Brussels, 13/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, UDF MEP, Alain Lamassoure, Member of the European Convention, presented some ides to the press in Strasbourg. According to Mr Lamassoure, these ideas could allow for the, "main antagonism at the Convention, that of the small countries against the large countries" to be overcome. This antagonism had introduced some friction into the debate, which meant that debates often took place that had nothing to do with the subjects. Mr Lamssoure hoped that here, "the Convention method should prove itself capable" and demonstrate its "added value compared to the IGC". The MEP seeks to calm things down and return to the objectives: "an original Union, effective and democratic". In order to reach this goal, Mr Lamassoure said that every institution had to fulfil its role and be strengthened. He underlined that the function of the European Council was to "suggest or validate the EU's medium term guidelines" (and was not an executive function); that of the Council was to represent Member States "loyally"; that of the Parliament was to represent citizens; that of the Commission "to clearly define the common interest of the Union".
According to Mr Lamassoure, the problem of the relationship between "small/medium/large Sates had to be settled as a priority in the voting system of the two decision making bodies, the Council and parliament" even though Head of State and Governments had tried to resolve both the problem of equality between countries and equality between citizens in the single framework of the Council. Mr Lamassoure believes that generalised use of codecision would, "enable the problem of vote weighting to be settled in a different framework": at the European Parliament, "demographic weight is usually the determining factor" and the large States are strengthened by the simple fact of codecision, he remarked. He also noted that the Presidium of the European Convention is "proposing getting rid of the weighting of votes at the Council" 'which stirred up acrimony at Nice) by suggesting a majority of countries and 3 fifths of the population.
Mr Lamassoure believed that the European Commission should be given its own "democratic legitimacy", which would come from the election of its President by the European Parliament by simple majority voting by its members. He also insisted on the "denationalisation" and cutting the link between Commission/States and nationalities, which, he claims could be done in two ways: setting the number of Commissioners with a ceiling that is lower than that of Member States, from "ten, eight or six Commissioners";- or not foresee a ceiling at all, and simply decide that the president should form his team, "if he needs ten Commissioners, he takes ten; if he needs forty or fifty, he takes forty or fifty". Slightly provokingly, Mr Lamassoure explained it was the number of ministers in many governments, and, after all, there will be a community of 450 million inhabitants to manage in the future. In his view, the president of such a Commission would have to "speak on an equal footing with the Heads of Government or Presidents of the Republic whereas, at the moment, he is appointed by them".
Another suggestion made by Mr Lamassoure was that the European Commission (its President or a Commissioner) should have the task of secretary general or rather general rapporteur for the Council in its executive formations, including the European Council and the General Affairs Council. "This is rather like what happens when the Commissioner has a strong personality", Mr Lamassoure noted, adding that the President or the Commission would "have the last word, the very last word". Also, "if this ever happens, the debate on a full-time Council president could be undemonstrative". Thus, the small countries would more easily accept a "full time session president" since the Commission would be the "helmsman" and the large countries would accept keeping a rotating Presidency since the Commission would ensure the continuity aimed at by the proposal on a full-time European Council President.
A Commission President elected by the citizens and who would finally be "Mr or Mrs Europe" with its 15,000 officials and a EUR 100 billion budget should not fear being thrown into shadow by any long-term European Council "chairman", Mr Lamassoure said. He thus explained the proposal of several large countries on such a "chairman". The main concern of the large Member States is foreign policy and "it seems to me they would be willing to accept a completely Community system, if not of the federal kind, for internal policy and commercial policy, on condition that they are the ones who have the power in foreign and security policy". Mr Lamassoure continued saying "diplomacy cannot be carried out with 25 - a common spokesperson is needed", the European Foreign Affairs Minister, and "if this person is a minister, there must be one person above him, not twenty-five".