by Alessandra Cardone
FLORENCE, Italy, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of a crucial European summit scheduled in June, top European Union (EU) officials gathered here on Friday to urge reforms in various sectors of the bloc.
Addressing the 8th edition of "State of the Union" conference -- running in the Tuscan city on May 10-12 -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for a radical change in foreign policy decision-making.
The voice of Europe would remain largely inaudible, he warned, unless EU members agree to abandon the current unanimity principle in favor of a more efficient voting system.
"Our foreign policy is now organized in a way that Europe's voice is not heard in the large concert of nations, because we still have to decide unanimously," Juncker declared.
"Yet, there is a difference between unanimity, which means one vote alone can block a decision, and consensus. I therefore propose that we decide by qualified majority from now on."
The EU executive body's chief stressed that such a change would be possible under the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed in 2007 and is in force since December 2009.
In another keynote speech, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani addressed defence, borders control, and migration policy.
"Parliament and Commission have proposes a strong increase in funding destined to security, counter-terrorism, and external borders control," Tajani said.
"Personally, I believe we need to create a European FBI (The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation), with a more efficient information exchange system between investigative agencies," he said.
The official added that European citizens' safety might be improved also through a single European agency focused on tracking financial transactions linked to terrorism and other transnational crimes.
Tajani also appealed for a change in the Dublin Regulation governing EU's migration policy in terms of asylum, and concerning in which state asylum seekers are allowed to file their claim.
It was a hot issue, since the migration crisis has put solidarity among EU members under strain in the latest years, and the southern EU countries like Greece and Italy were left to face the major burden of the migrant inflow.
"The parliament already voted in November in favor of a fairer and more efficient European asylum system, and finally the EU Council has also started discussing it," Tajani pointed out.
"We cannot leave alone those states that, for geographical reasons, support the most weight of humanitarian crises," he added.
The State of the Union conference -- which annually draws European politicians, opinion makers, and analysts for a three-day debate -- also saw a long address delivered by European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi.
The central banker urged the completion of both banking union and monetary union, and the approval of a new fiscal tool to help euro-zone's members to face crises.
"We need an additional fiscal instrument to maintain convergence during large shocks, without having to over-burden monetary policy," he said.
"Its aim would be to provide an extra layer of stabilization, thereby reinforcing confidence in national policies," he added.
According to Draghi, the euro-zone would have shown some progress on these fronts already, with post-crisis regulatory reforms significantly strengthening the banking sector, and the European banking supervision allowing a more uniform approach.
Yet, some form of common stabilization function to prevent countries from diverging too much during crises would be needed.
"Public risk-sharing through backstops for failing banks helps reduce risks across the system by containing market panic when a crisis hits," Draghi explained.
At the same time, "a strong resolution framework ensures that, when banks do fail, very little public risk-sharing is actually needed, as the costs are fully borne by the private sector," he said.
The European Council -- the body charged with setting the EU's political agenda and priorities since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force -- will gather prime ministers and heads of state in Brussels on June 28-29.
According to a provisional agenda, EU leaders are expected to address security and defence, growth and competitiveness, and a multi-year financial framework, among other issues.
