Luxembourg, 10/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - In her speech, on Monday afternoon in Luxembourg during the Ministerial session of the Intergovernmental Conference (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.9, on Sunday's conclave), the EP President Nicole Fontaine, while warning against a "disorganised multiplication of crossed cooperation between Member State, which would marginalise the Community institutions" felt that the German-Italian proposal on reinforced integration "would enable to push these dangers aside, if the role of the Parliament was reinforced". Furthermore, she raised:
(1) the extension of qualified majority. "Sooner or later, all the questions linked with economic activity, will become (…) necessary to the proper functioning of the single market, including those which today seem blocked, such as social policy and cohesion, taxation, external trade, justice and home affairs", felt Mrs Fontaine, who deplored that the IGC has hardly advanced over this issue and who underlined that this proposal is no longer on the agenda", she noted with regards to the proposal made to the IGC, to define the "legislative act", which appears "dangerous to the European Parliament". As for the EMU provision submitted to the "cooperation" procedure, it would be a bad signal for the future "European economic governance" if this field was denied to the Parliament", she said, adding that the "logic of the democratic functioning of the Union is that it be submitted, according to the case, to codecision or assent";
(2) Charter of Fundamental Rights. Ms. Fontaine welcomed Mr. Moscovici's "openness" on this subject (see below) and the fact that the idea of a reference to the Charter in Article 6 of the Treaty - "as I had already proposed,.. a few months back", as she insisted on pointing out - had made headway. At the end of the Conclave in Luxembourg, Sunday evening, Pierre Moscovici told the press: "Everyone is aware that the Charter will not be able to be integrated in the Charter of Nice (…) Whence, there is one interesting formula, which could consist of a reference to it in Article 6, to demonstrate that it is a moral and political acquis of the European Union, without making it a binding element". Mr. Moscovici stipulated that this was a "personal idea" of his.