Brussels, 23/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday in Brussels, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing opened the fourth plenary session on the European Convention. He stressed that, "If it is not easy to say who does what in Europe, it is not easy to say how its is done". He also claimed that the Treaty was an utter maze. According to Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the contribution of the European Commission (see EUROPE yesterday page 3-5) was positive and will be carefully examined, adding that he was due to meet President Prodi in the evening. He pointed out that, "In the same way that we have reacted to the European Parliament's adoption of the very remarkable report of our colleague, Alain Lamassoure".
According to the Finnish Parliamentary representative, Matti Vanhanen, it was necessary to reduce the number of instruments. Greek representative, George Katiforis, criticised the lack of co-ordination between the different policies (he cited the economy and employment and the action of the ECB and macroeconomic policy). Maltese politician, Michael Frendo, appealed for a stronger parliamentarianism of European democracy, with generalised co-decision making and improved association between national parliaments. German MP, Jürgen Meyer, believed that less than 5% of decisions presented problems in the area of competencies and called for a regulatory mechanism for conflicts between the EP and reformed Council.
Parliamentary control must be increased and no competence must leave the national bosom by escaping the control of national parliaments and of the EP, he affirmed, warning against any slide towards the intergovernmental way. He was also opposed to a frozen catalogue of powers and hoped that the number of instruments would be reduced to three. Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz urged for better implementation of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, to which he added the need for better definition of the principle of solidarity. Mr Yilmaz took a stance in favour of dismantling the three pillars with the development of the Community method. Reinhard Rack (ÖVP) believed that a mechanism should be found to restrict the "European legislator's love of detail", while Slovakian representative Irena Belohorska stressed the need to strengthen the European social model. Finnish MEP Kimmo Kiljunen took a stance in favour of the Commission's right of own initiative, Parliament's codecision, and a system of double Council, one legislative and the other for political coordination, as well as a strengthened role for the national parliaments. Danish national Jens-Peter Bonde (EDD), on the other hand, called for the Commission's right of own initiative to be given back to the national parliaments. The representative for the British government, Peter Hain, felt that legitimacy does not come from an understanding of the smallest details of procedures but from the fact that one knows who does what and why. He insisted on an assessment of the implications and concrete results of the legislation. The representative for the Belgian parliament, Elio di Rupo, expressed the hope that the regions with legislative power would be able to have the right of appeal if they consider the principle of subsidiarity has been violated. Without being in favour of the creation of a new mechanism allowing for prior control, he said that if this was inevitable it should take the form of a Court of Arbitration, of a mixed nature, political and legal, so as to avoid the intervention of a judge.
Commissioner Michel Barnier cited the missions that the Union would have to be handed taking account of the preceding debate: "consolidate the European model of sustainable development, economic and social, achieve an area of security, freedom and justice, become a great power". Taking defence as example, he considered that research and the armaments industry should have a "Community" dimension, "mixed" crisis management and the decision to go to war "intergovernmental". According to the Greek parliamentarian, Paraskevas Avgerinos, the Union's exclusive powers need to be clearly stated and foreign and defence policy added to them. For the Irish Government said its representative Ray McSharry, unanimity should be retained in certain cases (he mentioned fiscal issues and most aspects of the second and third pillars). For the German Federal Government, Peter Klotz expressed the fear that a Council President with a long mandate should be in competition with the President of the Commission and that, if the initiative is shared between the Commission and the EP, the Council will also demand a share, and it is the Commission that will end up weakened without the Parliament being strengthened. British MEP David Heathcoat-Amory said citizens can no longer agree to have decisions made by technocrats. "We are politicians (…) The Commission only makes proposals and it is the ministers and the European Parliament that take the decisions", retorted Michel Barnier.