Strasbourg, 23/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Taking his turn after the leader of the Italian government, who on Tuesday told the members of the European Parliament what he hopes for, and expects from, the negotiations on the future Treaty of Union (EUROPE 9430), Jan Peter Balkenende presented the position of the Netherlands, on Wednesday 23 May. The “beautiful text” referred to on Tuesday by Romano Prodi is insufficient to satisfy the representative of a country which said “no” in its referendum, a “no which hurts us”, as the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, put it, whilst voicing his confidence in the Dutch people's faith in Europe.
Yes, support from the Netherlands for the European Court has always exceeded the European average, said Mr Balkenende: the time has come to seek future solutions which are acceptable to all, at the scale of a European model which has been a success, amongst other things because it is characterised by a balance between the economic dimension and the social dimension, between unity and diversity. Why, therefore, did 62% of the Dutch say “no” to the Constitutional Treaty? There was the enlargement (a historic success, “the right choice”, according to Mr Balkenende), there was a consolidation (single market, euro) but this sometimes happened too quickly for the citizens, who did not always manage to digest these changes, said the Dutch prime minister. They were worried about seeing the Union develop into a state to replace the Dutch state: “it was a bridge too far”, said Mr Balkenende, pointing out that the word “constitution” is understood differently from one country to the next: some people see it as a symbol of democracy, others as a document which defines national identity. We wish to find a solution, said the Dutch prime minister, always keeping two great ambitions in mind: improving the democratic functioning of the Union and seeking greater efficiency.
In this spirit, the Netherlands lay particular emphasis on: - pursuing a method of “modification of the Treaties”, which may be carried out “little by little”, whilst keeping the balances which characterise European construction in place; - consolidating democracy: the people of the Netherlands want to have their say, to be heard, which is why it is so important for subsidiarity to be included in the treaty more clearly, and interpreted by the national parliaments, without any limit to the decision-making powers of the European Parliament, Mr Balkenende explained; - efficiency. This necessarily involves a transition to majority voting, but this transfer of sovereignty must be the fruit of a clear choice, protected by adequate guarantees. In certain fields, Mr Balkenende pointed out (referring to social security, pensions and teaching), the citizens want to determine their own reality: he therefore called for the definition of a certain number of criteria on services of general interest; - enlargement. “Enlargement criteria” must be included in the treaty, said Mr Balkenende, because the citizens have the impression that the existing criteria are not really taken seriously. Mr Balkenende has not forgotten the founding fathers of Europe, and concluded by quoting the words of Robert Schuman, speaking on 9 May 1950, pleading in favour of the Europe of concrete achievements and de facto solidarity. EUROPE will return to the debate which followed. (lg)