Brussels, 12/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - In a press release, German Christian Democrat Elmar Brok, President of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed the presentation on Thursday by European Commissioner Margot Wallstrom of the European Commission's Plan D, to get out of the deadlock following the French and Dutch 'No' votes on the European Constitution (D for democracy, dialogue and debate - see EUROPE 9041 and 9043). Brok said Plan D was an important contribution to the reflection phase suggested by the European Council following the interruption of the ratification of the Constitution after the French and Dutch 'No' votes. He said the European Union had to be made popular again and to do that, good policies and explanations were required.
Brok was a Member of the European Convention that drew up the Constitution in the first place. He is pleased that Jose Manuel Barroso has announced a tangible roadmap for part way through next year. At the current stage, said Brok, nobody could say in any detail what the outcome of this reflection pause will be, but under the Austrian Presidency in the first half of 2006 we will be able to be more concrete and we will have to be (see EUROPE 9028 and 9042 on divisions in the EPP-ED and PES Groups, and among the EP rapporteurs on the EP's role in the reflection phase, British Liberal Democrat Andrew Duff and Austrian Green Johannes Voggenhuber, and EUROPE 9041 on MEPs' criticisms of the Barroso Commission for its inertia in the reflection phase launched by the June 2005 European Council). Brok said that at the end of the Austrian Presidency (June 2006), it would be possible to predict, with a concrete roadmap, how to progress with the Constitution. He claimed the European Constitution was the best tool for helping Europe out of this deadlock and providing answers to citizens' big questions and concerns.