Brussels, 16/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - In a speech to the Fondation Cariplo on 15 July in Milan, the President of the European Commission again defended the contribution made by the Commission to the Convention last month. He insisted on the need to give the Union a "single face" and redress the Union of States into a stronger union of peoples.
"A Constitutional Treaty appears to be the likely outcome of the current EU reform process; it will point out that the Union is a Union of States and peoples and that unless the Convention attempts a real "Constitutional move" (a rather unlikely hypothesis), the government will remain masters of the treaties", emphasised Romano Prodi before adding, "As it stands, the Union of States and peoples is totally biased in favour of the States. To re-establish a balance, the peoples must be given the chance to take part in the process of laying the EU's new foundations. Popular involvement is justified because this will bolster the legitimacy of the future constitutional text and, more generally, the Union based on it. This would set in motion a process that could ultimately lead to the recognition of EU sovereignty. The Convention and the Intergovernmental Conference to follow must launch a grand political project that the citizens can identify with. This entails laying the foundations for a genuine supranational democracy… The concept of European citizenship must stand at the centre of the European project". said Prodi, without giving any details of what form it should take.
Highlighting that "To play the role it deserves on the world stage, the EU must speak with one voice." The President of the European Commission again insisted that the job of High Representative be gradually transferred to the Commissioner for External Relations. "The way the EU budget is currently financed is too complex", said Prodi, "the European Parliament should be given the power to decide on revenue as well as on expenditure". On the issue of reforming the Presidency system for the Council and the Commission, Romano Prodi said: "Various proposals concur on a reform of the way the Council is currently chaired. It is clearly necessary - particularly with a view to enlargement - to replace the present six month rotating presidency with a more stable system. I fully agree with that aim. But we should go a step further and consider how best to make the EU more visible in the public eye… An EU president chosen by the governments and voted on by Parliament or elected in some other way, with a five-year term of office, would meet the need. Dispersal of effort must also be avoided as it leads to powerlessness. On grounds of democracy and efficiency, the best solution could be for the EU and Commission presidents to be one and the same. This would be a visible, transparent way of promoting the general interest of the EU and ensuring coherence and continuity".