18/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - In an open letter to the future President of the European Commission, Labour MP Gisela Stuart (who represented the UK government at the Convention on the European Constitution) gives advice to Romano Prodi's successor, in particular that he and his Commissioners explain the Commission's annual programme to national parliaments. The letter was published in Friday's Financial Times and is part of a document published by the Fabian Society. It starts with the words: Dear Guy (Ms Stuart explains that the word 'guy' is not used here as a first name, but a word to denote a man in general since the President of the Commission will not be a woman). Other advice given includes not looking back too much (not believing that if you were another Jacques Delors everything would work out well), focussing on the most important matters (and learning to say no to pressure groups, the EP and governments), act rather than speak, restore confidence in the institutions (by going to answer Member States' parliaments' questions (noting that whatever he may have heard about the Chamber of Commons' style, he would end up appreciating it), being a friend of the British (the Commission doesn't want to be dictated to by the big countries, but the UK, although it is one of the Big Three, has always believed in the need to protect the small countries, notes Stuart) and not waiting for the new Constitution to be ratified by letting himself be distracted from the work that needs to be carried out.