This year will be a turning point, a decisive moment in understanding the direction the European Union will take. A community united by fiscal numbers or a family with a common fate and battle to fight.
Unfortunately, the Paris terrorist attack obliged us to focus our attention on the idea of security and integration. The attack against Charlie Hebdo was a despicable and vile crime. By attacking journalists, it is freedom of speech and democracy that have been targeted. But, by preserving our values, like free movement of persons or freedom of the press, we respond firmly to terrorists: we will never give up on our fundamental rights.
"Europe needs a positive approach which can be reached by promoting education and integration, as well as by tackling poverty and unemployment"
Some people, like Marine Le Pen or Matteo Salvini, propose to suspend the Schengen treaty and return to a system of national borders. They lie just to take advantage of the fears of the electorate. In essence, it is pure populism. You can raise walls or fences as high as your imagination goes but this will only give the illusion of security. What Europe needs is to move forward from the short-term approach and set up a comprehensive policy capable of influencing integration policies, repression measures and concrete actions on the external level. This can be achieved by contributing to the establishment of a European intelligence capacity and increased judicial cooperation under clear and strong parliamentary scrutiny. It should be combined with a clear definition of the purpose of the European passenger name record (PNR) proposition. Once defined, we could determine the data retention period.
The European Union should meanwhile maintain and optimise the current framework of the Schengen agreement and use the existing instruments more effectively, including the Schengen information system. Moreover, Europe needs a positive approach which can be reached by promoting education and integration, as well as by tackling poverty and unemployment.
Whether in Paris, in Europe or Nigeria, we have to defend the values of democracy against terrorism and extremism. The reports of massacres from Boko Haram in Nigeria, including children used in kamikaze attacks, is terrifying on a human level, but also on a political level. The Nigerian institutions have asked for our help and we cannot remain indifferent. The European Union must be the frontrunner in providing practical support to defend democracy in Nigeria. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past which were made in the Middle East and north Africa. We cannot leave Africa’s most populous country to face terrorists who turn inhumanity into a strength. The European Union and the whole international community should realise that we are facing a global threat that requires a global reaction.
As a global actor, Europe must also have a global economic role. The only way to get rid of this lasting crisis and give hope and new job opportunities to the younger generation is to put aside blind austerity and invest in our future. The Socialists and Democrats cannot merely accept an accountant's vision of Europe. We asked for a shock therapy to be put forward. This would be implemented via new investments, public and private, the creation of a new European investment instrument and finally the adoption of an 'investment clause' to enable our economy to recover and save us from social breakdown, populism and European disintegration. In this regard, we achieved great success. We obtained the neutralisation of national contributions to the European strategic investment fund. We obtained the historical implementation of the investment clause for the co-financing element of the structural funds, as well as the public financing of European projects. We stopped a diabolical plan, within the commission, that intended to dictate terms to member states and threatened to impose sanctions should they refuse and implement financial reforms imposed by Brussels. It is not an easy job, but the Socialists and Democrats want Europe to move forward in a responsible way and not just say no or hold back.