Brussels, 16/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Union of European Federalists (UEF), chaired by Jo Leinen MEP, has reacted positively to the European Commission's second contribution to the European Convention and also to President Prodi's initiative "of presenting a first complete draft constitution which has the great merit of showing the European public and the reluctant national governments that the outcome of the Convention can be a Constitution". The UEF especially welcomes the proposals o n how to make the entering into force of the Constitution possible even if a small group of Member States is not able to ratify the draft (procedural proposals in the "additional acts" to the first draft of the constitution, Ed).
In terms of the contribution presented to the Convention by the College on 5 December, the federalists are pleased that neither the bad idea of the "Congress of the Peoples" nor the idea of establishing a long-term European Presidency were retained; they are pleased with the idea that the EP elect the President of the Commission but fear that election by a two-thirds majority would prevent "the results of the European elections" from being "truly reflected" and risk "leading to agreements between the two "elephant" groups of the European Parliament" (the EPP-ED and the Socialist Group).