Brussels, 09/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - An "appeal by centre-left Members of the European Parliament" has been launched at the European Convention by thirty or so Italian MEPs from the Socialist Group, United Left, the Greens, the EPP and the Liberal Group. The Italian opposition party MEPs (with the exception of Marco Formentini, the only Lega Nord MEP who is a member of the Liberal Group, his colleagues being non-aligned) call for the Convention to draw up a "draft democratic Constitution… inspired by the federalist draft that was approved in February 1984 by the European Parliament, proposed by Altiero Spinelli". They felt that European citizens should give their views in a referendum organised on the same day in every Member State, and the Constitution should come into force as soon as it obtains the "support of a majority of Member States representing at least two thirds of the total population".
The MEPs reject proposals aiming to enlarge the role of the European Council "beyond tasks of stimulation and strategic orientation and reducing the Commission's weight"; "superposing" on top of the President of the Commission a President of the Council not exercising "national tasks". They call for the Charter of Fundamental Rights to be incorporated in the first part of the Constitution and for the future institutional system to be inspired by solidarity, subsidiarity, efficiency, flexibility (countries that so wish being able to "precede the others without jeopardising the unity of the whole) and pluralism. In terms of the institutions, they call in particular for: a European Parliament and a Council sharing legislative and budgetary powers; a strengthened Commission exercising legislative initiative and contributing to defining the EU's direction, representing the EU abroad and ensuring that laws are applied; a Vice-President of the Commission who would be the Foreign and Security Policy Representative; a European Council expressing the EU's big strategic directions and "contributing to the designation of a President of the Commission elected by the European Parliament".