Brussels, 22/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - William Abitbol, MEP (EDD, France), and Convention Member, has, in his "letter" "Convention-France", published his proposal on the institutional architecture of the EU, alongside those of the Presidium. He believes that "the Nations need to take back the reins (…) and despite everything, the time is right to support the French proposal for the pre-eminence of the European Council and its President".
Among the main changes he suggests: the European Council pronounces itself unanimously (and not "by consensus"), and can submit a European law or framework-law to referendum; - the President of the European Union is invested for five years by the Congress of European Parliaments; - the number of MEPs per Member State may not be below four or above seventy-five. The EP has its seat in Strasbourg; - the Council of Ministers is renamed "Council of the States". Qualified majority covers the majority of States representing two-thirds of the European population; - the European Council, using qmv, "appoints the President of the European Commission and, if necessary, accepts the resignation of the same". One month after his or her appointment, the President of the Commission "asks for the confidence of the European Parliament"; - the Congress of European Parliaments, made up of an equal number of European and national parliamentaries, meets at least once a year, "convened by the European Council, which would set the agenda for the meeting". Furthermore, COSAC is the "Standing Committee of the Congress of European Parliaments", with its seat in Strasbourg; - the Union's diplomatic action and external policy are based on "free co-operation between Member States"; - the same for co-operation in defence matters, but Mr Abitbol also stressed that "the defence of the territory of the European Union by European forces under European political and military command is the objective of European co-operation" in this area. Member States taking part in this policy "commit to applying European preference for the European armament industry".