Brussels, 04/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - Monday's meeting of the Preparatory Group of the Intergovernmental Conference (Vimont Group) did not give rise to any significant move forward regarding the question of extending qualified majority vote to the Council, the main theme under discussion. The representatives of the Fifteen reviewed the fifty provisions for which giving up the rule of unanimity is foreseeable. For the very first time they had concrete proposals of amended articles, prefiguring the future Treaty. And yet "positions have not evolved very much at this stage", explained the spokesperson for European Commissioner Michel Barnier, as Germany had, for example, pointed out that it has not completed internal consultation with its Länder.
"Seven or eight articles do not pose any problem but do not hold any real political interest", whether they concern the appointment by the Council of the members of the Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Committee or the Committee of the Regions. For the rest, "we are still in the middle of the process", notes a Council representative. "The Fifteen are working on concrete solutions but many are still putting conditions or exceptions on accepting certain things". During his press conference on Tuesday in Strasbourg, Commissioner Michel Barnier considered that the extension of qualified majority is one of the problematical aspects of these negotiations (see EUROPE of 4 October, p.6). For most of the observers, no progress may occur before the summit of the European Union Heads of State and Government, in Biarritz, on 13 and 14 October.
Considerable deadlock still exists on five of the most sensitive subjects: a) measures against discrimination (Art.13); b) provisions regarding visas, asylum and immigration (Title IV of the Treaty); c) tax measures (Art.93); d) provisions affecting social security and the social area (Art. 42 and 137); e) common commercial policy for aspects not already decided by majority (Art. 133 as well as a proposed new protocol). Major work of drafting is under way, to clarify and restrict the area in which qualified majority would apply. On taxation, for example, the draft article defines a limited list of measures for which the introduction of majority vote could be envisaged: measures aimed at "updating" or "simplifying" existing Community rules in the field of VAT, excise duties and capital duty; measures aimed at preventing fraud and tax evasion in the field of indirect taxation; and measures whose essential aim is the protection of the environment. The proposal, however, specifies that the measures taken by majority vote must not have any effect on the issues still subject to unanimity (localisation of operations, place of taxation, determination of taxes, etc.). In the field of visas, the Amsterdam Treaty already provides for a transitional period until 1 May 2004, before the automatic establishment of the exclusive right of initiative of the Commission and the possibility for the Council to decide (unanimously) to go onto qualified majority and codecision. The French Presidency asks how appropriate it is to foresee a new transitional period before changing to qualified majority/codecision for other measures: controls at internal border crossings, arrangements for controls at external borders, conditions of free movement of third country nationals, and measures relating to asylum and immigration, etc.
These specifications, however, are not enough to overcome the objections of principle maintained by certain delegations. "The Member States want to grasp these five subjects in one go, which makes the exercise extremely complicated", explains one French diplomat. The debate could be continued within ten days, in Biarritz. Before this, the Fifteen will then tackle at a final ministerial conclave, next Sunday, the questions concerning vote weighting in Council, enhanced cooperation between certain Member States and eventual changes to Article 7 (sanctions in the case of violation by a Member States of the EU's fundamental values, see page 3 for the European Commission's contribution on this subject). The French Presidency will inform its partners of the programme of the summit to be held in Biarritz on Monday, during the General Affairs Council.