Brussels, 20/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - Continuing its hearings this week (just after the Biarritz Summit) of members of the Preparatory Group of the Intergovernmental Conference on the EU's institutional reform, the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs, under the direction of its Deputy-Chair, Johannes Voggenhuber, heard Danish Permanent Representative, Poul Skytte Christofferson, who mainly confirmed his country's openness, in the IGC, regarding extending qualified majority voting in Council. We can agree to move for unanimity to a qualified majority on 35 of the 45 articles, submitted for our attention by the Presidency, he said, while underpinning that, for Denmark, it was important unanimity should remain especially for social policy and the labour market, taxation (except ecotaxes), non-discrimination, asylum and immigration. Denmark could, however, agree to qualified majority voting applying to trade policy, but has difficulties regarding shipyards. Denmark is also in favour of the extension of co-decision, at the same time as qualified majority voting, but on a case by case basis, without it being automatic, Christoffersen added, noting that, over the years, Danish public opinion of the European Parliament had become much more positive.
Furthermore, Mr. Christoffersen reaffirmed his country's stance by which, within the European Commission, there should be one Commissioner per country - not to defend our own interests, but for reasons of legitimacy, and because the members of the Commission must know and understand the specific natures of the different Member States, he said. The Danish ambassador noted, in passing, that European leaders who, over the past few months had expressed visions of Europe, had tended to ignore the role of the Commission. As for the weighting of votes in Council, he referred to his country's preference for the double majority - States and populations. As for enhanced cooperation, he acknowledged that it could be necessary, while stressing that it obviously had to remain open and a last resort, also considering that one had not to have too many illusions over that instrument.
Questioned by British Liberal Democrat, Andrew Duff and the member of the Partido Popular, Inigo Mendez de Vigo on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Mr. Christoffersen said that it was a good document, and that the political objective had been achieved, but that its incorporation in the Treaty risked creating problems, as the text could lead to transfers of sovereignty (and thus require a referendum, that Denmark would obviously prefer to avoid: Ed.). Regarding the idea of a reference to the Charter in Article 6 of the Treaty (that is far from having been accepted by all Member States), Mr. Mendez de Vigo was surprised: Article 6 cites the European Convention of Human Rights to which the EU as such has not signed up, he pointed out, asking why a text which, for its part, is an EU document should not be cited in the same Article. As for setting off a possible "constitutionalisation" process in the EU, Ambassador Christoffersen agreed that Europe's history would not stop at Nice and, while stressing the need to focus on the success of the current IGC, he announced that the Danish Parliament would be submitting a paper on "post-Nice".