The European Council
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THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL MILAN 28-29 JUNE 1985 Documents in the dossier include: European Council in Milan Reproduced from the Bulletin of the European Communities, No. 6/1985 Milan Summit Advances Eureka Project European Community News No. 21/1985 European Community Information Service Washington DC European Council in Milan 1. The European Council opened at to tackle the main problems-which you the Castello Sforza in Milan on the morning are as familiar with as lam. of 28 June and finished in the evening of 29 June. Taking part were the Italian Prime On institutional matters, Mr Craxi noted Minister, Mr Bettino Craxi, who took the that the political requirements were satis- chair, the President of the French Republic fied for convening an intergovernmental Mr Fran~ois Mitterrand, the Belgian Prime conference to draft a treaty on a common Minister, Mr Wilfried Martens, the Chan- foreign and security policy and, in accord- cellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, ance with Article 236 of the EEC Treaty, to Mr Helmut Kohl, the Danish Prime Minis- draw up the amendments to the EEC Treaty ter, Mr Pol Schluter, the Greek Prime Minis- that were needed to enable institutional changes to be ter, Mr Andreas Papandreou, the Taoise~ made in the Council' ach, Mr Garret FitzGerald, the Luxembourg decision-making procedure the Com- mission s executive power and the powers Prime Minister, Mr Jacques Santer, the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr Rudolf Lubbers of Parliament, and the extension of Com- and the United Kingdom Prime Minister munity activities into new areas as proposed Mrs Margaret Thatcher. by the Dooge and Adonnino Committees. In the course of the European Council's The Heads of State or Government were proceedings the Belgian , German , French accompanied by their respective Foreign Irish, Italian, Luxembourg and Netherlands Ministers. The Commission was rep- Governments came out in favour of holding resented by Mr Jacques Delors, President such a conference, while the British, Danish and Mr Lorenzo Natali, Vice-President. and Greek Governments were against the Also present as observers were the Prime idea. Ministers of Spain and Portugal , Felipe Gonzalez and Mario Soares, and their Mr Craxi concluded that the Presidency Foreign Ministers. would convene the conference once the for- mal procedures required had been com- This was the first occasion on which the pleted. The Spanish and Portuguese European Council did not have to deal with Governments would be invited to take part. urgent outstanding questions or settle dis- putes, but could look firmly to the future. Conclusions of the Mr Delors, taking stock of the Milan Sum- European Council mit, said at a press conference: ' Firstly, as regards the Community dynamic, this meet- ing saw the emergence of a broader, deeper Institutional affairs and in a way more serious awareness of the challenges facing Europe than I have ever 2.2. The European Council held a wide-ranging discussion on the proposals of the ad hoc Commit- seen or even read about. The meeting has tee for Institutional Affairs set up at Fontainebleau, also shown a more confident determination and the draft mandate of the Italian Presidency and than usual to face up to these challenges. in particular On the improvement of the Council' What further proof could be needed than decision-making procedure, the enlargement of the the very great interest shown by the Euro- European Parliament s role, the Commission pean Council in our proposals on the administrative powers and the strengthening of internal market and the problems of tech- political cooperation in the general context of the nology, and on economic questions in gen- transition to European union. eral ... I believe, then, that this European It confirmed the need to improve the operation of Council will stand in the history of Europe the Community in order to give concrete form to as a kind of turning point in the Europeans the objectives it has set itself, in particular as regards the completion of the internal market by resolve not only to survive , but to assert 1992 and measures to promote a technological themselves independently and to join forces Europe. Bull. EC 6-1985 Milan European Council The European Council noted that the President to it at its December meeting on the progress of the Council would submit proposals for the achieved. improvement of the Council' s decision-making procedure, the exercise of the Commission The European Council accepted the suggestions administrative powers and the Parliament s pow~ along the same lines contained in the French mem- ers with a view to their early adoption. orandum on a People s Europe and emphasized in particular the sections of that document COncern- The European Council discussed in detail the con- ing young people, culture and health. In this Con- vening of a conference to work out the following text, the European Council emphasized the value with a view to achieving com:rete progress on of launching a European action programme European Union: against cancer. (i) a treaty on a common foreign and security With regard to the measures contained in the initial policy on the basis of the Franco-German and report and approved by the European Council in United Kingdom drafts; March 1985, the European Council expressed its (ii) the amendments to the EEC Treaty in accord- concern at the delay in implementing them and ance with Article 236 of that Treaty, required for asked the Council , the Member States and the the implementation of the institutional changes Commission, each acting within its own powers concerning the Council' s decision-making pro- to take the necessary decisions to remedy this cedure, the Commission s executive power and situation as soon as possible. the powers of the European Parliament and the extension to new spheres of activity in accordance with the proposals of the Dooge Committee and Economic and social situation the Adonnino Committee, as set out elsewhere, and taking into account certain aspects of the 1.2.4. The European Council discussed the econ- Commission proposal concerning the freedom of omic and social situation on the basis of two movement of persons. reports submitted by the Presidency on the future of the EMS and on the problem of investment and The President noted that the required majority as employment in the context of the implementation laid down in Article 236 of the Treaty had been of the strategy defined in Dublin in December obtained for the convening of such a Conference. 1984. The Portuguese and Spanish Governments would be invited to take part in that Conference. The As regards the EMS, the Commission was invited Belgian, German, French, Irish, Italian, Luxem- to continue its consideration of its development bourg and Netherlands delegations were in favour including the role of the ECU, at Council meetings of holding that Conference. on economic and financial affairs and with the Governors of the Central Banks. The Presidency would consequently take the steps necessary to convene that Conference with a view As regards short-term economic policy, the Coun- to submitting the results for a decision by the Cil of Ministers for Economic and Financial Affairs Heads of State or Government at the European was invited to consider the extent to which the Council meeting in Luxembourg. convergence which had already been achieved between the Member States in the field of inflation A people s Europe and imbalances made it possible to intensify the battle against unemployment. 1.2.3. The European Council thanked the ad hoc ana more general level, the European Council Committee on a People s Europe for its initial invited the Commission to submit to the European report and for its final report submitted in Milan, Council meeting in December a detailed report both of which contained numerous concrete meas- on current inadequacies as regards growth and ures aimed at involving the citizens of Europe more employment in the European economy compared determinedly in the construction of the Com- to that of its major competitors amongst the indus" munity. trialized countries and on the new strategies that With regard to the latter report, the European could be implemented to remedy the situation. Council approved the proposals which it con- tained. Those proposals concerned inter alia citi- zens' rights , culture, youth, education and sport. Completion of the internal market The European Council instructed the Commission and the Member States, acting within their respect- 1.2.5. The Council welcomed the white paper on ive powers, to take the necessary implementing completing the internal market, submitted at its measures, and instructed the Council to report request by the Commission. Bull. EC 6- 1985 Milan European Council 1. It instructed the Council to initiate a precise 4. The Council of Ministers was asked to study programme of action, based on the white paper the institutional conditions in and the conditions on the basis of which customs which the com- pletion of the internal market could be achieved union had been brought about, with a view to within the desired time limits. achieving completely and effectively the conditions for a single market in the Community by 1992 at the latest, in accordance with stages fixed in Technology relation to previously determined priorities and a binding timetable. 6. The European Council noted a collective effort to master new technology was a condition Progress towards this objective should be both for maintaining European competitiveness. It gradual and visible and the European Council therefore decided to give the Community a new therefore requested the Commission to submit its technological dimension. proposals swiftly and the Council to ensUre that they were adopted within the deadlines established The European Council approved and endorsed in the timetable.