Brussels, 15/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - the only original proposal at the European Convention debate on the institutions came from the Greek Foreign Affairs Minister, George Papandreou, who on Thursday morning, proposed that the President of the European Council be elected by direct universal suffrage. Although other Convention Members proved rather short on imagination, the debate, however, did allow for confirming that genuine unanimity existed for creating the post of European Minister for Foreign Affairs and the election of the President of the European Commission by the European Parliament, with most speakers calling for a simple majority. Sufficient consensus was established in favour of the Commission, which, following a transition period, would be composed of a college of Commissioners with delegate Assistant Commissioners. On the other hand, strong divergences remain concerning the Presidency of the Council.
Italian Vice Prime Minister, Gianfranco Fini has given his support to the Presidium's proposals mentioning the creation of a Foreign Affairs Minister, the legislative Council "which becomes the single representative of the European Parliament" (which would see its role strengthened) and the monopoly of initiative of the Commission, which "remained Europe's driving force". He said that he also supported a reduction in the number of Commissioners, based on rotation parity following a "very brief" transition period.
Alain Lamssoure, the French Christian Democrat declared, "Yes to creative compromise, no to demagogic compromise!" and again insisted on the need to "de-nationalise" the Commission (also see EUROPE 14 may p 4). Portuguese parliamentarian, Alberto Costa, was opposed to a full time Council President but supported the creation of a legislative Council and the post of an EU Minister for Foreign Affairs. German Christian Democrat, Elmar Brok, thought that the President proposed for the European Council would upset the institutional balance. He supported the Minister of Foreign Affairs chairing the External Relations Council. Austrian MEP Caspar Einem argued against a permanent Council President but recognised the need to find a provisional solution as well as a long term solution to the composition of the Commission. Jacques Santer from Luxembourg, speaking on behalf of three Benelux governments, appealed for strengthening the co-ordinating role of the General Affairs Council, which could be chaired by the President of the Commission in order to increase the stability of the system. He did, however, express his wish for maintaining the rotating Presidency of other Council groupings. With regard to composition of the Commission, h indicated that the Benelux countries wanted to keep a Commissioner for each country even if a formula with a college of delegated Commissioners was envisaged. He also proposed that, "the Commission's censure is able to dissolve Parliament except if the European Council decides otherwise". He argued against having a congress. French Senator, Hubert Haenel, said that the Presidium proposals were coherent. He also supported a stable Presidency of the European Council, the creation of a Foreign Affairs Ministry, a reduced Commission following a transition period. Mr Haenel also thought that dissolution of the pa was necessary of institutional balance.
Spanish parliamentarian, Josep Borrrell, took up the formula fervently supported by Mr Lamassoure, believing that the Commission had to be "de-nationalised". He appealed for enhancing the EP's codecision legislative and budgetary powers. The Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee should have the status of the institutions, declared the Spanish MEP, who also wanted the ECB to be in charge of both monitoring price stability and contributing to growth.
Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs, George Papandreou, supported the idea of a more stable European Council Presidency but proposed that the future President be directly elected by European citizens during elections held at the same time as European elections on the basis of candidates appointed by the parties represented at the European Parliament. "This would prevent a directorate of large countries", he said, considering that such a formula would, "give more legitimacy to this President for representing the EU at the highest level". According to Papandreou,, such a President would "become the natural ally of the Commission". Former Irish Prime Minister, John Bruton, who represents his party at the Convention immediately applauded this proposal and stressed that it would allow for the setting up of a "European demos". Commissioner Michel Barnier gave his support to the creation of the post of Foreign Minister. Concerning the composition of the Commission, he said it is necessary to seek a solution which "preserves the collegiality, independence and pluralism" of the institution.
British Minister Peter Hain was opposed to the creation of a legislative Council. On the matter of the Council Presidency, he urged for a presidential team to be set in place in a rotating egalitarian way. He pointed out that this formula also has the support of Sweden, Spain and Poland. This was immediately confirmed by Spanish national Alfonso Dastis, who gave his support to the election of the Commission President by the Parliament.
