Paris, 25/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - The MEP Alain Lamassoure (UDF, French) called once more for the Union to dare, in the debate that has just begun on its future, the constitutional approach, which means, he underlines, citizens first!. And it is them who must take the pen, as did the founding fathers of the American Union: We the people of the States of Europe… Naturally, the concrete work will have to be done by their representatives, asserts Mr Lamassoure in number 94 of the Commentary review. He continues: the best solution would be to elect a true Constituent Assembly, for an exclusive mandate of one or two years. For lack of this, the "convention" formula (…) proves its value. According to him, this would allow more easily to leave this paralysing rule, which is the unanimity required to modify the European founding texts, challenged rule, since there exists neither in the most integrated groups, of a federal nature, whose constitution may be modified by qualified majority of the federal entities, nor in the less integrated groupings, such as international conventions, whose entry into force also supposes a simple qualified majority. This would force the Eurosceptic countries to chose between full accession and being maintained on the outside, as the European constitution would apply to all the peoples' that had ratified it, and only them, underlines Mr Lamassoure.
Furthermore, Mr Lamassoure speaks out for a significant innovation in the European institutional system, the recognition of the right to secession, even if this right should be submitted to very solemn procedures, to not be used with a simple change of governmental majority.
Finally he insists on the need to include the Union in a "reasonable area, which means that it will be necessary to set borders to Europe, today without shores (the definition of the adjective European has never given rise to the slightest public debate in any European institution, he is surprised to note) and asserts that the creation of the political Europe must accompany a worldwide peace declaration, including a form of repentance for the past.