Flanders wants EU to focus on security and competitiveness
Flemish minister-president Mathias Diependaele presented the government's vision of the European Union on Wednesday. In the vision note, Flanders calls on the EU to focus on its core tasks of security and competitiveness.
The vision note is the Flemish government's way of setting out its vision of how the EU should develop in the short and medium term. It has been drawn up to serve as a guide for officials in the region when assessing European initiatives.
This note contains a clear appeal to the bloc. "The EU must get back to basics: protecting our security and strengthening our competitiveness, while respecting the individuality of member states," says Diependaele.
"That means: deepening the single market, turning innovation into jobs and a climate policy that supports industry instead of scaring it away"
The Flemish government's top priority is the economy, the "backbone of the EU". The IMF recently calculated that internal trade barriers for goods within the EU are comparable to a tariff of 45 per cent. For services, the figure is 110 per cent. Flanders wants the European Commission to actively remove these barriers.
In addition, the vision paper states that environmental and climate policies need to be "more realistic". For instance, Flanders is calling for adjustments to the ETS1 emissions trading scheme, as it currently requires heavy industry to make annual CO2 reductions that are "technically and economically unfeasible".
Migration and defence
In the vision paper, Flanders also argues for a stronger European migration policy that deals decisively with illegal migration. Countries that are not members of the EU but want to cooperate should cooperate in taking back illegal migrants.
On defence, Flanders wants more European cooperation without copying NATO. The focus should be on joint investment in defence research and arms production, according to the vision paper.
"The Schuman Declaration is 75 years old this year. The message (...) is still relevant: peace through economic cooperation," Diependaele said in a press release. "Today that means: deepening the single market, turning innovation into jobs and a climate policy that supports our industry instead of scaring it away."
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
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