The representative for the German Bundesrat, Erwin Teufel, gave his support to the proposals of the Praesidium. He mainly cited the creation of a long-term "Chairman" for the European Council but stressed that his duties should be clearly limited. He is in favour of a college with deputy Commissioners, a reduced number of Council formations (although he wants regional ministers to be able to have a seat when the constitutional structure of the State to which they belong allows it) and of a Commission president elected by the EP by simple majority. Representing the Polish government, Danuta Hubner said she did not see the "direct link between the Commission's size and effectiveness" and urged for the president of the Commission to have greater power for internal organisation and management. She mainly felt that each Commissioner should stand down if the Commission president calls upon him/her to do so with good reason. She also felt that the EP should have the choice between at least two candidates when electing the Commission president.
To those who fear confusion could be created by the coexistence of a European Council president, a Commission president and an EU Foreign Minister, French Socialist Olivier Duhamel made a comparison with the system that exists in Germany: "Rau would be the permanent Council president; Schröder the Commission president; Fischer would be Fischer, I mean the new EU Foreign Minister".
Swedish Minister Lena Helm-Wallén took a stance in favour of electing the Commission president and in favour of a collegial Council presidency. She also urged for strengthened Parliament powers and the extension of qualified majority vote. "Everyone must move" and "no-one knows the consequences of the election of the Commission president or of the designation of a stable Council president", Olivier Duhamel said, warning his colleagues: "You must not take yourselves for constitutional gods!" He went on to explain that solutions must be found but that what is needed is a single or collegial presidency as long as it is effective, "a restricted or broad Commission but with a hierarchy".
Representing the Bulgarian government, Meglena Kuneva insisted on the need to safeguard institutional balance and said the General Affairs Council should be presided by the Commission president and the External Relations Council by the European Foreign Minister. She took a stance against establishing deputy Commissioners and against the Congress.
Taking the floor during the afternoon, British Minister Peter Hain urged in favour of the proposal that does not produce a "super president of Europe" rivalling the Commission president. If the Convention wants to reach a compromise, this proposal should be taken into account, he insisted. On the other hand, he agreed that a committee composed of representatives from all Member States is important for the acceding countries. He also supported the idea of a rotating system for Commissioners.
Speaking on behalf of the German government, Joschka Fischer clearly supported Benelux's proposal for the Commission formation (one Commissioner per Member State with possibly deputy Commissioners and a rotating system) and for the Council (maintaining rotating presidencies). He felt this is a "good basis around which consensus may be formed." In his view, it is necessary to strengthen the Commission's role of guardian of the treaties while adapting its size to enlargement, and not to "compete with the Commission".
With several representatives from small countries, Irish national Dick Roche felt that there are no good arguments in favour of a permanent Council president. He said neither is it a question of going back on the breakdown of Commissioners, for which the "small countries already paid in Nice". Dutch Christian Democrat Hanja Maij-Weggen said that, if it is the Commission's role that is to be strengthened, with a president elected at the same time as the Parliament, then "we do not need a president of the European Council". She called for the system of one Commissioner for every Member State to be maintained.
The idea of presidential teams composed of several Member States was supported by many Convention Members. Commissioner Antonio Vitorino remarked that those who wish to maintain the rotating system for the Council have "good arguments" but the fact that each Council formation is allowed to elect its own president could "have the advantage of informal rotation". On the other hand, he is not in favour of the idea of Councils presided by a Commission member, as this would confuse the tasks between Council and Commission.
Many Nordic representatives and accession countries insisted on the need to maintain the principle of equality between Member States in the composition of the Commission and keep to the rotation systems planned for in the European Union enlargement protocol. The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Gul, insisted on maintaining the equality principle at the Commission. The representative of the Romania government, Hildegard Carola Puwak indicated that he "would agree to a smaller Commission if clear rules on rotation were established".
French MEP, Olivier Duhamel, was sharply critical of the "fantasy" of a "Permanent Council President" that would mean a return to inter-governmentalism. He declared that the function created the body and a President of the Council would become European in the exercise of his duties. In connection with the number of Commissioners and rotations at the Council, he outlined a way for conciliation, which consisted in not setting the number of Commissioners in the Constitution and leaving the Council the responsibility of determining its Presidency system for each Council. This idea was supported by German MEP, Jürgen Meyer, Finnish parliamentarian, Kimmo Kiljunen and Swedish MEP, Göran Lennmarker, who pôinted out that the Council had decided alone last summer to reduce the number of its groupings to nine.