Brussels, 22/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Secretary General of the Union of European Federalists (UEF), Bruno Bossière, said that the 16 MEPs appointed in Strasbourg to the Convention on the future of Europe should play "a key role as the driving force". He felt that the EP's Duhamel and Leinen-Mendez de Vigo Reports gave "a clear orientation for a European Constitution with more democracy, efficiency and transparency". "The UEF sees many competent MEPs within the constitutional Convention who are committed defenders of a federal Europe", he commented, regretting that the PES group had not considered the qualities of leading figures like Richard Corbett, Jo Leinen, Giorgio Napoletano or Dimitris Tsatsos for the Convention. He hoped this did not "reflect a lack of willingness" in the PES to "actively promote a European Federal Constitution".