November 2000

Lipponen: "Small countries want equality in EU"

After his talks with Tony Blair in London on Tuesday, Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen emphasised the need to guarantee equality for small member countries in the European Union. Speaking to journalists outside 10 Downing Street, Lipponen said that whatever reforms are carried out in the EU, it is crucial to ensure that small countries' citizens and enterprises are treated in an equal manner.

Lipponen deplored the recent tendency to increase inter-governmental co-operation thereby weakening the Commission. He praised, however, Blair's recent speech in Warsaw, in which the British Prime Minister suggested that the Council of Ministers should outline political direction and then the Commission should make initiatives and monitor the compliance of mutually agreed rules. According to Lipponen, this is an important way to guarantee equality of treatment for small countries.

The Finnish Prime Minister ackowledged that his idea of an EU Constitution may not be enthusiastically received in Britain. He emphasised, however, that it is important to strengthen the rights and identities of member countries with some kind of binding agreements. It is also in the interests of small member countries to have a wide-ranging debate about the future of the Union. Lipponen said that this debate should involve national parliaments and ordinary citizens. The debate should be initiated during the forthcoming Swedish and Belgian Presidencies, he added.

Lipponen also reitirated his view that every country should retain a member in the Commission. He also said that new member countries should be given a seat in the Commission because this would give them important experience. Lipponen acknowledged, however, that after the EU's enlargement there will be a need to discuss possible changes in the Commission.

See also:

• Lipponen seeks allies from Benelux countries (Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 14 November 2000)
• Lipponen's EU role causes controversy (8 November 2000)
• State to insist on retention of EU Commissioner (The Irish Times, 7 November 2000)
• Ahearn Sets Out Ireland's Stall (The Irish Times, 7 November 2000)
• France seeks compromise on composition of the European Commission (Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 2 November 2000)
• The receding horizon of the EU (Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 31 October 2000)
• Moment of truth for EU enlargement (The Irish Times, 28 October 2000)
• Liikanen: Finnish Commissioner enhances support of EU among Finns (Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 17 October 2000)
• France - nightmare for a small country (Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 17 October 2000
• Gloves off as big states attack small (The Irish Times, 16 October 2000)
  
• An elegant Swedish model for weighted voting (The Irish Times, 14 October 2000)
• EU summit in Biarritz: Finland criticises France's unwillingness to compromise (Helsingin Sanomat, International Edition, 13 October 2000)

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