Paris, 30/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - In an interview in the 30 June edition of Le Figaro, former European Commission President Jacques Delors said there was both good and bad in the current draft Constitution, adding that if he were an EU head of state he would not open the Pandora's Box too wide. He suggested that the Italian Presidency appoint a go between to consult all Member States on two or three bones of contention before the launch of the Intergovernmental Conference in October, which will finales the Convention Members' work. Delors could see at least three such issues, for example the composition of the European Commission, decisions at the Council base don a double majority (of states and population) which he describes as better than the Nice set-up although it is being challenged by several countries so the advantages of such a system for everyone need to be better set out, and strengthened cooperation (differentiation, he said, is the only way to allow the EU to both expand and deepen). To avoid discussing uncontroversial issues at the IGC, Delors suggests the Italian Presidency appoint a go between to defuse potential disputes over the next three months.
As for who should be appointed as a durable President of the European Council, Delors said the institutions' value lay in the wisdom of the people making use of them and that the system could therefore operate but not if the President had too big an ego and wanted to dealt with everything.