Strasbourg, 03/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - At a press conference at the sidelines of the EP plenary session, President of the EPP-ED group, the German Hans-Gert Pöttering (CDU) demonstrated optimism on the work of the European Convention, and welcomed improvements made by the Praesidium in its revised version of the text on the institutions (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7). On Spain's opposition to the new definition of qualified majority (majority of States and three-fifths of the population), and the threat of re-opening the entire Nice package, including the distribution of seats in the EP (he pointed out that at Nice, Spain lost seats in the EP but gained 27 votes in Council, where the four large countries have 29), Mr Pöttering suggested solving the problem by re-defining double majority: majority of States and three-fifths of votes in Council. He also pleaded for a reference to "Christian values or heritage" in the preamble of the future Constitution (see p.5). He also spoke of his disappointment at President Giscard d'Estaing's refusal to speak before the plenary, as he had been invited to do by the Chairmen's Conference.