Brussels, 08/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Movement is organising a seminar in Porto, to 17 and 18 July (before the European Council), during which it will continue its reflection on five broad subjects: - The Charter of fundamental rights; - the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC); - the institutional future of the EU and the speech by Mr. Fischer; - Common security and defence policy; - enlargement. Draft reports will be examined and initial proposals concerning foreign policy, the "economic government" and the future Charter could result from this meeting.
During a meeting with the press, the President José Maria Gil-Robles discussed, lengthily, the ideas of the German Minister for Foreign Affairs. "Faced with the vision of President Clinton, which proposes a large Europe with distended ties, the proposals from Joshka Fischer want to avoid the dilution of the European Union," said Mr. Gil-Robles, feeling that strengthened co-operation are not "the ideal solution", but constitute the only present possibility for moving forward on the path of integration. Noting that they should not lead to discrimination towards candidate countries, Mr. Gil-Robles indicated the main conditions that must imperatively be fulfilled: (1) strengthened co-operation must not create multiple sub-groups in a sort of "Europe a la carte", but gather in one core those who want to progress together; (2) the European Parliament's participation must be ensured: the EP should, according to him, have a right of assent so that the system does not contribute to strengthening the democratic deficit.
Questioned on the reticence of certain Member States, Mr. Gil-Robles said that "the Spanish government moves towards a more supple position" and that "traditionally, the United Kingdom cannot, on it own, stop the development of the EU." Furthermore, the recent development show that the Franco-German couple understood that the IGC must be more ambitious and not limit itself to the Amsterdam leftovers, said Mr. Gil-Robles, adding: "The Franco-German axis is irreplaceable because it is at the centre of the European building process. A Hispano-British axis can only function if it proposes to move forward and not if it is a break in EU development. It is good that this axis takes care of subjects as important as the fight against terrorism, new technologies and judicial co-operation, but this is insufficient to make Europe move forward."
The President of the European Movement said he was opposed to a future "automatic dissolution" of the European Parliament in case of censure by the Commission, but nevertheless does not exclude the introduction of a mechanism allowing the Council, with a sufficient majority, to dissolve the Parliament. Furthermore, he feels that a "Commission that does not ensure leadership and contents itself with following the Council line risks a further censure in the next two years." As for the adding of a new European parliamentary chamber (suggested by Mr. Fischer), Mr. Gil-Robles believes that the Community procedures are already too complex to be adding more red tape. "With the Council, there are two chamber," he notes feeling that another form would not work. Also to proposed a strengthening of co-operation between the European Parliament and national parliaments, according to him, this could go through the attribution of precise functions to the COSAC and through a Convention of the same kind than that it is presently drafting the Charter of fundamental rights, which will be put together to discuss key aspects. The formula of the EU parliaments assizes could also be used, but more to give greater political impetus and on condition of having been well prepared: Could such assizes be used in the autumn, on the IGC, he asked.
Mr Gil-Robles also indicated that he intended to propose to the European Movement to call on the Heads of State and Government to bring forward the introduction of the Euro, if only by three months. For him this is a case of thus giving a strong political signal and reduce the risk of a new crisis, which, according to him, the risk of crisis would be automatically attenuated if "people have the money in their pockets" and if the single currency no longer appear to be a "game for bankers."