Brussels, 20/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - Austria's Johannes Voggenhuber, member of the European Convention, and the co-president of the Green/EFA Group, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, presented a "project for the European Constitution", on Friday, defining the major objectives of the European Union under the banner "Unity for Europe". Under this title, the project has as ambition "taking up the founding idea of the European Union: unity. An issue that has disappeared from debates since Maastricht and that is threatened by nationalism, withdrawal into national identities", commented Voggenhuber, author of the text. The project also has the ambition of responding to the EU's democratic crisis, by enhancing "the democratic control of the supranational area", and responding to the challenges of globalisation by a social Europe with reaffirmed objectives", he goes on.
For the first phrase of preamble, "that will be the subject of arduous debate", he proposes: "We citizens of Europe and its States", instead of the Union of States favoured by Valery Giscard d'Estaing, or wording placing emphasis on "the Union of States and Peoples".
The text also pleads in favour of the organisation of a two-level European referendum on the Constitution: the votes would be counted at national level and in the EU as a whole, to see whether there is a double majority in favour of the constitution, Daniel Cohn-Bendit explained. Remains, however, to know what would become of the States whose citizens rejected the text of the Constitution by a two-thirds majority, he acknowledged. The "opt-out" contours still remain vague, agreed Johannes Voggenhuber.
The project has been debated within the Green Group but still needs examining before becoming its official position. It is, however, already a "Green" project in the sense that it is based on the principles of sustainability in the environment and in the social sector, Johannes Voggenhuber, considers.
Mr. Voggenhuber's draft Constitution states in the preamble: "This Constitution does not create a federal State. Future evolutions of the Constitution will decide of the final objective of European unification. The Union is therefore deprived of the right to supremely amend the Constitution, to appropriate powers, to levy taxes or prosecute a war". The text pleads in favour of a single legal personality and an institutional structure resting on the Community method and the generalisation of qualified majority voting. Legislative activity would be exercised by the European Parliament and the legislative Council would, without restriction, implement the principle of the direct advertising of debates on legislation. The "constitutional regions" would have the right to participate in drawing up the draft laws of the legislative Council. The text also provides for the EP having full sovereignty over the budget, with the abolition of the distinction between compulsory and non-compulsory expenditure, including as concerns financial planning. The initiative of laws would be that of both the Commission and the EP. The President of the Commission would be elected by Parliament. Other than the integration of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the text provides for: - men-women parity being a mission of all Union policies;
- the protection and promotion of minorities, languages and cultures being anchored in the Constitution; - the Union having the right to grant asylum and European citizenship to refugees it knows. The text also pleads in favour of the promotion of an economic, social and sustainable environment model, the introduction of instruments of direct democracy (popular initiative for legislation, popular consultations), a right of European association and a statute for European political parties. Regarding the common foreign and security policy, Voggenhuber recommends that the position of High Representative be handed to the Vice-President of the Commission who would be appointed with the agreement of the European Council. The Foreign and Defence Ministers of Member States would form the "European Union Security Council", chaired by the High Representative. The diplomatic services of the Member States would be gradually brought together and placed under the Union's authority. Later amendments to the Constitution would be adopted by a new Convention.