Brussels, 07/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - The debate within the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs on the state of progress in the work of the European Convention, in Brussels on Tuesday, gave rise to very strong criticisms of the Valery Giscard d'Estaing method, consisting of mooting personal ideas and using the media to try, they say, to impose them on the Convention. MEPs from almost all political groups, including members of the Convention, deplored this attitude of the Convention's president, citing in particular the example of his proposal to create a People's Congress.
Presenting the state of work, Spain's Inigo Mendez de Vigo (EPP) placed special emphasis on the positive aspects, citing the disappearance of the pillar structure of the treaty and incorporation of the Charter. He also stressed that the EP delegation had secured the presentation of a draft structure of the treaty, whereas Giscard d'Estaing would have preferred to wait for the beginning of next year. The Committee's chair, Giorgio Napolitano (Democratici di Sinistra) expressed concern at the weak results of the working group on economic governance and regretted the vagueness of the working group on the role of national parliaments regarding the ideas of a congress and/or forum. Mr. Napolitano (who is the author of the report on the subject) placed emphasis on the role that must be that of national parliaments in controlling the activities of their governments within the Council. German Social-Democrat Jo Leinen reaffirmed his opposition to the creation of a congress and accused Giscard d'Estaing of wanting to impose it. He also criticised the will of the president of establishing a "double executive" (Commission for internal policies and Council for foreign affairs). Austrian Green, Johannes Voggenhuber, regretted the too greater weight of governments within the Convention and wondered if the draft structure presented by the presidium was really open to discussion. He placed emphasis on the need to mention people alongside States in the first article. The Italian Green elected in Belgium Monica Frassoni warned against the risk presented by the multiplication of press interventions regarding the Congress, as it could lead to the idea being accepted. British Liberal-Democrat Andrew Duff thought the draft structure positive and placed special emphasis on the need to strengthen the European Commission. Whereas several speakers wanted a Convention working group on institutions, French Socialist Pervenche Beres and Mendez de Vigo welcomed the fact that there had been a debate on institutions in plenary.