Brussels, 07/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Constitution is needed because, despite its "resounding failures", it also means "a silent revolution" in terms of democracy, and because there is no going back to Nice. The Greens will be casting a yes-vote for the Constitution but a "critical and spirited yes", an "open yes" as the process cannot stop there. The Greens are therefore launching an initiative open to other parties and movements, in order to propose a "first amendment" to the Constitution and to begin, from the last day of ratification, a new phase in the aim of setting up a new Convention. Several journalists received this explanation from Austrian Green member Johannes Voggenhubber - who was a "very active" Convention Member - with a view to the vote by the European Parliament next Wednesday on the Mendez de Vigo-Corbett report (which "approves the draft Constitution and unreservedly recommends ratification"). The Greens, he added, would seek to gather at least one million signatures for launching the first European popular initiative aimed at calling on the European Commission to propose a "first amendment" to the Constitution. One million, is the "threshold" foreseen by the Constitution, Mr Voggenhubber recalled, hoping of course that this figure would be exceeded (Article I-47 of the Constitution stipulates that at least one million citizens in a significant number of Member States may take the initiative to invite the Commission, in the context of its attributions, to submit an appropriate proposal on issues for which citizens consider a legal act on the part of the Union is necessary if the Constitution is to be applied).
The aim of this "first amendment", Mr Voggenhubber said (recalling that the US Constitution was not completed in a day but with successive amendments) is to: - complete democracy in Europe; - establish a European order of peace; - and establish a European social order. The Greens' campaign will continue in parallel to the process of ratification of the Constitution, and "one hour after" the last Member State has ratified, if we have at least one million signatures, "we shall present the complete popular initiative", Mr Voggenhubber announced.
The debate within the French Socialist Party "leads nowhere", according to Mr Voggenhubber, who feels that a popular initiative could facilitate ratification by some countries, France for example. While recognising the risk that there could be a negative reaction in the more eurosceptical countries, he considers that most Europeans hope "Europe will go further" and wish to be consulted more. Citing the example of decisions taken on the opening of membership talks with Turkey without public or parliamentary debate, the Austrian MEP exclaimed that the initiative would be a test allowing us to see whether we are able to move from a Europe of the elite to a "res publica".
So far, Lithuania and Hungary have ratified the Constitution without there being a true public debate, Mr Voggenhubber protests, also deploring the fact that the Commission is not ready to commit itself further to encourage debate at European level (he said he had spoken at length with Mr Barroso and Ms Wallström). Evoking William Tell, Mr Voggenhubber said they are acting as if they were shooting twenty-five apples although, in reality, there is only one apple "which is on Europe's head".
On the subject of the Mendez de Vigo-Corbett report, Mr Voggenhubber recalls that the Greens/EFA had abstained during the vote in constitutional committee. He underlined the fact that they were the only ones to have presented several amendments, apart from an amendment from the GUE/NGL and one from the ALDE Group. Whilst repeating that there must be a yes-vote to the Constitution, he considers that a total lack of criticism on the shortcomings of the text is not a good strategy for ratification. The report is a "hymn" to the Constitution, and, Mr Voggenhubber said, one can already imagine Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's face fashioned on Mont Blanc (Ed.: an allusion to Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, where the faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt are sculpted in the cliff-face).