Europe is on the way out of the crisis, but there is still work to do. I am happy we are seeing the first results of our efforts. Economic reforms are starting to pay off. And the EU as a whole is much better equipped now to protect ourselves from financial turmoil.
But as long as 25 million people in our countries are looking for a job, and as long as we have not yet fully stabilised the euro, we cannot sit back and I will make sure that we will not sit back.
I see a tendency of loosing the sense of urgency - both on short-term policies and on thelonger term. This must not happen.
We have to keep on reforming our economies, making them more competitive, making it easier to create jobs. It won't always be simple, but is the best way to secure growth and employment for the future.
And we have to keep on dealing with the hard questions regarding the euro. The euro binds us strongly together and has brought a lot of good. But in the crisis we found out, the hard way, that crucial elements were missing in its set-up.
That's why the upcoming meetings of the European leaders will be crucial. We'll discuss very concrete plans for a closer economic and monetary union, what it means for banks, for national budgets, for tax payers, for voters. It's something that should have been done a long time ago. Now we need to get it right, and we need to do it in broad consultation.
This week my team is talking to diplomats and officials from all member states and to members of the European Parliament…
I travel to capitals, gather the ideas of Prime ministers and Presidents, spend a lot of time on the phone. Of course there are many different views, but my job is to table proposals to strengthen the Economic and Monetary Union - proposals that are up to the stakes and have a chance to fly.
It is a huge joint effort. And in the end, we do all this not just for the sake of sound budgets or to have a stable currency, no we do this for growth and jobs, for our common future. Because we want, and I want, Europe to remain the world's best place to live in !
