Brussels, 25/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - Convention member Marie Nagy (ecolo, deputy for the Belgian Parliament) stressed before a small group of journalists that the session devoted to listening to civil society had demonstrated that there was broad consensus for the integration of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. She did, however, consider that it would be preferable not to reopen talks on the contents of the text, as that would offer further potentials to its detractors and especially part of the European employers who refuse the inclusion of economic and social rights in this charter. Ms. Nagy also observed that the exercise that would consist for the Convention of to resume work on another Convention would not be well understood among the public. The also placed emphasis on the need to strengthen the social dialogue and pleaded in favour of transforming the Economic and Social Committee into a "European Council of work". Finally, she considered that the merger of the treaties into a single text posed the problem of the subsistence of the Euratom treaty in the sense that the latter has as goal the promotion of the nuclear sector whereas civil society spoke out in favour of the environmental protection and the security of energy supply.
Asked about the criticisms concerning the representative nature of the speakers, Ms. Nagy said that if all s of thought were not there that was possibly due to the time chosen.. She stipulated that a hearing organised not long ago at the Senate in Belgium on the same subject had led to little mobilisation. Ms. Nagy wanted the organisation of a second hearing session of civil society following the publication of a first sketch of the text.