Brussels, 14/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - In a press release, the President of the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee, German Social Democrat Jo Leinen, said the European Commission's Plan D was a good basis for a lively reflection on the future of Europe, containing important starting points for renewed dialogue with citizens and greater involvement by the Commission in explaining its activities and improving its information strategy. Leinen said concrete action now had to follow and the December Summit had to give indications that 2006 would be a year of citizen's dialogue about Europe. He called on the EP, Commission and Council to come up with a timetable of citizens' dialogue and the issues to be discussed.
In a press release, former Convention Member, MEP Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann (GUE/NGL, Germany) said Plan D was thin on the ground and unconvincing since it was not enough to want to continue with information and transparency, dressing them up to turn them into something new. The key problem is the neo-liberal political leanings of the EU, said Kaufmann (she was the only member of her group to vote for the European Constitution at the EP vote in January this year, see EUROPE 8864).
The Young European Federalists (YEF-Europe) welcome the Commission's Plan D because of the desire to demonstrate to citizens the value-added of the EU, but think the EU has to do much more if it is to win citizens over. In a press release, YEF-Europe says it has always fought for the European Parliament to appoint the President of the European Commission.