Brussels, 30/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - Questioned over the risk (in percentage terms) of a failure of the institutional reform at the Nice Summit, the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi refused to indicate a figure, but answered that the danger is far from negligible. The issues open are still numerous and the answers must harmoniously fill the voids, like pieces of a puzzle; only one badly placed piece is enough and it's a failure. This is why the role of the Presidency will be decisive.
Mr Prodi had called a press conference to discuss (with Michel Barnier) the preparation of the Summit and he repeated that the fundamental element seems to him to be that of the removal of the right to veto on the crucial dossiers. He cited trade policy, sector where the right to veto "is a source of collective impotence". Though he suggested this time that he attribute as much importance to reinforced cooperation: through this, "the torch of progress" can be carried forward by a limited number of countries, in a balanced and open manner". With regard to the Commission, he considers a acquired that in Nice it will be decided that in a first phase there will be one Commission of the nationality of each Member State, but the principal of a second phase with a Commission of twenty members should, in his opinion, be retained, with already on precise definition of the rotation system. At the same time, the power of the President will have to be reinforced in order to guarantee the collegiality of the deliberations. The second phase should start either in 2010, or at the time when the number of member countries will have exceeded the ceiling to be defined. Concerning the details for the majority vote, he reasserts that the Commission is sticking to the formula of the double simple majority (number of countries and population) that has the virtue of simplicity, serenity and is easy to understand by public opinion. It also has the major benefit of rendering futile the discussion over the "battle" on the number of votes in the Council between Germany and France, on the number of votes for Spain or the Netherlands, and so on, as the criteria of population already takes into account all the differences.
Mr Barnier adopted the formula according to which in Nice there will be no great reform, but there could be a "useful and correct" reform (see EUROPE of 27 and 28 November, pages 5 and 6). The "great reform" would have notably involved the generalised passing to majority voting, the principal of "European lists" for the election of the EP, the inclusion of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Treaty, etc.