Brussels, 17/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Heads of State and Government held, on Thursday afternoon, their first working session on the Constitution in a "positive atmosphere", according to Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. This opinion was shared by all participants although opinions still differed substantially on Thursday evening on the small package of institutional issues still open and the aspects of economic policy relating to the Stability Pact, to excessive deficit procedure and to participation in the euro zone. Nobody made any comments on the large package of questions that the Presidency was considering before the meeting as being the subject of broad consensus (see p.4). The only exception to this consensus is from Poland which still hopes the preamble will mention Christianity. Neither Poland nor any other delegation, however, made any objection that could not be negotiated.
"Everyone showed a great resolve to compromise", German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told the press. On the three main institutional issues - namely the definition of qualified majority, the composition of the Commission and the repartition of seats at the European Parliament - there was no agreement but agreement was very close as to content, Mr Fischer explained. He said: "My impression is that we are on the right road. It should be possible to reach a final agreement during this European Summit. What is still missing is the last stone. Each of us naturally wants to optimise our positions, which is only understandable".
Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka said on arriving at the European Council that he had the intention of "fighting like a lion" to bring a reference to Europe's Christian tradition to the preamble of the Treaty. While Poland "can live with" (according to a diplomat) all the proposals made by the Irish Presidency in its two documents presented on Wednesday evening, including the thresholds proposed for the creation of qualified majority (55% of States and 65% of population), Warsaw calls for the Ioannina compromise (see p.4) to take on a permanent nature and to be triggered even if the minority blocking only reaches 25% of the population.
Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero welcomed the fact that the Irish proposal was "close" to the wishes of Spain, but repeated that Spain is hoping for adjustment, said one member of his circle after the first discussion session. Spain, which now accepts the principle of double majority, firmly rejected by the previous government under José Maria Aznar, defends its own calculation of this double majority. It trusts that the threshold for approval of a text will be fixed at half of the States plus one and two thirds of the population. Spain hopes to add a third criterion, that of making it necessary to have at least four States to constitute a blocking minority.
The Member States are "unanimous about the fact that one cannot leave Brussels without a constitutional text", Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spanish Foreign Minister, said at a press conference, adding "with a certain amount of optimism" that there should be an agreement. The minister welcomed the fact that "Poland has come into line with the Spanish position" on double majority in Council. "The word Nice has not been pronounced at any time during the discussion", the minister said, sealing Spain and Poland's abandonment of their former positions. He pointed out that there was "almost unanimity on the proposal for the European Parliament presidency".
French President Jacques Chirac said on Thursday evening that there was no blocking point that could not be overcome, while finding it difficult to progress in extending the vote to qualified majority in the social and taxation fields, given the resistance of the United Kingdom. He also regretted the fact that the Dutch government was linked by the mandate of its parliament regarding economic governance. Mr Chirac clearly stated that he did not in any way feel bound by the choice of the EPP to present Chris Patten as a candidate for Commission leadership. "I do not belong to any party. I do not belong to the EPP. I do not feel bound by the decisions of the EPP", he insisted. On the other hand, the next Commission, including representatives of the new Member States that will not have any experience in European matters, will need a president of "exceptional quality, with considerable experience, authority and competence as well as the sense of dialogue". The choice "will depend on his experience and his European culture, and not his political party". In his view, Guy Verhofstadt is a "possible candidate, a good candidate" but at the beginning of the evening he was still waiting for the "list of all the candidates". Jacques Chirac also made his colleagues recall that it is "up to the European council and not the political parties" to designate the Commission president.
Regarding the appointment of the future Commission president, Mr Fischer told the press that "Germany's position is known" and will remain unchanged, namely that Berlin supports Mr Verhofstadt's candidature.