Martin Schulz, the leader of the European Parliament's 201-member strong Socialist
group, shot into the limelight in 2003 during Italy’s EU Presidency when Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi likened him to a Nazi camp guard.
But Schulz says he would prefer to be remembered as the head of the most united and effective group in the Parliament having chalked up successes in defending Europe's social model against right-wingers in the Parliament as well as officials in the European Commission.
Schulz rejects suggestions that his group has been damagingly split since he took over as President in June 2004 over such issues as the EU Constitution. "I am really astonished to hear you say that", he retorts, pointing out that only one group member voted against a report supporting adoption of the Constitution. He admits, although, that many of the French Socialist members abstained, adding that many members of the 266-strong European People's Party - European Democrats group voted against the treaty. Schulz highlights other examples, such as the group's unanimous position against opt-outs from the EU's working time Directive to argue that the Socialist group "has the highest coherence in votes in the Parliament". This, he says, makes his group "key" in determining the EP's view on important issues.
On the Constitution, Schulz shares the view of the leader of the EPP-ED group, fellow German Hans-Gert Poettering, that it offers the answer to many of the concerns about the EU that motivated voters in France and the Netherlands to say No. Demands for more democracy, more transparency and greater effectiveness of the European Union can only be met if the Constitution is implemented, he believes. Schulz also argues, like Poettering, that it would be undemocratic to allow the two countries that voted No to decide the fate of the Constitution on behalf of all the other EU countries. "After the two No votes in France and the Netherlands, in Cyprus and Latvia the parliaments ratified the constitution and a large majority of the Luxembourg people said Yes in the referendum", he says. "That's why we can't say the No in France and the Netherlands breaks the process (of ratification)". Schulz thinks that, in line with what the Constitution envisages, once 20 of the 25 member states have ratified the constitutional treaty EU leaders should see if there are "possible compromises between the majority which has voted for the constitution and the small minority of those who have voted No or who have not voted". He believes that solutions would be possible at this point.
Turning to the priorities of the UK Presidency, the PES leader rejects the suggestion that the Labour government is pursuing a different agenda to that espoused by most members of the PES group, of which the UK Labour Party is a part. Commenting on Prime Minister Tony Blair's call for the EU to focus on economic reform to meet the challenges of globalisation and greater economic competitiveness, Martin Schulz says that the group has a "clear common line" that protecting and improving the European social model must be a precondition of boosting growth. By contrast, he argues: "The right-wing in the European Parliament and the Commission has a strategy to reduce social protection as a pre-condition for growth".
Schulz also plays down suggestions that there will be tensions between the UK Presidency and the Socialist group over planned new legislation to combat terrorism, an issue which moved to the top of the agenda in the wake of the London bombings in July. He insists that while "you can't avoid a conflict between the interests of public order and individual rights", an approach which balances the two is nevertheless possible. Schulz, used to be group coordinator of the Parliament's civil liberties committee, and says that those who are opposed to closed circuit TV cameras in public places should take into account the role CCTV cameras played in identifying and arresting suspect terrorists in the aftermath of the London bombings. While Schulz calls for a hard line in expelling "hate preachers" and others who "violate our fundamental values", he is equally firm in wanting to avoid a "clash of civilisations" and insists on the need for a "structured approach" to ensure the effective integration of legal migrants. He cites the example of the EU's relations with Turkey - and the need to offer the country a real chance of membership - as a way of cooperating with and encouraging a "moderate, democratic Muslim state" because, he says, such states are the EU's "best allies" in the fight against extremism and terrorism.
From this perspective, he says it is "irresponsible" to deal with Turkey the way Germany’s Christian Democrats and the French right-wing are doing at the moment. But, he also insists that the Turkish government needs to honour its commitments in terms of democratic reform and its relations with Cyprus. "(Turkish Prime Minister) Erdogan must know everything he does has consequences", Schulz says, commenting that the recent declaration saying that Turkey still does not recognise Cyprus was "not helpful".
Although the Socialist group in the European Parliament has not revised its stance on enlargement in the wake of the No votes in France and the Netherlands, Schulz argues that reform of the EU is a precondition of further enlargement, either by adopting the Constitution or other essential reforms to the Union's institutional structure and decision-making processes.
Martin Schultz was interviewed by journalist Simon Taylor.
This section is supported by the Socialist Group (http://www.socialistgroup.org)