Date of release : 18-06-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : European Council

At the close of the last day of the European Council held in Brussels on 16 and 17 June 2005, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister and current President of the European Council summed up the work of the Luxembourg Presidency: "The Luxembourg Presidency is drawing to a close. We had three priorities at the level of the European Council. We wanted to reform the stability pact. We achieved this in March. We aspired to give new impetus to the Lisbon strategy. We accomplished this in March and have just adopted, for the first time in the history of the EU, integrated guidelines. We hoped to give the EU new financial perspectives for 2007-2013 – that failed."

In this context, the President of the European Council stated that "Europe finds itself in a deep crisis."

Prime Minister Juncker explained that the European Council "had been very close to a deal", and that "differences were minimal, which is to say that some delegations did not have the political will to succeed." He added: "Those who, just before concluding, were calling for a full review of Europe’s budgetary structures, were well aware that it was impossible for the 25 countries to agree on a complete restructuring, disregarding all the agreements we reached in the past. Those calling for such a solution were seeking failure."

But he added that the number of delegations who were prepared to find a compromise "was substantially more numerous than those of the countries who refused to commit themselves to such an effort." He praised the new Member States who were willing to make concessions on budgetary engagements which had already been guaranteed to them, in order to rescue a deal: “Huge efforts have been made by those who were willing to press on ahead at this difficult moment in Europe’s history. I am therefore not losing hope that Europe will eventually find renewed vigour, even if today it is experiencing a moment of weakness, which troubles me."