Brussels, 21/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - Speaking on Wednesday at the plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee, the Vice-Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe, Jean-Luc Dehaene (responsible for ensuring dialogue between the Convention and the Civil Society) stressed the very important "bridging" role the Committee is to play in this context. He hoped the Convention would, through consensus, result in a Basic Treaty of the Union to overcome the current opacity of the EU and take the Charter of Fundamental Rights into account.
After being warmly thanked by President Göke Frerichs for speaking to the Committee (Mr Dehaene had earlier, during bilateral meetings, met Commissioners Barnier and Vitorino in order to prepare the meeting of the Presidium on Friday), Jean-Luc Dehaene pointed out that, after the opening meeting of the Convention on 28 February, there will be sittings until July when the different members of the Convention will be able to express themselves freely. This will allow the Presidium to present, in September, proposals on which the Convention will be able to take action. Jean-Luc Dehaene noted that "either the Convention results in a report giving a catalogue of possibilities, which for me would be a failure, or we shall reach consensus on a draft Basic Treaty indicating in a more transparent manner what the EU really is". Regarding relations between the Convention and Civil Society, Jean-Luc Dehaene told Committee members: "You have observers within the Convention that will be able to express their views and will have the responsibility of creating this bridge". Contacts will Civil Society, he specified, will be at four levels: - a virtual forum (utilisation of the Internet and other technologies for presenting the ideas and proposals put to the Convention, from which the secretariat will extract what is essential in order to use them); - permanent follow-up of the Convention by NGOs, through meetings with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Convention; - the organisation of hearings before the Convention; - an appeal to the media for reports on the work of the Convention. "We want to play an important and continuous role for all", said Mr Dehaene.
Questions on what the Chairman of the Convention expects from the Committee were put by Belgian national Etienne de Paul de Barchifontaine, Various Interests; Heinz Vogler (Germany) and Henri Malosse (France), Employers' Group, and Gianni Vinnay (Italian), Workers Group. They were also on the new institutional balance likely to come out of the Convention (question from Robert Pelletier, France, Employers) and the participation and increased role of Civil Society (German Ursula Konitzer, Workers; Swedish Jan Olsson, Various Activities). In answer, Jean-Luc Dehaene explained that the "European model has an important role to play. This model is based on consultation, which is essential, and that is what you embody". "Having observers at the Convention means that the Committee has its responsibilities within the Convention", he said, adding that, by its very composition (namely national representatives), the Committee has the role of relay to play between the national and the European levels. "From this point of view, the Committee accepts a privileged place that we wish to recognise on the Convention's side, which also wants to ensure dialogue with the other forms of the civil society, like NGOs. But the strict role of the Committee is recognised and included in the functioning of the Convention", said Mr Dehaene.