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TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION OF EUROPE

Laudation

by

Dr. Ingo Friedrich,

Vice President of the European Parliament,

in relation to the presentation of the Taxpayers Award „The European Bull“

to Jean-Claude Juncker

on July 9, 2000

on behalf of the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung e.V. in Brussels

Europe is not merely a exercise area for large groups of people, it is above all an area of development for large feelings.“ Almost a year ago, Jean-Claude Juncker gave this maxim to the EU reformers. He is convinced that politics will remain macula when it is not felt in the hearts and heads of the people. For him, Europe has long become brain matter. One of the largest successes of his „heart-felt“ European policies has been in the hands of all EU citizens since the month of January: the euro. It is one of the most attractive missions of a politician – and not only for the architects of the economic and monetary union – to make visions become a reality. Mister Prime Minister Juncker is one of the main participants in the preparation of the European unification process, and fortunately also one of its most persistent critics. While praising the recently opened discussion on the future regulation of Europe, at the same time he warns that politics should not be judged by its mere intentions but also by its actual results. Luxemburg is only the smallest member state of the European Union from a geographical point of view – yet in relation to European avant-gardist thinking, it is one of the largest and most important. That is true for former statesmen, such as Luxemburg-born Robert Schuman, as well as for the men of state of today, such as Jean-Claude Juncker.

You couldn’t tell from the look of him that Europe is not the darling of the citizens and hence sometimes it is tough business. Humour is an important part of Juncker’s policies, a fact that is not only known by his closest co-workers. Once he said, in playful mockery, about his co-worker Mil Jung, the national champion of Luxemburg in the 400 meter sprint: „Mil has only become a champion since nobody else in Luxemburg runs that far." Where would we be without some fun? On occasion, Jean-Claude Juncker applies that saying to politics.

Lightness and sometimes even jocosity only constitute the form of his wide knowledge of and his clear perspectives on the future of the EU. He is a sharp observer of the European integration process. His analyses are highly appreciated and regarded as important because they are seasoned with sarcasm and irony. Additionally, he is also capable to convince his audience in an eloquent and polyglot manner – he speaks German, French, English and of course also „Letzeburgisch“.

His youth environment, the post-war steel industry, made a strong impression on him. The Luxemburg mining region, one of the strongholds of the communist and socialist movement, and the fact that his father was a member of the Christian trade union, aroused the interest of young Jean-Claude. Long before he went to law school, he developed a strong sense for politics. At the age of 20, he became a member of the Luxemburg Christian-Democratic party, where he started an impressive career, stimulated by his motivation which he once described as „wanting to do something for other people ".

In European political circles, he is considered a political prodigy. At the age of 28 already, he was appointed State Secretary with the Ministry for Employment; two years later he was already at the head of the Ministry. Five years later, he became Minister of Finance and he has kept that position until today. Since 1995, when he was 41 years old, he has been head of government as the successor of Jacques Santer who went to Brussels as the president of the EU Commission. Jean-Claude Juncker once pointed out that it was indeed possible to stay with a government for more than 16 years; he himself is living proof of that statement since this year is already his 18th.

And as if all that were not enough, he also worked as an excellent financial professional as governor of the World Bank and member of the directorium of the World Bank. Since 1995 he is governor of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Such a career is very rare amongst the political elite of Europe.

The Luxemburg presidency of the Council of the European Union in 1985, during which Juncker was responsible for social affairs and finance, formed his pro-European outlook, which he has kept to date. His analyses in view of past government meetings and the debates about the reform of the European Union are legendary: in a diplomatic way, he always spoke the plain truth whereas many of his colleagues amongst the heads of state and government embellished poor summit results with vague phrases. For example, when he stated the Council of the European Union had debated „swords unsheathed“, everybody immediately understood that there had been a fierce discussion.

In an interview with „Der Spiegel“ he gave an extremely clear – and unfortunately correct – description of the decision-making process during government conferences:

„We decide something, we leave it for a while and see what happens. When there are no large protests or manifestations, mainly because most don’t understand what the decision entails, then we continue – step by step until there is no way back.“

In other words: Jean-Claude Juncker does not mince his words. And while he when asked to do so by journalists frankly gives the names of those who caused trouble, he remains a clever mediator for the EU.

As head of the Luxemburg government, he is aware of the importance of his country as a bridge between the two dynamic forces behind the European unification process, Germany and France. Because of his thorough knowledge of the interests of both sides, Jean-Claude Juncker is simply predestined to play the role of the mediator. The international press dubbed him „the hero of Dublin“ when in 1996 he added fuel to the flames between former Chancellor Kohl and French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac about the economic and monetary union.

Being the head of a small grand duchy, he made great efforts for the equal rights of the smaller EU countries. The integration of all citizens in the union also implies the uplifting of the smaller nations. Jean-Claude Juncker said it in the following way:

„It is one of the specific characteristics of the European Union that large and small countries are treated equally and have the same rights in Europe and that they can all decide about the future of Europe.“

His commitment to the interests of the European taxpayers, before as well as after the introduction of the Euro, and his efforts to make the common currency stable, deserve our utmost appreciation. Jean-Claude Juncker is one of the key figures, in whom all the hope of the European taxpayers is placed. Only a European Union with a stable common currency, a clear distribution of powers as well as efficient institutions can successfully make it through the expansion. The citizens should trust the institutions of the EU and they must be able to identify with the European idea. Brussels should no longer be a symbol for bureaucratic ballast.

Since his efforts for the stability of the euro, Jean-Claude Juncker – as well as his fellow minister of finance Theo Waigel of Germany – set the right course. Juncker showed that he was willing to compromise about the objectives set for the heads of state and government in order to balance the economies by 2004. Yet he maintained that at all times, the agreed direction of stability had to be kept. In the beginning of March, Jean-Claude Juncker issued a warning:

„Those who give the impression that stability is merely an invention of the founder of the monetary union and not of its current players, is revoking the basic consensus on which the monetary union was based."

There is more. The Luxemburg Prime Minister also deals with competition. Luxemburg is very open economically, which stimulates high productivity and brings prices below EU average. The characteristics of the Luxemburg economy are in favour of Juncker’s policies: high growth, low unemployment rates and economy surpluses combined with low tax rates. Many a large EU neighbour should follow that example.

I would like to end with one of the favourite comments of Jean-Claude Junckers about EU summits:

„Everything has been said, but not by everybody!”

Today I have told you something about his life, his career and the resulting efforts for the interests of the European taxpayers. We should speak about these efforts, although they speak for themselves.

And so we come to the joyful reason for this event, the presentation of the Award of the European Taxpayers Association. You will forgive me, dear mister Juncker, when I point out that exactly you should be honoured with the „European Bull“. Being a great European, during your career you have had to face many a confrontation with the horns, so to speak, of your political adversaries.

For your work on a European level, for your efforts for the „small“ players in collaboration with the „large“ ones and for your commitment to Europe’s citizens, I would like to wish you good luck.

Congratulations!

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