Brussels, 02/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - The meeting of ministers and secretaries of State of fifteen "small" countries of the future enlarged Union, held in Prague on Monday by invitation of the Czech government (see EUROPE of 30 August, p.2), to prepare for the intergovernmental conference opening on 4 October, failed to agree on a precise joint list of points to re-open at the IGC, but they did manage to confirm that these fifteen countries (Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia) have decided to fight for changes to the text presented by the European Convention.
Although demands vary between countries, the "small" countries are all calling for the right of each Member State to retain a full-time Commissioner, for the role of a permanent European Council President to be clarified (especially as regards the future EU Foreign Minister), and for the rotation of the Presidencies of the Council to be maintained. Some countries, such as Poland, also wish to keep the provision of the Treaty of Nice on the weighting of votes in Council.
The Czech Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Jan Kohout, at the end of the meeting repeated that it was not the smaller countries' intention to call the work of the Convention into question, but simply to improve certain parts of it. The work done by the Convention was "appreciated" and the draft text is a "good basis" to allow the forthcoming IGC to lead to a "better, more effective and transparent Union of the future", said the delegates in a press release. "However, in this compromise (adopted by the Convention), smaller countries have identified certain elements- from aspects of institutional structures and decision-making processes to special forms of flexible co-operation- which could require further consideration", reads the press release. The small countries' objective for the IGC is to "extend the spirit of compromise and transparency" built within the Convention, to ensure a greater balance between large and small Member States.
Mr Kohout went on to stress that "we do not wish to gang up against anybody, even though there are differences"; he also emphasised the fact that the meeting was informal and consultative in nature and that the Prague group was not going to be institutionalised. According to diplomats, furthermore, no similar meeting is planned prior to the IGC.
It is worth noting that the three Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg), which were broadly satisfied with the Convention text, did not take part in the meeting in Prague. Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt even appealed on Monday for the text to be "accepted as it stands": in an interview with Le Soir, he said: "the Convention was a major step forward (...) we must conclude it as soon as possible, by the end of the year".