Ambitious projects open to all that wish to take part. Despite what is happening in the world, we should try to speak of Europe. Because we know that, as soon as the storm has blown over, we shall be seeing an exceptional effort being made to reactivate the Political and Defence Europe. Jacques Chirac has said: "Europe will not be at all divided once the crisis is past. But it will be full of remorse that it did not come to a common position, a new force for achieving the goal it had set itself". Pierre Lequiller, a Convention Member who pays a great deal of attention to the sometimes changing spirit of the Convention, observed: "after a session early February marked by strong pessimism, the Convention Members now seem to consider the crisis to be a catalyst for making progress along the road of ambitious proposals". Several governments appear determined to take initiatives, despite the growing number of those who consider it impossible to move forward at 25 from the very beginning, and the hypothesis of a constitutional Treaty admitting that "differentiation" between Member States is gaining ground. Other declarations have been added to the indications and premonitory signs pointed out in this column on 12 and 13 March. Michael Roth, Chair of the ad hoc working group of the SPD, Chancellor Schröder's party, declared that, given the fact that there is no consensus at the Convention on a common foreign policy, "there should be alternatives, which could be but very bitter". Also, German government sources are said to have spoken of a "restricted circle" of countries initially between the six founding countries of the European Community. At the same time, the Spanish press has reported on meetings between Spanish Foreign Minister Ana de Palacio and her German colleague Joschka Fischer. If such reports are true, it can be seen that the door would not be closed to countries which, like Italy and Spain, had signed the "letter of eight" in support of President Bush's policy on Iraq. There will be an initiative, and it will be open to all those who wish to take part.
VGE believes Power Europe and Space Europe are still topical. To the indiscretions and rumours must be added a stance taken by Convention Chairman Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who brought out the notion of "Power Europe" again, a notion of his invention quite a few years ago (alongside Space Europe). In a statement in "Le Monde" of 14 March, he notes that European foreign policy can only be given concrete substance through "deep change in the behaviour of the European leaders" who must "give priority to the European reflex". The Convention cannot do this for them, but it can create the appropriate structures, and VGE thus described the road to follow: "A progressive project to be carried out in stages, as for monetary Union. Transition to the final phase should be decided, between two to ten years, by unanimity. It will perhaps be noted that some Member States do not wish to keep step. Non-participation clauses, if not withdrawal clauses, should therefore be foreseen". He went on to add: "the Brussels circles seems to under-estimate how difficult it is to make a 25-member Europe work properly (…). All the States who wish to contribute to the long-awaited emergence of a Power Europe must be able to take part". Clearly said, with a touch of scorn (or something of that kind) towards the "Brussels circle", which does not seem to "understand what is obvious".
Jacques Delors explains his concept of Europe. Jacques Delors, for his part, who was invited by Pierre Lequiller to speak before the "delegation for the EU" at the French National Assembly, confirmed that he had "never believed that the aims of the Treaty could be reached with 25 members". He specified the three "realistic objectives" for the greater Europe. His description of the three goals of Space Europe is given on the next page. And the other aims, those which go further along the road toward integration? The former Commission President specified how, in his opinion, the additional instruments could work concerning foreign policy, defence and also economic and monetary Union, for which he once again insisted on the failings. He did, however, make a distinction between "enhanced cooperation" which is to be explicitly foreseen in the constitutional treaty, and a "vanguard", which could become necessary in the case of disagreement, or of crisis, within the Convention. In this case, the countries that wish to move forward in any case would form a vanguard between them that could concern foreign affairs, defence and part of judiciary affairs. On the other hand, economic issues, beginning with currency, must be the subject of enhanced cooperation.
Jacques Delors also took a stance on other issues such as sport, the competences of the Court of Justice, and reduction and simplification of European legislation. Is the readers' curiosity sufficiently aroused? If so, then just turn the page and your curiosity will, at least to some extent, be satisfied.
(F.R.)