Brussels, 22/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament organised a first meeting in Brussels on Tuesday with the national parliaments of the Member States of the European Union and those of the countries candidates for membership so as, as its chair Giorgio Napolitano (Democratici di Sinistra), said to "sound out their reactions to the Treaty of Nice and the post-Nice process". Like the debate in the EP in Strasbourg last week, talks were essentially on a new method of institutional reform. A great majority of participants pleaded in favour of a "Convention".
Opening discussions, Mr. Napolitano underlined the stakes of the process that the Fifteen launched in Nice so that by 2004 "we can clarify what it is we want". "It is a question of going well beyond the conclusions of the IGC of the year 2000", he said, urging the parliaments of the EU and applicant countries to "move forward in great harmony". "There must be no separation, or even opposition, between national parliaments and the European Parliament: joint effort is essential to assert the rationale and role of the fundamental institutions of representative democracy, combating the ever-growing risk of their being weakened", he added. We shall not be able to backslide in relation to what was achieved by the Convention responsible for drawing up the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, said Napolitano, for whom it is no longer possible to exclude parliaments from the process of making draft proposals for reviewing the treaties.
Welcoming the presence of the presidents of the Commission and Council, European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine considered that this reflected "the common will of our three institutions to prepare this new major rendez-vous of 2004 in perfect cooperation". Turning to the Treaty of Nice, she said: "The many debates we have already had on the subject lead to believe that the European Parliament will consider that this new treaty has concluded a cycle in European construction and that it calls for another way of thinking and to pursue this construction (…) I would say that the Treaty of Nice has reformed our canonic law. But what we must now undertake, is a more comprehensive update, which takes account of developments in our societies". Ms. Fontaine explained that the EP was very attentive to the role that national parliament would have to have in Europe's future architecture. The EP is convinced that the experience of the Convention has to be the inspiration for the method that is to prepare the 2004 deadline, she went on, then stating that "it is increasingly certain that preparations for the 2004 reform will lead to the drawing up of a Constitution for a united Europe".
Prodi still avoids the term "convention" and proposes a smaller body voting through a majority
"I believe it essential, especially in this intermediary phase between the signing of the Treaty of Nice and the beginning of further enlargement, to extend contacts with the parliaments of the future members of the Union", said European Commission President Romano Prodi, reaffirming that, "at the same time as enlargement, a process is opening that has to lead to a political and institutional reshaping of the Union through a strengthening and modernization of the Community method". To do so, he pleaded in favour of a formula based on the Convention that drew up the Charter of Fundamental Rights. He added: "I say 'based on', because it is obvious that certain adaptations will be necessary: it will be a question of a smaller body, more functional, that will not necessarily have to vote unanimously". He then spoke in favour of - a greater role for national parliaments in the different stages of the Community decision-making process; - a better definition of the respective roles of the institutions ("I'm especially thinking of the dual nature, legislative and executive, of the Council", he said, referring to a model by which co-decision would enable Parliament and the Council to adopt framework-legislation while leaving the details up to the new executive); - enhancement of subsidiarity and proportionality; - the splitting of the treaty into two.
Lindh wants to build Europe's future with the candidate countries
Council President Anna Lindh placed emphasis on the need "to build Europe's future together, with the candidate countries", as well as on an in-depth debate involving civil society and further involving the young. The European Parliament is in favour of a Convention, but there are other formulas, like the use of a group of experts on different subjects, she observed, considering that possibly the solution resided in a combination of different methods. She recalled that the Council had to have an initial informal discussion on the subject early-April.
