Brussels, 14/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - For the third time, the Conference of the Presidents of the European Parliament has decided to postpone the plenary vote on the report by Andrew Duff (ALDE) on the electoral reform of the European Parliament and the creation of trans-national lists, which was initially scheduled for this week's plenary session. This decision “sends out a signal that the Parliament is running the risk of losing its way”, said Duff on Tuesday 13 March.
The decision to postpone the vote is believed to be linked to the fact that the European People's Party (EPP), the majority party in the hemicycle, has not been able to reach a position amongst itself. “The EPP in particular has ceased to be the reliable force in favour of deeper European integration that it used to be”, said the rapporteur. In a letter dated 13 March, Duff informed the leader of the EPP Group, Joseph Daul, of his “consternation” at the EPP's decision. “I am all the more amazed because the EPP's official position within the constitutional affairs committee has always been a position of honest and solid support”, the rapporteur added, stressing that without the “unconditional support” of the EPP, the committee would not have been able to adopt his report. He stressed that the president of the European People's Party, Wilfried Martens, had “always supported” trans-national lists. Highlighting the fact that the other pro-European groups “remain for their part largely in favour of the reform”, Duff said that “delaying or obstructing the reform at this stage in its maturity would be extremely harmful”. He called on the EPP members to “return” to their “previous and more constructive approach on how a stronger EP would be able to contribute more to governing a more united Europe”.
Daul explained that within his group, “we never had a majority to accept the report that came out of the constitutional affairs committee” and said that he would need more time to allow the draft to be discussed. The leader of the S&D Group, Hannes Swoboda, said that “the debate must continue and that is why we will vote in favour of the Duff report”. “It is absurd and ironic to say that the Parliament does not seem to be able to make use of its power to reform the European elections”, added his S&D colleague Jo Leinen, president of the European Movement International, a federalist association of which Duff is also a member.
In his report, which he considers to be a “well-balanced compromise”, Duff argues in favour of changing the European elections system to allow the citizens to vote in favour of a national list and a trans-national list, with 25 MEPs elected within a single European constituency at the European elections. He also wishes to bring the elections forward from June to May.
A number of MEPs are concerned that this trans-national list could create two categories of MEPs, the MEPs from the pan-European lists having greater legitimacy. MEPs from the “small member states” are also concerned about losing their influence, because the larger countries would have more opportunity to present better-known candidates who would be more likely to be elected. Others stress that the additional expenses for the 25 new MEPs would go down badly in times of financial crisis.
Yet Duff still perseveres. “I am examining ways to keep the flame of reform alive. Without reform, the political legitimacy of the EP will continue to weaken just at a time when federal government is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. I continue firmly to believe that only the introduction of a pan-European constituency will galvanise the growth of European political parties”, he said. (CG with MD/transl.fl)