Brussels, 21/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The correcting exercise on the draft European Union Charter of fundamental rights ended Wednesday after a new meeting of the Convention bureau. Other than certain editorial improvements, this new version reproduces several proposals that had been the object of a consensus in the various parts of the Convention (European Parliament, national Parliaments, representatives of Heads of State and government, European Commission, see EUROPE of 14 September, p.7). The complete text should be rapidly released by the presidium and will be published in EUROPE/Documents.
This new draft, in which the Convention bureau included 23 of the 25 amendments presented by representatives of the European Parliament, will be adopted by the Convention during its session of the 25 and 26 September. The Convention will proclaim this draft text on 2 October in Brussels, before presenting it to the European Council in Biarritz.
The main modifications will notably cover: - the introduction of the right to conscientious objections to Article 10 (freedom of thought); - every persons right to found a trade union with others and to join it to defend their interests, which will join paragraph 2 of article 12 (freedom to gather and of association); - the mention of the guarantee to obligatory education in Article 14 (right to education); - a new formulation of Article 15 (professional freedom): all person has the right to work and carry out a freely chosen or accepted profession; - the introduction of a new Article 22 stipulating that the Union respects cultural, religious and linguistic diversity; - a new drafting of the Article on equality between men and women that must be ensured in all the fields, including in terms of employment, work and remuneration; - the introduction of a new paragraph in the Article on children's rights, foreseeing that every child has the right to regularly entertain personal relations and direct contract with both his parents, unless its is against their interest; - a reference to strike in the Article on the right to negotiation and collective action that may be carried out at all levels; - a new formulation of paragraph 2 of the Article on social security that includes the text put forward by Commissioner Vitorino (see EUROPE of 13 September, p.4); - that addition of the Article on the protection of health, of a phrase specifying that a high level of protection for human health is ensured in the definition and implementation of all the policies and actions of the Union; - a new formulation of the Article relating to protection of the environment: a high level of environmental protection and the improvement of its quality must be integrated into the Union policies and be ensure in accordance with the principal of sustainable development; - an explicit reference, in Article 33, to the fight against social exclusion and poverty.
European Parliament delegation is satisfied overall - Socialist have last attempt to fight
During its meeting on Thursday morning, the European Parliament delegation noted that nearly all the requests formulated last week in a compromise it had reached with difficulty, have been included in the new version of the draft Charter of fundamental rights (see above), which will be studied on Monday afternoon. The delegation's margin for manoeuvre is now very reduced and the delegation's President, Inigo Mendes de Vigo (EPP, Spain) hoped that the debate is not reopened with new amendments that would bring into question the results of the negotiation that has just taken place with the Presidents of the other two parts. However, the Socialists returned charging over several points that had not been the object of a consensus even within the EP delegation. The new draft Charter has also been criticised by the Austrian Green Johannes Voggenhuber, who felt that it did not respect the requirements outlined by the European Parliament in its own report on the Charter (he was co-rapporteur with Andrew Duff).
During a press conference, the French Socialist Pervenche Beres recognised that the new text presents significant improvements compared to the previous version and that the Socialists have not "scored much, many points". Nevertheless she asserted that the draft Charter should still be modified on four points: - Article 16 which indicates that "freedom of enterprise is recognised" should be accompanied by the formula "in accordance with Community law and national legislation" (Mrs Berés said that as it is drafted, this article, "is also the freedom to pollute"); - the addition to Article 30 of the right for all to work with fair pay; - the introduction of a new article on the elderly: "All elderly people have the right to lead an independent and decent life and to play an active role in political, social and cultural life"; - the addition of a reference to social charters. Mrs. Beres also placed emphasis on the abolition of the reference to the European Union's religious heritage which was introduced in the second paragraph of the preamble. In a letter addressed to Mr. Mendez de Vigo, with copies to the Presidents of the Convention and the other two components, she suggests other formulae like "cultural, humanist and spiritual heritage", "common heritage", cultural, humanist, secular and spiritual heritage", the "cultural and spiritual heritage of Member States", or even "symbolic heritage of humanity".