A majority seems to have emerged in favour of a Convention - Many parliamentarians raise institutionalisation
of Cosac - Some concerns remain in applicant countries
Ingo Mendez de Vigo (Spanish, EPP) said that "the model of a Convention is appropriate as it combines the different types of legitimacy". Portuguese Socialist Antonio Seguro expressed some concerns regarding the timetable: 2004 is the year of the renewal of the EP, the last year of the Commission's mandate and the last year of negotiations with candidate countries. While saying that he was very pleased at seeing colleagues that had taken part in drawing up the Charter, Jurgen Meyer (German, Bundestag) spoke out in favour of the model of a Convention. "The Convention is an acquired fact for the Italian Parliament", said Tino Bedin (Italian Senate), placing emphasis on the need to involve citizens in the debate on the forthcoming institutional reform. Alain Barrau (French National Assemby) also backed the model of a Convention, while leading in favour of strengthening the role and effectiveness of Cosac. Britain's Jim Dobbin (House of Commons) said that his parliament wanted to be able to discuss European legislation before it became law, and welcomed the debate launched by Tony Blair on the creation of a second chamber of the European Parliament. While stating that it was time for "national parliaments to emerge from their lethargy and stop relying on the European Parliament" for all aspects of European legislation, Guillermo Martinez Casan (Spanish Congress) considered that the model to choose for institutional reform was less important than the collaboration that had to be introduced between the institutions and civil society. Kristian Thulesen Dahl defended the stance of the Danish Folketing in favour of Cosac's integration in the Treaty. Albrecht Konecny (Austrian Bundesrat) considered that 2004 was not a very fortunate choice and that candidate countries absolutely had to be involved to prevent them having the feeling (as was the case in Austria with the Amsterdam Treaty) of joining a union whose content was in the process of changing without their opinions having been sought. Jerzy Jaskiernia (Polish Sejm) expressed concerns as to the loss of national sovereignty and poke in favour of the creation of a second parliamentary chamber at Union level. Manuel dos Santos said that Portuguese parliamentarians had decided to launch a national debate on the future of Europe, and spoke in favour of better use of Cosac. The Swedish Parliament will ratify the Treaty of Nice in the autumn, of which it is satisfied as it opens the way to enlargement, said Soren Lekberg, adding that Prime Minister Goran Persson had asked Cosac to prepare a contribution on the future of Europe for the Gothenburg Summit. British Liberal Andrew Duff said that Cosac's importance should not be exaggerated as there would be a risk of making up it a "second fiddle" to the Council. He did, however, plead in favour of the creation of a joint committee of national parliaments and the European Parliament in the field of Esdp, where it was necessary to guarantee democratic control. He opposed the proposal of a system of majority voting for the future body suggested by President Prodi. Austrian Green Johannes Voggenhuber pleaded in favour of a Convention and of an "alliance of parliaments", as in the current system these only really retain the power of ratification and one should not expect democracy from governments. Richard Horcsik (Hungarian National Assembly) placed emphasis on the need to involve the parliaments of candidate countries in the debate on post-Nice and hoped that the problem of Hungarian seats in the EP could still be settled. Gintaras Stepanavicius (Lithuanian Senate) backed the idea of a Convention, while hoping that the parliaments of the applicant countries could be involved. Kursat Eser (Turkish Grand National Assembly) backed the idea of a Constitution that would help provide citizens with a better understanding of the institutions, but nevertheless pleaded in favour of retaining the intergovernmental method for amending the Treaties.
Barnier hopes that review of treaties may be over by end-2003 or early-2004
Answering parliamentarians' questions, Commissioner Michel Barnier spoke in favour of a body bringing together, in the years 2002/2003, "four sources of legitimacy". "It must not only precede the intergovernmental conference but prepare it too", he said, placing emphasis on the need to draw the lessons from Nice and Amsterdam and be more ambitious. "It will have to fully open to representatives of the candidate countries", he added, stating that it would have to broach all subjects and consider just how far political integration could go. "The Commission is ready for the debate, without taboos", he stipulated. Turning to the role of national parliaments, Mr. Barnier came up with four paths of action: - do more for information and consultation; - develop the control of subsidiarity and proportionality; - introduce a right of suggestion; - transform the Council of Ministers, which is a "Council of States", so as to enable ministers to be accompanied, in certain circumstances, be representatives of national parliaments. Acknowledging that 2004 was a particularly busy year, he said that they should try to end the exercise by the end of 2003 or beginning of 2004.