmental protection and sustainable economic development will occupy a central place. At the same time, attention is not lost on the creation of a common rapid reaction force of 60,000 people, which will allow the Union, if necessary, to play a notable role in overcoming crises and providing humanitarian aid in 'hot spots'.
As they emphasize in Brussels, the Belgian side intends, during its presidency, to achieve progress toward all these difficult goals. Within its competence, Belgium will strive for even greater transparency and efficiency in the activities of the EU governing bodies.
On the eve of taking over the presidency, the Belgian government outlined the main goals. There are six in total:
- deepening debates about the future of Europe;
- improving the quality of work offered to Europeans, further emphasis on creating equal opportunities, as well as on combating unemployment and poverty;
- promoting sustainable economic growth and coordination of common economic policy;
- creating a European area of freedom, security and justice;
- stimulating sustainable economic development and improving the quality of life;
- expanding and strengthening the external space of the European Union.
In addition, Brussels, as the next EU president, intends to put forward a number of political priorities that will need to be specified in the second half of the year. Solving this task will require close interaction with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the leaders of all 15 Union countries.
Of course, the most important task will be the final preparation for the introduction of the euro into cash circulation. To understand the scale of this event, even without considering the consequences for the economies of Europe and the whole world, it is enough to recall: never before has integration affected the daily lives of Europeans so directly. It is important that hundreds of millions of residents of the Old World believe in a tangible single currency and have no doubts about its advantages. Brussels will have to constantly monitor the measures taken by the governments of the 'fifteen' in connection with the launch of banknotes and coins. At the same time, a powerful information campaign begins, because, as population surveys now show, ordinary people are not sufficiently informed about this innovation, which will significantly change their lives.
At the same time, the EU is assuming increased obligations in the field of social protection. Along with closer attention to the development of the European social model and the fight against unemployment, the Union intends to intensify efforts to create a more effective pension system. The fact is that all European countries are now facing a new challenge – the rapid aging of the population: from 2000 to 2040, the number of pensioners on the continent will double.
A prominent place in the agenda of the new president, who succeeded Sweden in this post, is the development of a common policy in the fight against illegal immigration, above all the smuggling of people, as well as granting asylum to foreigners in need of it.
At the European Council in the Finnish city of Tampere in October 1999, an ambitious program was adopted aimed at creating a common area in which the principles of freedom, security and justice should prevail. The results of this policy will be summed up in the suburb of the Belgian capital – Laeken – in December of this year at the next European Council.
By the way, at this same forum it is planned to adopt the Brussels-Laeken Declaration, in which EU leaders will announce the schedule for discussing the Union's enlargement issues, the methods that will be used for this, as well as the calendar for the accession of new countries. Let us recall: 10-12 states are considered candidates. This raises the most complex tasks of the future distribution of powers of participants, financing, the fate of European institutions, decision-making principles, and so on.
Finally, as the magazine 'Europa' notes, Brussels intends to pay close attention to preventing further global warming on the planet. To this end, Belgium is determined to intensify the ratification process of the Kyoto Protocol – an international treaty aimed at reducing emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere – despite the obstructionist position of the new US administration on this issue.