Renewed desire for Constitutional Treaty

The proper functioning of the EU demands it. It was not appropriate to speak about it before the approval of the 2007-2013 Financial Perspective, but today we can say it: for some time, we can feel in the air a renewed desire for a European Constitution or rather, Constitutional Treaty. It is not just a vague hope to define the ambitions and objectives of European construction, but something more precise: it is the whole project, which came from the Convention and was unanimously approved by Heads of Government, that we miss. I know full well that this desire is not shared by everyone and that even among those who supported and voted for it, many believe that the present text is dead, asserting that no responsible government can ask its people to approve a such an important text if it cannot guarantee that, in the event of a yes vote, there are real chances that it will become effective. Given that two Member States have rejected it, who could give such an assurance? This seems a valid argument, but not for everyone. Jacques Delors has said that the countries who have voted “yes” must be respected but also that those who have not yet given their decision have the right to do so. In his opinion, it would be arrogant on the part of those who said “no” to claim that everything should now come to a halt.

Those who want the rapid and vigorous re-launch of the Constitutional debate consider that it is the proper functioning of the EU that demands it: almost every day we have reason to regret the blocking of the Constitutional Treaty, since it increasingly appears to be the means to deal efficiently and effectively with a large number of our current problems. Moreover, the reflection that Heads of Government wanted after the negative outcomes of two referendums is now a reality. We were certainly ironic on the various governments' silence, and Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, noted that the break for reflection rather resembled a siesta. But now things are moving.

A wide range of views. Important political personalities are taking up position, nostalgia for the draft Constitution is increasing, reflection on this or that aspect has be re-launched. German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, by expressing her intention of making her country once again the “engine of Europe” in her first general political speech to the Bundestag, stressed the need to adopt the European Constitution. The agreement allowing the formation of her government states explicitly that the CDU-CSU/SPD coalition supports the Constitutional treaty, because it makes great progress towards a Europe of values and a socially just Europe, and the government undertakes to pursue strongly the process of ratification of the Treaty, and intends to give it new impetus during the German Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2007. Given the result of the referendum, the authorities in France are understandably more cautious, but the former Foreign Minister, Michel Barnier, has stated, “I am certain that it will be a long time before a better text is produced. It has to be retained, not destroyed, and the ratification process in those countries which have yet to give their opinion must continue”. The Finnish Government, submitting a report in favour of the draft Constitution to its national Parliament (which “will strengthen the Union's ability to decide and to act”) has expressed its wish that its country's Parliamentary ratification will have “a positive effect on European public opinion”. Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt has again spoken of a United States of Europe. If it cannot be done with 25, it can done with fewer, and he has again raised the idea of a Europe formed of two concentric circles: the larger grouping all the Member States in a confederation, a “European Nations Organisation”, while the smaller would be made up of a hard political knot, which countries could opt into. The distinction would not be between old and new Member States, because, according to Mr Verhofstadt, come of the old Member States have already formed themselves into a separate federalist group, and the new Members are torn between the intergovernmental and the federal approaches. To this range of views from national authorities can be added institutional initiatives (the European Parliament solemnly opened its reflection, with the participation of several Charlemagne Prize winners, including Jacques Delors, and will shortly give its decision on the report of its Institutional Committee) and others from civil society, such as Tony Venables' ECAS (see EUROPE 9081) or Pierre Toulemon's ARRI.